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For Obama, Lincoln was model president

In the last couple of years, several best-selling books have focused on the life and political skills of the nation's 16th president. And one man in particular has taken a particular interest in not just reading about the Illinois politician, but also modeling himself politically after him.

That man: Barack Obama, who will be sworn in as the nation's 44th -- and first African-American -- president Tuesday.

Obama will also be the first president to use the Lincoln Bible for his inauguration since Lincoln used it in 1861. Inauguration organizers have said Obama's inaugural theme, "A New Birth of Freedom," was inspired by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

The president-elect will travel on a whistlestop-like train trip Saturday from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington. The tour follows the final leg of the train route taken by Lincoln.

And throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama -- a Democrat who hails from the Land of Lincoln -- reminded audiences from coast to coast about the similarities between himself and the beloved political leader.

Read entire article at CNN