Obama team emphasizing Lincoln connection in inauguration

 

                                              Abraham Lincoln March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865

Obama traveled to the capital by retracing the final stages of the train trip Lincoln made to assume the presidency, beginning the fanfare for an inaugural celebration in which the Great Emancipator will be an unmistakable presence.

clipped from www.chicagotribune.com WASHINGTON—President-elect Barack Obama arrived in Washington for his inauguration embracing the same historical imagery he used to kick off his presidential campaign: the spirit of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is in some ways a natural fit as model for a tall, skinny politician from Illinois who, like the 16th president, shows a gift for oratory. It is all the more so for a president whose barrier-breaking election can be viewed as the fulfillment of the long struggle for racial equality begun by Lincoln's emancipation of the slaves. Obama's references to Lincoln go back to his presidential campaign announcement speech at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, the site of Lincoln's "house divided" speech. Obama is not the first incoming president to try to establish connections with celebrated predecessors. Bill Clinton summoned Thomas Jefferson by arriving in Washington for his inaugural via Monticello, Jefferson's home.