Parade magazine has published a very sweet, very poignant letter that President-elect Barack Obama wrote for his young daughters Malia and Sasha. In Obama letters to his daughters, he explains to them why he decided to take their family on the extraordinary journey to the White House and shares his hopes for their future and for the future of all children in the US. Here is the Obama family on the cover of Parade magazine and an excerpt from his letter to his daughters:
“When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I’d make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn’t seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that’s why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation. I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential—schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college—even if their parents aren’t rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity … I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you’ve had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential. These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That’s why I’ve taken our family on this great adventure. I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.”
What a very sweet letter. At first I thought it was weird for a magazine to publish a letter that was written for the Obama girls but reading it clears up any misgivings I initially felt. The letter is really a letter meant for the children of the US and is a promise for a more hopeful future for our country. Speaking to (and thru) his children, President-elect Obama is trying to remind folks, again, that there is much work ahead for our country to get back on the path to prosperity. After the jump, read the full text of Obama’s letter to his children — and to us as a nation …
It’s hard to believe that we are less than a week away from swearing Barack Obama in as our 44th President of the United States of America. I continue to be very encouraged by the course laid ahead by President-elect Obama and very much look forward to watching him get to the work of governing our country. It’s a very exciting time in our nation’s history … and the tough work has yet to even get underway.
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Beautiful family. Beautiful letter.
Thanks, CK, for a wonderfully worded response.
I think the next coming years are going to be very challenging and the United States are bound for some really tough times. What is important is to keep in perspective the intentions of President Obama. We know he has our best interest at heart, especially our children. And through the hard times I want to remember the hope we hold in our hearts at this time for real Change.
YAY FOR BEING THE LAST THURSDAY GEORGE W BUSH WILL EVER BE PRESIDENT!!!!!!!! THAT SINGS OUT CELEBRATION TO ME!!!
I was making ZERO comments about Bush, I was making no statements at all comparing Obama to Bush. I AM NOT A BUSH FAN. I am ALSO NOT AN OBAMA FAN. Actually, though he had MANY faults, he signed BAIPA, which is considerably more than Obama did. Also, the Bible DOES talk about “killing innocent life”, it does talk about the responsibility of parents to protect their child’s LIFE, about what God thinks of those who shed innocent blood, about how every person was known by God BEFORE they were put into the womb, about how we were so wonderfully created that He stitched our very lives together, about how those who harm a child would be better to to tie a rock onto theirselves and jump into a river, it goes ON, AND ON, AND ON, about the sanctitiy of human life. TO “PAZ”, you are on the wrong subject. Obama voted for PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION because it did not include an exception for the “woman’s health”. The “Infants Born Alive Act”, (or BAIPA), is AFTER the baby has been born. It’s about whether it should be legal to inject hydrochloric acid into their heart and murder them because they survived, or put them into a containment facility to die of non treatment because they survived. It is NOT about abortion. NARAL SUPPORTED THIS BILL! PRO-CHOICE AMERICA SUPPORTED THIS BILL! CLINTON, KENNEDY, AND ALL THE OTHER (just about) DEMOCRATS SUPPORTED THIS BILL. It was thought by all to be incredibly horrifyingly MURDER to kill a new born baby. Obama led the group fighting to MAKE IT LEGAL. READ ABOUT CANDIDATES BEFORE YOU VOTE FOR THEM. This whole, he’s a peacemaker, he’s a good man is what is so terrifying. I couldn’t STAND BUSH, BUT I’M NOT BLIND! PEOPLE DIDN’T READ THE SENATE RECORD FOR THE MAN THEY VOTED FOR.
Also, CK, your stats on abortion are wrong. 97.3% of reported abortions are done for birth control. Admittedly, they are done during the first-trimester, and comparitively, rarely does it get to the time where a partial-birth abortion would apply. 2.7% of abortions are done for rape, incest, or health of mother/fetus. (That’s 2.7% combined!!!!!) I am a Certified Midwife. I’ve been through years of medical training, I’m correct on the statistics, but feel free to look them up. Regardless of “BB”s political views, she was also correct about BAIPA, and “Paz” was incorrect. The act (that is passed & Obama is threatening to try and overturn) is not about the mother, or a pregnant woman at all. It’s about what to do with an infant who lived through an abortion procedure, and born alive. Infants born alive from botched abortions account for about one tenth of all abortions. Considering there are annually 4,000 abortions in the states (about one every twenty seconds), that 10% account for about 400 infants born that before this act was passed, were getting either killed or left to die.
It’s amazing to me that all the pro-choice groups even thought it was wrong for doctors and medical personel to be allowing these born alive infants to die (or get killed), and that they supported the bill to stop it. I mean, come on, they don’t view that baby as a person, so why do they care if once it’s born, someone kills it? I had known about obama trying to stop the Born Alive Infants Protection Act (B.A.I.P.A.) it sickened me then, and still does. You only had to watch one debate and it was brought up! Amen to “BB” for reminding people to know what your candidate’s record is before you foolishlly fall for a pretty package and some nice sounding words! (By the way, I didn’t support McCain either. I voted third party.)
How easily are people drawn in these days? If I wrote a letter to my wife, and then sent it to newspapers all around the country, would she think it’s sweet, or a publicity stunt? This is so transparent, I find it hard to believe people are getting sucked in?
It’s a media grab people! DId Obama associate with terrible, family destroying criminals for his daughters too? Look at his record (WITHOUT the bias, look at the FACTS) and you will see a man who makes it a habit to lie when it suits his political agenda, and form alliances with anyone who will help his cause, no matter how shady and criminal he/she may be…. Did he do all those things for his daughters too?
This man sickens me… Now, how much money shall we bet that he didn’t even write the darn letter everyone is commenting on?
AMEN “CEBE”!!! I kept thinking that there was absolutely NO REASON for him to release a PERSONAL LETTER to his children OTHER THAN to receive publicity for it. He had to actually decide to get newspapers & magazines to publish a conversation he had with his CHILDREN. JUST LIKE he used them for interviews on Access Hollywood. NO OTHER PRESIDENT has allowed their MINOR children to GIVE INTERVIEWS, POSE for magazine covers, talk to THE PRESS, etc. NONE! He USES & exploits those kids for publicity ALL THE TIME.