Unpatriotic antiwar congressman was born 199 years ago today
February 12th, 2008 at 02:37pm Pat Cunningham
This last of Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays before next year’s bicentennial is a good occasion to bring up the subject of a certain bogus Lincoln quotation.
Last year, in an effort to impugn the patriotism of Iraq war critics in Congress, countless drinkers of the neo-con Kool-Aid employed these words and falsely attributed them to Lincoln:
“Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged.”
Not only did Lincoln NEVER UTTER such nonsense, he was a war protester himself during his time as a member of Congress.
In fact, Lincoln’s CRITICISMS of the Mexican War in 1848 greatly angered the pseudo-patriots of his time.
Some things never change.
POSTSCRIPT: Naturalist Charles Darwin, one of the giants of science (but a bogeyman to creationists), also was born 199 years ago today.
Entry Filed under: Abraham Lincoln, Uncategorized
4 Comments Add your own
1. Kaus | February 12th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I actually learned something today from this blog.
1. The Mexican American War had some great benefits for the USA, so Lincoln was wrong.
2. To quote Lincoln as actually making this statement makes neo-cons look stupid even if the sentiment was correct.
3. Perhaps we should wait 100 years before we decide whether an act of war has good or bad results.
2. Pat Cunningham | February 12th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
The rightness or wrongness of the Mexican War is beside the point. My point is two-fold: 1) Lincoln never said it; and 2) On the contrary, he spoke out against war when he was in Congress. It’s interesting that you think the sentiment in the fake Lincoln quote “was correct.” It was, in fact, unAmerican. Members of Congress have a right — indeed, an obligation — to speak out against what they see as an unjust or ill-advised war. But you think they should be arrested, exiled or hanged. You’re living in the wrong country. We have a right to dissent in this country, whether you like it or not.
3. Kaus | February 13th, 2008 at 10:11 am
1. Lincoln never said it but spoke out against the war. He has every right to do so. I’m all for debate (just like this blog site). My point was that in retrospect, I think his opinion on the Mexican war were incorrect based on the positive outcome.
2. My viewpoint is that it is indeed un-American to speak out on an ill-advised war (it may be ill-advised but it is too late to debate that) once the war has started with no intelligent game plan to leave. This is merely pandering and grandstanding and does not benefit the Armed Forces in the heat of conflict.
3. I like debate without being arrested or exiled, and you are letting me do so freely on this website. Thanks. But the strong comments of hanging and exiling is merely strong rhetoric not to be taken literally. In fact, I’ve heard this same rhetoric from liberal news journalists about our very own President……
4. Pat Cunningham | February 13th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Kaus: For my response to your latest comment here, check my follow-up post : “The bounden duty of Congress.”
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