Much has been made of the title of the book and Lincoln's supposed genius in co-opting his rivals into his cabinet, but the deepest impressions on me were quite different.
- As James Oakes wrote in a NYT Op-Ed piece, the practice of offering cabinet appointments to party rivals was well established before Lincoln. Furthermore, the cabinet was often dysfunctional due to the rivalries referred to in the book's title.
- Defining fully the essence of Lincoln's genius is beyond my ken, but I was amazed at his innate goodness, his devotion to principles and causes beyond himself and his ability to get difficult people with their own agendas to do what was best for the country.
- Lincoln and his contemporaries were more educated (in my opinion) than are the vast majority of the best and brightest in our country today. By educated I mean that they were familiar with the big ideas of humanity and those that set them forth, not just stuffed with data, most of which is of trivial value. That should shame us who have so many more resources than they did, but it is a tribute to the devotion of these men to improve themselves, particularly when you consider that one of them was a penniless farmer born in a log cabin in Kentucky.
- Lincoln wanted the respect of those around him, but he focused on gaining the substance that would command true respect, not merely polishing the surface to attract fame, its counterfeit cousin. "...I can say for one that I have no other [ambition] so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem."
- The commitment to preserve the Union was a sacred duty for Lincoln and his team of rivals. They saw the success of the audacious experiment that was the United States of America as being absolutely indispensable for the betterment of all mankind, not just those subject to its rule.
