Abraham Lincoln would not be the only one turning over in his grave at the disgraceful state of the Republican party 147 years after he left office -- other dead progressive Republican leaders would, as well.

OK, I'll grant that the steering and brakes have stopped working in Congress, but in no other sense are we approaching any kind of cliff, fiscal or otherwise. The fiscal crisis we are barreling toward is entirely of our own making.

With tax policy, federal spending, social insurance, and the national debt ceiling being held hostage by radical right-wing Tea Party demands, it is time for what FDR called "bold, persistent experimentation" and executive action to solve the economic crisis facing the nation.

Lincoln was beloved but also reviled; he could have gone down in history as a divisive leader more than a uniting one. The difference wasn't up to him. As he saw it, destiny worked through him. It will be fascinating to see if the same historical force is about to push America forward once more.

For all that some conservative members of the Supreme Court talk about "original intent" in the words of the Constitution, remarkably little attention is paid to the intent of those who refounded this nation in the wake of the Civil War.