600: The perils of a presidential pen pal
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/POLITICS/09/10/tom.foreman.letters.anniversary/story.foreman.cnn.jpg caption="CNN's Tom Foreman says he may never stop writing to the president, whoever the president may be." width=300 height=169]
(CNN) - Not long before he took office, President Barack Obama said something I am sure he now regrets. "There are a lot of people who seem to think they know how to run this country. I hope they'll let me hear from them." At least I think I remember him saying something like that. Anyway, it was a huge mistake, because I have now written 600 letters to the White House. One every day since he was inaugurated. It started as a joke. I thought the idea of sending armchair advice to the Leader of the Free World was funny and my first letter was really little more than congratulations.
But after I posted letters on the "AC360" blog for 10 days, a lot of readers liked them, so I extended the string to the first month. Then the first 100 days. Then 200. And now, I have written enough to fill two books. And yes, I am aware that this can look like either dedication or mental illness, depending on your point of view.
Read more from Tom Foreman about his daily letters to the president
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Filed under: Letters to the President • Tom Foreman |
Letters to the President: #600 'A special day; another day'
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Reporter's Note: President Obama said long ago that he enjoys getting advice from the public, and I took him at his word. So on this, the 600th day of his presidency, I am once again writing a letter to the White House. If he has changed his mind, I’m hoping he’ll let me know.
Dear Mr. President,
An astonishing thought came to me as I was reading the transcript of your big news conference today: There are children in school now, who know how to read and write, to add and subtract; who enjoy soccer, act in plays, take piano lessons and participate in science fairs that were not even born when 9/11 happened. For them it is, and will always be, an item from the history books. Like World War One is for our generation. I can’t speak for you, of course, but that kind of blows my mind.
FULL POST
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Filed under: Letters to the President • Opinion • President Barack Obama • Tom Foreman |
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