Rumor has it Lincoln had a seance to communicate with his dead son Willie, and since Lincoln is worshipped on this blog, no one ought to have taken offense.

In my opinion taking the Audacity of Hope as a central text you should be able to argue that Obama agrees with Lincoln and Machiavelli that molding public sentiment goes deeper than enacting statutes or laws, and that this same public sentiment or opinion has a central idea from which all its minor thoughts radiate. In this regard I think Obama central thought is equality, and perhaps fraternity as a major ray. With economic conditions being what they are I expect that Obama will give all that moderation requires, and yet stand firm on the principle that the wealth and greatness of the United States is never greater than the wealth of the least of these. A team is never stronger than its weakest part, and improveing upon the largest weakness first is the way foward.

Obama is nevertheless more modern, and his philosophy on government may be in greater cohesion with the general philosophy of Morgan Stanley.

Morgan Stanley believes that strengths are not additive but multiplicative...which means that you could be outstanding in 6 areas and horribly deficient in one and you would grade out at a 0.

Ultimately therefore I think Obama's vision for America is to make rennaisance men and liberally educated citizens out of all americans.

Obama's plan for the economy is at least in part to train and produce a more cross trained, flexible and adaptive work force.

Restated the central idea of Barrack Obama is the fraternity that is breed from equal ability and equal opportunity, because as Aristotle acknowledges friendship is only fully possible among equals.

Ultimately therefore I think Obama's vision for America is to make rennaisance men and liberally educated citizens out of all americans.

What percentage of men living during the Italian Renaissance were Renaissance men? I seem to recall the people burining some vain things. If you mean by Renaissance man a rugidly individualistic man who can change his own oil, fix his car, skin a buck and run a trout line then I say that is a good thing, but thinking we all are going to be liberally educated is somewhat foolish, especially considering how little most people with liberal educations know and understand. Most institutions are degree mills and daycare centers. Cross trained, flexible, and adaptive work force? I have heard some rumblings about requiring people to serve and be trained to do something and also talk of a civilian security force. I guess the Obama youth could fill this idea. In the end though, we have to have plumbers, factory workers, mechanics, ect. These things are not undignified. I don't really know what an adaptive work force serves other than people who can become telemarketers when their jobs are shipped overseas to increase investors returns, but that only works for a bit considering we can't all be telemakreters.