A Team of Rival

I just finished reading A Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and loved it. It's probably the longest book I've ever read, but it was so interesting. She tells the story of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet (consisting mostly of his political rivals). She gives lots of background information, and then focuses on the events of the Civil War. It feels very authentic because most of her information comes from the diaries and letters of those who were involved. Through reading this book, I gained a great admiration for Abraham Lincoln. I am completely convinced that no other man could have saved the Nation and that it was nothing but divine intervention that led Lincoln to be the president at that time. His integrity, his ability to quickly forgive or overlook misdeeds for a greater good, and his political genius are all remarkable. If all presidents were as dedicated to goodness of character and the good of the Nation, our country would be in a lot better shape.

Here's a quote from the book, by Leo Tolstoy, "Now, why was Lincoln so great that he overshadows all other national heroes? He really was not a great general like Napoleon or Washington; he was not such a skillful statesman as Gladstone or Fredrick the Great; but his supremacy expresses itself altogether in his peculiar moral power and in the greatness of his character.
"Washington was a typical American. Napoleon was a typical Frenchman, but Lincoln was a humanitarian as broad as the world. He was bigger than his country - bigger than all the Presidents together."