. >> the head of the history department of youngstown state always made the statement that john wilks booth d'lid lincoln favor by shooting him. >> as loversof lincoln and respectful of his statesmanship, i have to think that lincoln had so much more political skill than his successor, that he would have done a lot better in ameal rating the conflict between the executive branch and the legislative branch. and while not a total success, because, remember, we're talking about a social revolution here. even if, had lincoln served his second term in full, i think we would still, in some form or another still be required to pass the civil rights legislation of the 1960s and also deal with our supreme court in a way that took, even though it might not have taken 100 years, but certainly a number of years long after lincoln's life to get into the spirit of civil liberties and equality for all. yes, judge? >> chief, implicit in the tone of your remarks is that washington dropped the ball and that they should have been -- >> what else is new? [ laughter ] i'm sorry, i'm sorry for that sarcastic remark, but please. >> washington d.c. and the northe