Which of these political situations would NOT be considered a latter-day example of Machiavelli's theories on gaining and maintaining political power?

a. Abraham Lincoln's suspension of habeus corpus during the American Civil War
b. Ayatollah Ali Khameini's endorsement of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in questionable elections in Iran
c. The electoral campaign strategy undertaken by Karl Rove, advisor to George W. Bush, referring to opponent John Kerry as a "flip-flopper"
d. All of the above are reflective of Machiavelli's political theory
e. None of the above are reflective of Machiavelli's political theory

d