My First Piece of Advice to President Obama is to Avoid the Theater

I know that Robert Bray is a professional historian but the idea that Lincoln has useful lessons for President Obama as he enters his second term is 20 degrees of absurd.

Can we do 2 things? First, let’s look at Lincoln in his actual context and not as popular writers wish he was. Second, can we quit pretending that presidential administrations of 150 years ago have anything useful to say about 2012?

Is this really too much to ask?