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
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.
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