History's Long Arc

From the transition team:

Washington, D.C. - On January 20th, President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office using the same Bible upon which President Lincoln was sworn in at his first inauguration. The Bible is currently part of the collections of the Library of Congress. Though there is no constitutional requirement for the use of a Bible during the swearing-in, Presidents have traditionally used Bibles for the ceremony, choosing a volume with personal or historical significance. President-elect Obama will be the first President sworn in using the Lincoln Bible since its initial use in 1861.
'President-elect Obama is deeply honored that the Library of Congress has made the Lincoln Bible available for use during his swearing-in,' said Presidential Inaugural Committee Executive Director Emmett Beliveau. 'The President-elect is committed to holding an Inauguration that celebrates America's unity, and the use of this historic Bible will provide a powerful connection to our common past and common heritage.'

Presidents often call for meaningful historical or personal objects to be used at their inaugurations. I view Obama's request to use the Lincoln Bible as very unselfish. Instead of marking his inauguration with a personal object that he can keep or use in his Library, he is using an object which already belongs to the people of the United States. The Lincoln Bible is a part of the Library of Congress collection.