BTW, I disagree with your example of Lincoln, Lincoln was hugely popular for us Yankees. A better example to what you are saying would be Harry Truman. Unpopular when he left office rehabilitated by History.
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Dunno Lincoln was pretty damn unpopular in your home town and other parts of the North in mid 1863 to the extent that it looked like McClellan might end up as POTUS things turned around but it was touch and go for awhile. His martyrdom kind of clouds that.
You are correct about New York, but remember as OTG stated he had just won the war, and there is nothing more popular than a president who has had victory on the battlefield. His martyrdom only elevated his popularity to devine level.
Chukpike
You are assuming that presidents are not allowed to change their minds. Once again, you are exhalting another fatal flaw of the previous administration as some kind of twisted virtue. Refusing to listen to another point of view, being stubborn, and not constantly reevualating your own ideas and opinions is a surefire way to disaster. For someone claiming not to have liked Bush, I would have thought in the 8 past years, you'd have been sick of this type mindless "shoot-from-the-hip" approach. "Shoot-yourself-in-the-foot" is a more accurate description.
I dont care if Obama doesnt keep his campaign promise, as I said all campaign promises get broken sooner or later. I just hope his course of action is correct (which we will find out soon enough). If Obama felt that the Military Tribunals was the way to go and that meant changing his mind from what he said in 2008 then I support his decision. At the moment Obama hasnt done anything to make me question his judgement.