[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 7 (Monday, February 19, 2007)]
[Pages 144-145]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Dinner in Honor of the Ford's Theatre Abraham Lincoln 
Bicentennial Celebration

February 11, 2007

    Good evening, and welcome. Laura and I are delighted to have you 
here as we celebrate the 198th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. And we're 
really glad you're here.
    We thank Ford's Theatre for helping us honor this great American 
President. We thank David Herbert Donald and Doris Kearns Goodwin for 
scholarship that has given us a deeper appreciation of Lincoln's life 
and purpose. We welcome all the Lincoln scholars who are here.
    We are here tonight to remember the life, the incredible life and 
the great sacrifice of the man who saved our Union. We remember Abraham 
Lincoln's eloquence, his wisdom, his unshakeable faith in the enduring 
truth that we're all created equal. He worked to renew the promise of 
America's founding and to build a more perfect union for all Americans.
    As we approach the bicentennial of President Lincoln's birth, his 
words and principles continue to guide our Nation. We look to his 
example for courage and to find the better angels of our nature. His 
legacy is the birthright of all Americans, and tonight we honor those 
who helped pass the story of his life from generation to generation.
    In this story of this good and decent man, we really find the best 
of America. And so tonight I would like to offer a toast to our 16th 
President, Abraham Lincoln, and to our blessed country.

Note: The President spoke at 7:40 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to David Herbert Donald and 
Doris Kearns Goodwin, members, Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 
Advisory Committee. The transcript was released by the Office of the 
Press Secretary on February 12.

[[Page 145]]