[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
[February 18, 2000]
[Pages 279-280]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Message on the Observance of Presidents' Day, 2000
February 18, 2000

    I am pleased to join all Americans in observing Presidents' Day.
    Today we salute the leadership and achievements of all those who 
have held America's highest elected office, and we celebrate with

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special pride the rich legacies of Presidents Washington and Lincoln.
    As our first President, George Washington gave strength and 
legitimacy to our young democracy while ensuring that the newly formed 
federal government remained accountable to the American people. A leader 
of exceptional courage and vision in both war and peace, he helped shape 
the 13 colonies into a nation dedicated to the values of liberty and 
justice for all.
    More than 70 years later, Abraham Lincoln sought to reunite 
Americans behind these same fundamental values. Through the 
extraordinary hardship and sacrifice of the Civil War, he remained 
devoted to the causes of freedom and equality and to preserving our 
Union. In the waning days of that cruel conflict, he showed remarkable 
compassion and determination in his efforts to bind our nation's wounds 
and restore dignity to all our people.
    It was within view of our national monuments to these two great 
leaders that thousands of our fellow Americans recently joined Hillary 
and me to welcome the first moments of the 21st century. The era of 
unrivaled prosperity and peace in which we now live affords us a 
singular opportunity to reaffirm the values that guided Washington and 
Lincoln and that have shaped our national character and destiny for more 
than 200 years. By strengthening our democracy, embracing equal justice 
and opportunity, and celebrating our diversity, we can continue to build 
the America that they envisioned and strived so hard to achieve.
    Best wishes to all for a wonderful celebration.

                                                            Bill Clinton