An unpublished letter sent by Abraham Lincoln has recently surfaced in which he wrote that he was “nervous” about doing too many speaking engagements and seemed concerned about his newfound fame. As one Fox News writer put it, “Lincoln was not always a stoic icon and had periods of doubt [and] anxiety just like anyone else.” The “nervous” criticism of Lincoln isn’t news; it’s been put out there before. What I don’t understand is why people view it as a problem.

Abraham Lincoln isn’t a character in an action movie; he’s a real person. He’s buried deep enough in history that no one can tell you what he’s really like. So we consider him to be a “stoic icon” and larger than life. We like to think of him as an action hero (or vampire hunter). But the reality is he was a pretty normal guy (who had to fight gay rumors).

Obama has openly discussed his uneasiness about rising politically so quickly. But because Obama is current and so overexposed, he was never going to hide the chicks in the armor and didn’t try. So what if Abraham Lincoln was nervous all the time? I don’t think any less of him for being a human being.