Obama to use Lincoln bible

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Tuesday that Barack Obama will take the oath of office using the historic Lincoln Bible, which wasn't Lincoln's Bible.

The selection maintains the Obama practice of encouraging historical comparisons with the 16th president, who was the first from Illinois and one of the next president's longtime favorites.

In announcing his presidential bid, Obama picked the Old State Capitol in Springfield, where Lincoln served. He plans to follow Lincoln's example by taking a train to Washington for his inauguration.

Obama will be the first president since Lincoln in 1861 to use this Bible, which is typically housed at the Library of Congress. The burgundy velvet-bound volume was purchased in 1861 by then-Supreme Court Clerk William Thomas Carroll for use in Abraham Lincoln's inauguration because the president-elect's family Bible was packed away and en route from Illinois to Washington.