On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, President Barack Obama spoke in Springfield, Ill. at a banquet to commemorate Lincoln on Feb. 12, 2009.

"It is a humbling task, marking the bicentennial of our 16th President's birth," Obama said. "Humbling for me in particular, I think, for the presidency of this singular figure in so many ways made my own story possible."
(Charles Dharapak/AP Photo)