Last night in Tucson, the nation watched as President Obama took the stage at what had been billed as a “memorial service” for the victims of the horrible murders of government officials and innocent bystanders only a few days earlier. Aside from scripture readings by members of Obama’s cabinet, the event seemed to bear a stronger resemblance to a political pep rally. For those expecting a somber and reflective memorial, the raucous cheering of the crowd was a painful distraction.

Despite the stadium atmosphere, right down to the free tee-shirts distributed to the crowd, Obama frowned and winced as some of his supporters shouted “WE LOVE YOU!”  As one who likes to compare himself to the 16th president, we can easily imagine Obama thinking to himself, “was this how it was for Lincoln at Gettysburg?” Fortunately, the President’s grave demeanor eventually quieted the crowd and allowed us to focus on his words.