Abraham Lincoln wouldn't bail out AIG.

Or would he?

It was Lincoln, the Republican, who signed the National Bank Act of 1864, creating a new system of banks and a federal government agency to regulate it. Just four years earlier, the country had a hodge-podge of currency, with more than 10,000 different bank notes circulating; banks failed; the economy struggled.

So, in 2008, if the financial giant American International Group, investment bank Bear Stearns, and mortgage entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fail, you have to wonder, what would Lincoln do?

Without a time machine, we'll never know. And, even if Abe could be beamed into the 21st century, it's debatable whether the complexities of modern America would overwhelm his prairie lawyer background. Still, Lincoln is regarded as the nation's greatest president for more than just his handling of the issues of his day. His moral strength, humanity and commitment transcend the changing eras.

He would be a great president today.

Those four words ’ what would Lincoln do? ’ seem like a subplot to the 2008 presidential campaign. His name gets invoked frequently by the candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain.

Both have territorial claims to the 16th president. McCain shares a party tie with Lincoln, the first Republican president. Obama's historic rise to the Democratic nomination parallels Lincoln's in many ways, climbing from the Illinois state senate to a brief stint in Congress and then the White House.

"Both of these guys love Lincoln," Harold Holzer, a renowned Lincoln historian and author, said Tuesday by telephone from New York.

The country should pray that affection never wanes. At a time when America faces a continuing war, a punch-drunk economy and a dire need to find home-grown sources of energy, the nation needs its next president to clearly see Lincoln's shadow.

"I hope that we never have an election where the candidates don't look at the Lincoln example," Holzer said.

Holzer knows the Great Emancipator's life story. He's co-authored 20 books on Lincoln and the Civil War, and serves as co-chairman of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Holzer's upcoming book, "Lincoln: President-Elect," examines his final ascent from Illinois politics to the Oval Office.

Many of the Lincoln references this election season concern Obama's legislative experience. As Obama's readiness gets debated, his supporters rightly emphasize that Lincoln served just one term in Congress, representing the 7th District in the U.S. House, before becoming president. But the most convincing case for leadership over experience comes from Lincoln's predecessor.

James Buchanan had been a three-term U.S. senator, secretary of state and an envoy to Britain. In 1856, America elected him president.

"James Buchanan was one of the most experienced legislators ever to be elected president," Holzer explained, "and yet he just dithered and made a mess."