The comparison of Lincoln with Obama is laughable if not outright ridiculous. But a far better comparison is to be made in history of Lincoln and George Bush.

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It’s easy to make comparisons between President-elect Barack Obama and former President Abraham Lincoln. We have the Illinois connections and then the hovering, dark clouds of war, a nation divided and in crisis, and other similarities that provide a historic link. Drawing a line between the two men — Obama as an African American and Lincoln with his legacy of ending slavery — is as emotionally charged as it is inspirational.

But as we await the historic inauguration of Obama on Jan. 20, there is another parallel with Lincoln and perhaps even one with Sir Winston Churchill. That parallel is awaiting the historic analysis of President Bush.

Bush leaves office with approval ratings lower than the prices you hear some auto dealers offering to hesitant buyers (Buy one at a deep discount and get the next for a dollar!)

I can find only one person on record still being devoted to Bush, and she denies her loyalty has anything to do with the baby gift she received from him when her daughter was born.

This may knock me off some Christmas card lists, but I can see a case for history being kinder to Bush than might seem imaginable now.

Yes, there are any number of better decisions he could have made. Foremost among them would have been to bring a quick and decisive end to the war in Iraq shortly after it began.

And yes, he appears to have been soft on big business, especially the oil and energy sector.

There are areas, though, where Bush has excelled.

He has faced a number of crises that either no president or at least few have had. First, he was commander in chief when the United States was attacked at home on September 11, 2001. He was decisive in his response and showed admirable leadership both at home and abroad.

The nation now appears headed for disastrous financial calamity, the worst since The Great Depression. His administration has been forceful in trying to bring calm and to allocate money to industries fighting to survive.

And the economic woes of this country — just like other monumental, sea-change problems — did not simply appear one day or go away the next. Sure, this happened under his watch but the seeds for our mortgage, home loan crisis and those of the domestic automobile industry collapse were sown long before Bush first took office.

His administration rid the world and a nation of Sadaam Hussein, a despot whose sordid, tortuous crimes against humanity are well documented.

He paved the way for democracy in Iraq and other countries. It is still too early to tell if democracy will stick in any of those places, but people who have never voted are voting and, among others, women have new found rights to education and liberation.”

Again, the left hates George Bush pricely because he’s been decisive and has been a great leader in times of crisis. From their side they have no close equal at this point in time, except the savior they created in Barack Obama.

Unfortunately made up heros are only in fairy tales. George Bush led in real times, and we are all safer and better for it.

History will ultimately agree, whether the left likes it or believe it or not.

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