Obama plans event at Lincoln Memorial

[Va Beach VH Fan]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28315839/

Obama plans event at Lincoln Memorial

Bush, Clinton also held inaugural events at memorial

updated 1:56 p.m. ET, Fri., Dec. 19, 2008

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama will welcome Americans to his inauguration at the memorial to his political hero, Abraham Lincoln.

The Lincoln Memorial is heavy with symbolism for Obama, who will arrive on its steps on Jan. 18 following a train ride that traces Lincoln's own inaugural path from Philadelphia to Washington.

The memorial is also where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, and the event comes a day before the nation celebrates the King holiday on Jan. 19. The inauguration is on Jan. 20.

"It is one of the great, patriotic symbols of our country," Presidential Inaugural Committee spokeswoman Linda Douglass said Friday. "It's a symbol of the American spirit; it's a symbol of unity; it's a symbol of our values. So for all those reasons it's an appropriate place to celebrate an inauguration that is really built around celebrating our common values as a people."

Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also used the Lincoln Memorial for inaugural events, but the building may have more resonance for Obama. When construction was completed in 1922, the crowd gathered at its dedication was largely segregated.

The welcome event will be free and open to the public.

The King holiday will be devoted to a call to service, with Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden volunteering in the Washington area.

After the first of the year, the inaugural committee will launch a Web site that allows organizations to post volunteer opportunities for that day so Americans across the country can find opportunities to serve.

"We hope that site is really going to result in a very spirited call to service and engagement around the country," Douglass said.

There will be a free youth concert at the Verizon Center on Jan. 19, the night before the inauguration. Tickets will be required, but the committee has not yet determined how they would be distributed.

Earlier in the week, the committee released details of the inauguration, including performances by Aretha Franklin and Yo-Yo Ma and a prayer from the Rev. Rick Warren, a choice that has prompted outrage from gay rights groups.

As many as 4 million visitors are expected to be on hand when Obama takes the noontime oath.

[kwame k]

Perfect place for him to do it........the symbolism alone. What's funny is it sounds like more people are planning on attending this than any other inauguration......from the early reports......it's historic, granted but I think people are genuinely interested in this and really Obama is an American success story......raised by a single parent, left with his grandmother, was able to go to Harvard and was the first black person to head the law review, and now the President of The United States of America.......unbelieveable.

Now if the mother fucker can fix this goddamn shit pile we call America........

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Well, I know personally I'd love to take my family up there just to say "we were there".... We were up there during the Gulf War parade, DC can throw a pretty good parade.... But having lived/worked in DC for a few years, traffic is screwed up enough during slow days, not to mention what 3 or 4 million visitors will do....

[jhale667]

Good move.

Fitting location. Though the background will look a little different now...

[jhale667]

I like that cartoon. This and a couple from the political cartoon thread give me goosebumps and makes me feel like crying, especially the one of MLK and Lincoln each putting a hand on Obama's shoulder.

Yeah, I posted that and a couple more here and at Rothfans...quite touching, actually.

[VanHalener]

Though I am only 22 miles from the Lincoln Memorial there is no way I will even attempt to attend. Traffic, no parking, bazillion people stacked up and crammed together in front of Abe....not this time. Guess I'll watch history unfold on the tv and miss out on that awesome gourmet hotdog vendor on Constitution Ave. Bummer!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Yeah, it would be bad enough parking in Springfield and taking the Metro up there for me....