The Whispering Gallery In Abe Lincoln's Museum In Springfield, IL.....

[global1]

Yesterday I toured the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. It is done rather well but I couldn't help take it in while wearing my tinfoil hat.

One area in the museum is called the "Whispering Gallery". The description of this is as follows:

The Whispering Gallery is a twisted, nightmarish hallway where you will hear brutally unkind things said about Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln during their early months in Washington. On the walls are cruel caricatures and mean political cartoons that attack the Lincolns.

I was touring the museum with a co-worker that is a Repug and voted for Bush both times. As we were looking, reading and listening to the items in this gallery - this co-worker said - "Boy - they are saying the same bad things about Bush now."

That's when it hit me. Could it be that this gallery was there specifically for this purpose. Lincoln is now a revered president. Supposedly - he was very unpopular during his stint in the WH. The Civil War you know.

Was this gallery a subliminal attempt to get Americans that visited this museum to think that - 'sure Bush is unpopular now but a 100 years from now he will be respected as well.

Other funny things struck me as I thought of a G.W.Bush pResidential Library and Museum. What would be in his museum. Certainly he didn't have the type of childhood and young adulthood that Lincoln did.

Would we see pictures of Bush the 'cheerleader'? Wisecrackin college brat? a picture with a silver spoon in his mouth? How will they describe his service in the Texas Air National Guard? How would they treat his alcohol and cocaine use and abuse? What about all his stupid statements and gawfaws?

I'm picturing a W.Bush Museum as a cross between the Comedy Channel and Mad Magazine. If it were so - I might even visit it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. That's rather tin-foilish.

Although it's a rather blatant attempt to make Lincoln look better. And seems a bit intellectually dishonest too.

Not that I agree with Lincoln's critics.

[coalition_unwilling]

2. Bush will be lucky to escape a War Crimes Tribunal. "They" are

not saying the same bad things about Bush now -- no one ever accused Lincoln of committing war crimes. And Lincoln didn't engage in wars of imperial aggression (my apologies to Southern DUers, but really who fired the first shot?) In fact, if you examine Lincoln's congressional record, he opposed the Mexican-American war when serving as a representative in the U.S. House. Of course, Lincoln had actually served in combat during wartime . . . as a young man.

[Turbineguy]

3. 100 years from now

descendants of current republicans will be sitting shivering and naked in the ruins of buildings and declare George W Bush the greatest President there ever was.

[JoDog]

4. But Lincoln led

and managed to pull off a decent presidency, despite his shortcomings. He knew when to cut his losses (witness the rotating generals of the Army of the Potomac...when one couldn't or wouldn't do the job, he was replaced). He listened to dissenting points of view in his own cabinet, and sought outside sources for information and perspective. And after the divisive presidential election of 1860, Lincoln worked hard to mend the rifts between the parties and form the fragile coalition needed to keep Washington from imploding and possibly making the Civil War even more bloody. All of those are things that the current Republican in office has not done.

It's alway strange to remember that the Republican party was the party of Lincoln.

[DeeDeeNY]

5. This quote of Lincoln's should remove all doubt

that he could ever be compared in any way with W:
"Allow a president to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose and you allow him to make war at pleasure."

[Benhurst]

6. I grew up not far from Lincoln's Tomb and visited it often. I haven't

been back for thirty years now; but the "Whispering Glallery" was definitely not a part of the complex when I was last there.