[tylerdurden]

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...you probably don't give much respect to politicians trying to sway from impolitic decisions and trying to balance sometimes contradictory actions, words, and ideas because you think their power is illigitimate in the first place. But for politicians, some of which actually have benevolent ideals and wish well for the country, it's a way of life.

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So they lie so that they can accomplish good? If their secret agenda is so great, why do they have to lie about it?

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If Lincoln had determined for himself that one day slavery would be outlawed, he wouldn't come out guns blazing and free every slave, especially right after states began to secede. Doing so would basically make it impossible to end the war without a bloody, drawn out battle and military surrender.

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Huh? Isn't that exactly what happened? Or is 600,000 dead not "bloody" in your opinion?

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The Emancipation Proclamation was a political as well as military decision, which of course furthered his own goal (in my opinion) of freeing slaves.

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You got the first part right. The political goal was to gain foreign support for the union (which succeeded), and therefore to end any possibility of foreign assistance to the confederacy.