The prophetic words of Abraham Lincoln

An American reader has drawn News blog's attention to this speech by congressman Abraham Lincoln in 1848.

In it, Lincolm criticised President James Polk for going into a war with Mexico that ended with the US seizing California and the southwest. As our American friend notes, there are some parallels with Iraq:

"As to the mode of terminating the war and securing peace, the president is equally wandering and indefinite.

"First, it is to be done by a more vigorous prosecution of the war in the vital parts of the enemy's country; and, after apparently talking himself tired on this point, the president drops down into a half despairing tone, and tells us that 'with a people distracted and divided by contending factions, and a government subject to constant changes, by successive revolutions, the continued success of our arms may fail to secure a satisfactory peace'.