My friend Jose Guardia, the brains behind the excellent Barcepundit blog and European editor of Pajamas Media, contributes this helpful blast from the past:
WHO SAID THIS?
“The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat and dishwatery utterances of the man who has to be pointed out to intelligent foreigners as the President of the United States.”
Barack Obama on George Bush? Or was it Jack Murtha? Nancy Pelosi, perhaps? Could it be Michael Moore?
No, it’s a Chicago Times’ editorial. From 1863. Reacting to the Gettysburg address.
Another interesting tidbit:
The Times was founded in 1854, by James W. Sheahan, with the backing of Stephen Douglas. In 1861, after the paper was purchased by Wilbur F. Storey, the Times began espousing the Copperhead point of view in supporting Southern Democrats and denounced the policies of Abraham Lincoln. General Ambrose Burnside suppressed the paper in 1863 because of its hostility to the Union cause, but Lincoln lifted the ban when he received word of it.
There you go, another similarity between Abe and Bush: both crushing dissent and stifling free speech!
ME: There’s more on Barcepundit (link above). Just scroll down a little bit.