Defining Moment for the US’ 16th & 44th Presidents

Click to enlarge

The kidd, coming off an 8-year tirade with the previous administration visited the Lincoln Memorial this week. The Congressional committee that puts together the inauguration ceremonies announced that the theme of Obama's inauguration would be “A New Birth of Freedom,” to mark the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, symbolically linking one president from Illinois who freed the slaves to another who broke racial barriers in politics and reset the Electoral Map. In the hours following Tuesday's election, it gained fresh significance for Obama's supporters, who flocked to leave Lincoln messages of congratulations by his monument in the historic heart of the DC!

Others have noted the similarities between the 16th and 44th Presidents:

• Both politicians rose to fame in Illinois, though the state is now known as the “Land of Lincoln” and not the Land of Obama.


• Both were/are inexperienced: Lincoln even less so than Obama - his highest office held before the Presidency was a seat on the House of Representatives, elected in 1846. Obama has only been Senator in Illinois for one term, and it’s the highest office he’s held.


• Tall and skinny: Lincoln was 6'4" even without the funny hat. Obama is 6′2″.


• Both were against major wars in their days - no, I’m not talking about the Civil War for Lincoln. Instead, as a Representative (a Whig) he was against the Mexican-American War, criticizing President Polk for the US' involvement.

While the kidd noted that there would be less humor in a Obama vs. Bush Administration, he did state that laughing 'with' a president is much better medicine than laughing 'at' a president! For a look at the kidd's tribute to Lincoln and Obama, check out his latest toon at: www.kiddmillennium.com/kiddskartoons.html

Ron Callari is a freelance journalist and editorial cartoonist whose work has appeared in Alternet, Counterpunch, Sacramento News & Review, Albion Monitor and the World and I. He is author of “Uncle Dubya’s Jihad Jamboree”, published in 2005, and the creator of kidd millennium's editorial cartoons. Ron is also the Chief Marketing Officer for iOptimize Marketing, Inc., a company that provides SEO, SEM and Social Networking Services.

© Scoop Media