Honest, Abe ...

We join many Americans today in celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Great Empancipator's birth. Abraham Lincoln, the great Civil War president, has never been hotter, with a new wave of biographies coming off the presses, PBS airing a special, and President Obama, the nation's first African-American president, hailing the legacy and wisdom of another Man from Illinois. Secretary of State Sam Reed, who considers Lincoln a personal hero and role model for all public servants and effective officeholders, said today:

"It's no surprise that so many of us continue to look to the great Abraham Lincoln as a guidepost. The economic crisis we are now going through isn't the great challenge that the Civil War was, of course, but Abraham Lincoln teaches us that getting through these dark days requires real leadership and cooperation to pull together, to fix our problems, and then to heal. This quality of leadership takes courage and integrity."

Reed, whose personal library is includes many Lincoln volumes, was scheduled for a Lincoln Day dinner in Lacey on Thursday evening. Fun Feedback: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission estimates that 16,000 books have been written about him since 1865. We're about to dive into "A. Lincoln," a hefty 676-page volume that is getting a lot of buzz. Do you havse a particular favorite, either a newer volume or something older, like the Carl Sandberg opus, that you recommend to a new generation of Lincoln fans? We'll publish your thoughts on this!