Presidents speak

"We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood. . . . It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless."

God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless."

— Pres. Abraham Lincoln (letter to his friend Colonel William F Elkins , 1864 Nov
21 - almost a year to the day after his Address at Gettysburg - "Government of the people, by the people for the people ...).

Source : Page 954 of Abraham Lincoln: A New Portrait, (Vol. 2) by Emanuel Hertz (Horace Liveright Inc, 1931, NY).... Lord Patel first came across it in The Iron Heel by Jack London see post September 2006

"We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We're bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous. We're pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime, who will be held to account for their crimes. We've begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigated. We're helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself, instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people."

(Speech aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003, under the "Mission Accomplished" banner by George W Bush President of the United States)

Pic : William F Elkins.