    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [February 12, 1998]
    [Pages 218-219]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message on the Observance of Presidents' Day, 1998
    February 12, 1998

        Warm greetings to all Americans as we observe Presidents' Day, 1998.
        On this day we remember with pride the history of the American
    Presidency and the achievements of the many extraordinary leaders who
    have guided our nation's course over the past two centuries. Each
    President in his own time has faced unique challenges in striving to
    fulfill the purpose of our Constitution ``to form a more perfect
    Union.''
        For George Washington, that challenge meant sustaining and
    strengthening the fragile Union he had helped to establish. During the
    eight years of his Presidency, he carried out the awesome
    responsibilities of his office with such care and wisdom that he
    confirmed the trust of his fellow Americans and proved to a watching
    world that our new republic would survive and flourish.
        Abraham Lincoln's great challenge was to preserve the Union. Taking
    the oath of office after seven states had already seceded, President
    Lincoln resolved to keep our country united, even at the cost of civil
    war. With courage and tenacity, he led America through four years of
    bloody conflict and, in victory, reached out to begin the healing that
    would bring us together again as one nation. ``With malice toward
    none,'' he said less than two months before his death, ``with charity
    for all . . . let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up
    the nation's wounds . . . to do all which may achieve and cherish a just
    and lasting peace . . . .''
        Today we face our own challenge to build a more perfect Union, a
    Union that must now be forged from one of history's most racially and
    culturally diverse societies. We can do so by widening the circle of
    opportunity for all our people: opportunity for a good education,
    opportunity for good jobs, opportunity to reach our own great potential.
    If we do so, we will

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    keep faith with these great leaders whose memory we honor today and
    enter the 21st century with our Union stronger than ever.
        Best wishes for a memorable observance.

                                                                Bill Clinton