In short, to make the whole Team of Rivals (™) work, you have to have an Abraham Lincoln to run the damn thing. And in case you haven’t noticed, those are in pretty short supply in the days since John Wilkes Booth did more damage to national politics than any other actor until the election of Ronald Reagan.

In short, to make the whole Team of Rivals (™) work, you have to have an Abraham Lincoln to run the damn thing. And in case you haven’t noticed, those are in pretty short supply in the days since John Wilkes Booth did more damage to national politics than any other actor until the election of Ronald Reagan. 

—Charlie Pierce in Esquire

First, this is f%$#ing brilliant.

Second, I'm jealous as hell of his ability to turn a phrase.

Third, as the inestimable Mr. Pierce notes, all of Lincoln's Team of Rivals (™) were Republicans.

There were no Democrats in his staff because there was not a one who could be trusted.