Obama Praises Lincoln's Legacy

People around the U.S. are celebrating the 16th president's 200th birthday today.

By: WKRG Staff | WKRG
Published: February 12, 2009

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has praised Abraham
Lincoln for his conviction that a divided nation could be made
whole.
The praise came on the eve of Lincoln's 200th birthday. Obama
spoke at a celebrity-studded gala Wednesday night celebrating the
$25 million renovation of Ford's Theatre, where the 16th president
was assassinated in 1865.
Obama called the theater "hallowed space" where Lincoln's
legacy thrives.
Actor Sidney Poitier, who along with "Star Wars" director
George Lucas were both honored with the Lincoln Medal, called Obama
a man of "simple origins" inspired by Lincoln.
Violinist Joshua Bell opened the show, playing a traditional
spiritual on a violin that was last played at Ford's Theatre the
night Lincoln was shot.
The theater is reopening after an 18-month facelift that
included new, more comfortable seats, a modern lobby and new
dressing rooms.