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The Daily Dish - 2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan

Answering Clinton

By The Daily Dish
Dec 16 2007, 9:15 AM ET

A reader writes:

In Friday night's interview with Charlie Rose, Bill Clinton said, "When is the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running?" 

To that, I would answer: In 1860, when the country elected Abraham Lincoln, who had served just a single term in the House of Representatives. 

I'm not saying that Obama is Lincoln, but Lincoln's example shows that a president's good judgment and mental flexibility is more important than years logged in Congress. I for one am grateful that Stephen Douglas (the most "experienced" candidate in 1860) was not President of the United States during the Civil War.



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