Number 44 visits Number 16

Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809, and today was the 200th anniversary of his birth.

President Obama participated in three celebrations yesterday and today: at the Lincoln Memorial, at Ford's Theater and the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Ill.

It's a fitting triibute for two reasons: First (the trivial reason) it's the second president from Illinois visiting the home of the first president from Illinois. MOre importantly, though, he's paying tribute to the greatest of all the presidents. And considering how Frederick Douglass viewed President Lincoln when their budding friednship was cut short in 1865, it's fair to say Lincoln would have celebrated last November.

In the first picture (AP), President Obama greets a Lincoln impersonator at Ford's Theater on Feb. 11. In the second picture (Rueters), President Obama speaks at the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Ill. on Feb. 12.

I hope someone got a picture similar to this one from a couple of years ago (G.W. visist the first G.W's home) but I have't been able to find any.

Thank you #43, hello #44

After almost a year's absence, I'm resuming my review of the presidents. I'll be starting with William McKinley, and will post in February. I'll post a new one each month until I finish with Dubya, and then I'll write a preliminary assessment of Obama.

Got too intense for a while with too much politics, and I actually burned myself out. But no more. I have the itch to continue with this project, especially because I've added new books to my library on McKinley, FDR, Kennedy and Reagan.

So...


THANK YOU, #43, President George W. Bush, for your dedication, service and faithfulness!





And a hearty WELCOME to #44, Barack H. Obama!

(Note: I don't have the photo credits for any of the above. The photos are AP or the White House, while the images were passed along on the internet. If anyone knows the proper credit for the last two, please let me know.)

I thought this was a pretty cool event: five presidents (well, one soon-to-be when this was taken) meeting in the Oval Office. From left: George H. W. Bush (#41), Barack Obama (#44), George W. Bush (#43), Bill Clinton (#42) and Jimmy Carter (#39). The last time this many presidents were together was for, I think, Nixon's funeral in the mid-1990s.