Lincoln's Shooting: Ideal Anniversary to Push for President Michelle Obama?

April 14th, 2015 1:15 PM

Daily Beast contributor Michael Daly, once a columnist for the New York Daily News, marked the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's assassination by telling the story of Nancy Bushrod, the wife of an emancipated slave-turned-soldier who met Lincoln on his last day. But by the story's end, Daly had turned it into a promotion for President Hillary Clinton, and even President Michelle Obama.

A reader wouldn't see this coming from the headline: "The Untold Miracle of Lincoln’s Last Day on Earth:
One hundred fifty years ago to the day, the president welcomed a hungry, desperate soldier’s wife into the White House. Seven hours later, he would be assassinated."

Mrs. Bushrod elbowed her way into the White House to complain that her children were hungry and she was not receiving her husband's pay. After Lincoln's death, she was given a job as a "janitress" at Ford's Theatre for a few years. She followed Lincoln's advice and devoted herself to supporting an education for her children.

Then Daly turned to American racial and gender progress for a happy ending:

Sadly, Nancy Bushrod is not here to see that the White House she visited 150 years ago this week now has a black president in residence.

There is a good chance the next president will be a woman.

And there is no reason why a future president could not be both black and a woman.

Hey, if Hillary Clinton can run for president, why not Michelle Obama after putting in a little time in Congress?

Our present first lady is at least as smart and tough as Hillary. Nobody can rightly say Michelle is less than trustworthy.

And Nancy Bushrod would love Michelle all the more for her focus on the needs of our military families in a time of war.

Michelle is even from the Land of Lincoln.