Out of Egypt:

there's no doubt in my mind John McCain is an honorable man, but...

...I don't trust him. This Reason article explains why.

Some of the background information they give seems gratuitous, an effort to impugn his character, but what they say about his political philosophy seems sound. I don't so much care about the past lives of presidential hopefuls - of greater concern to me are the ideals to which they subscribe now. And I think the last thing our country needs is someone who fancies himself another Lincoln. I don't like the expansion of government power led by the first one...

Richard Bensel's book, "Yankee Leviathan: The Origins of Central State Authority in America, 1859-1877," as well as just about any decent history of the Confederacy, belies the notion that Lincoln "led" an expansion in government power.

Bensel points out that the expansion of state power in the Confederacy experienced a bigger increase in state power than did the north.

Further, look at Germany and other European countries during this period (and immediately afterwards) that also were not led by Lincoln.

Posted by: Jim at March 5, 2007 9:25 AM

Hmm...I'll have to look into that. Perhaps I've bought into a myth. I admit I don't know much about the subject.

Posted by: Evan Donovan at March 5, 2007 8:12 PM