Ben Franklin - one of the most intelligent and supposedly charismatic men of all time. Franklin was a writer, a politician, an inventor, and a male whore. How could you not like him?
I think Lincoln gets way too much credit. His famous Emancipation Proclamation was done for political expediency and didn't free all of the slaves, just some of them. He survived and demonstrated excellent leadership in a very tough time. But when you examine some of his motives, it all comes back to being a politician and doing what was right for him and his party. I admire him, but don't put him on a pedestal.
I think Lincoln gets way too much credit. His famous Emancipation Proclamation was done for political expediency and didn't free all of the slaves, just some of them. He survived and demonstrated excellent leadership in a very tough time. But when you examine some of his motives, it all comes back to being a politician and doing what was right for him and his party. I admire him, but don't put him on a pedestal.