@mattizcoop
OFF GUARD: Obama’s last few weeks in office have been marred by several ineffectual and uncharacteristic jabs at adversaries.
CARLOS BARRIA/REUTERS
WEIRD THOUGH it has been, the transition from Barack Obama to Donald Trump won’t go down as the most bizarre presidential handoff. The American nation basically dissolved between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and when he was inaugurated in March 1861 because of his determination to resist slavery’s expansion. Seven states seceded from the union before Lincoln was sworn in, and the future emancipator had to travel to Washington for his inauguration in disguise, fearing an assassination attempt.