I'm reading a New Birth of Freedom by Harry Jaffa right now, and he began the first chapter with a message written by Abraham Lincoln to Congress in 1861 that contained the following quote: "It is now for them to demonstrate to the world that those who can fairly carry an election can also suppress a rebellion; that ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors of bullets...there can be no successful appeal back to bullets." The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi yesterday.

A Historic Moment for All Iraqis:
"Ballots will prove far more powerful than bullets in the end, and the will of the peaceful majority of Iraqis will triumph over the terror tactics of a hateful few. To this mission, I and my colleagues from the Interim Government pledge ourselves, and we call upon the governments and citizens of our allies in the international community and our neighbors in the region to do their utmost to support Iraq at this critical juncture. A free and secure Iraq will be a victory for all peace-loving people, and we Iraqis face a historic opportunity that we shall not squander."

I guess Dr. Allawi has read Lincoln. The quote by Lincoln is from July of 1861, shortly after the Civil War began. Will Allawi be the Iraqi Lincoln? Perhaps this is how Allawi views himself, fighting a rebellion to preserve his nation.  ¶ 12/24/2004 01:12:00 AM