Guided by a Legendary President

'Obama's Lincoln': Readers were divided over our early comparison between Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln. "It's arguable that Obama shares Lincoln's gifts of oratorical eloquence, compassion and political inclusiveness," wrote one. Another thought we jumped the gun: "Isn't it a tad too early to depict Obama as an updated version of Lincoln?" Yet another, in the team-of-rivals spirit, found a third way: "My knee-jerk reaction to the Lincoln-Obama depiction was irritation. After all, it's premature to draw comparisons. Then I grasped the historic symbolism."

On 'How Getting Married Made Me an Activist': "The very distinction between 'marriage' and 'domestic partnership' separates gays, de facto, from the rest of humanity. It marginalizes their relationships—and their families—accordingly."
Patricia Traxler,
Salina, Kans.

Obama Looks to Lincoln
Comparing Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln—isn't that just a little bit of a stretch ("Obama's Lincoln," Nov. 24)? Obama hasn't even been inaugurated yet, and you are already trying to proclaim him an equal to one of our greatest presidents. Now that the election is over, such sycophantic praise is more than over the top.
Doug Flaten
Williston, N.D.

As Barack Obama once pondered whether the poor boy born in the backwoods of Kentucky (Abe Lincoln) ever dreamed that a presidential library would be dedicated in his name, or that it might be possible for a black man to speak at its dedication as a United States senator, as Obama did, we also wonder if Lincoln would have ever believed it was possible for a black man to become president. And on the same note, did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. even dare to dream that a black man could be elected president? One thing is certain: both Lincoln and King would now be rejoicing.
Joann Lee Frank
Clearwater, Fla.

I did not vote for Barack Obama, but I accept him as our president-elect. However, I do take exception to the cover image of him with President Abraham Lincoln. He has not yet served as president and needs to prove himself first to the American public. While it may not have been the intent, it sure looks like you are comparing him to one of our greatest presidents before he has even taken the oath of office.
Garnett F. Bedenbaugh
Hammond, La.

As presidential historian Michael Beschloss states in "The Great Inspirer," "Obama knows that he will have to make excruciating choices … like Franklin Roosevelt." The problems President-elect Obama faces are similar to those faced by FDR prior to his first term: severe economic turmoil, unsound banks and Wall Street on the rocks. One of the first things Roosevelt did upon taking office was to cut federal salaries by 15 percent across the board, including the salaries of legislators (and his own). I am one of the individuals Obama has targeted for increased taxes—those people who earn more than $250,000 per year. I will more than gladly accept the increased tax burden if (and only if) he enacts tough measures along the lines of Roosevelt's.
William Hartel
St. Louis, Mo.

Editor ' s Note
In the Dec. 1 issue, an item in the Conventional Wisdom Watch reported that actress Winona Ryder had been "rushed to a London hospital after OD'ing on tranquilizers during flight." In an e-mail to NEWSWEEK, Ryder's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, called the report "inaccurate," adding that "Winona fell ill on a transatlantic flight, and ... as a precautionary measure she was sent to the hospital and released within the hour in good health."