Barack Obama likes to quote Abraham Lincoln and often fancies himself as a reincarnation of our 16th president.  The fact is, he’s pulled it off!  Not since the Civil War has this nation seen such anger from its states, when 11 states seceded from the Union after Lincoln was elected president in 1860.  Ironically, one of the original four states that seceded was Virginia, now locked in a legal battle with the White House over provisions of Obama Care.

You might recall that after the Obama Care bill was passed on March 23rd of 2010, as many as 38 states threatened not to institute its mandatory insurance provisions in their states.

You also will recall that the legislation created a firestorm with Republicans who maintained the bill was nothing more than a government takeover of health care. It would extend coverage care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans while cracking down on insurance company practices such as denying policies on the basis of  pre-existing medical conditions.  What really enraged Republicans, and most Americans, was a provision requiring every American  to buy health insurance or face penalties.

Another real bone of contention is the “insurance exchange” provision that will create a network of private companies that could sell policies to consumers under terms fixed by the federal government. Much of the cost of the legislation, nearly $1 trillion over a decade, would be financed by cuts in future Medicare payments to hospitals and other providers and higher payroll taxes on individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples over $250,000.

At the bottom of the Virginia lawsuit, brought by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, he claims that Congress doesn’t have the authority to require citizens to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. The White House tried to maneuver around the ruling by throwing out some half-baked legal obstacles, but the Federal presiding judge would have none of it, and is prepared to hear the suit.

The momentum in Virginia has now seen twenty states and the nation’s most influential small business lobby demanding that a federal court in Florida hear their challenge to President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul because they face imminent harm from its mandates.

This time around, unlike Abraham Lincoln, who riled primarily Southern States, president Obama has managed to do Lincoln one better – he’s riled both Northern and Southern States.  This nation can’t afford to engage in a divisive battle over health care, especially when our economy is in shambles.

Let’s hope that President Obama re-reads his Lincoln history so he can prevent a civil war –albeit a legal war—from undermining the strength of America.