Lincoln warned that the loss of the "political religion" of the rule of law would leave the country defenseless when an ambitious leader felt unconstrained by the founders' framework and tried to create his own. "Is it unreasonable then to expect, that some man possessed of the loftiest genius, coupled with ambition sufficient to push it to its utmost stretch, will at some time, spring up among us?" Lincoln asked. "And when such a one does, it will require the people to be united with each other, attached to the government and laws, and generally intelligent, to successfully frustrate his designs."