Tom Foreman is an Emmy Award-winning journalist for CNN who has covered everything from the Sago Mine explosion to the economy to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has also been obsessively writing letters to President Obama for the last four years. Every. Single. Day.
From his article on CNN, explaining his bizarre mission:
Inauguration Day will signal the culmination of an effort I launched on January 20, 2009, to write a letter to the White House every single day of Barack Obama's first term.
And I do mean every day. Weekends, holidays, when he was on vacation, and when I was on vacation. I wrote in my office, at home, in moving airplanes, cars, trains and even while running through the woods. I wrote early in the morning, in the middle of the day and late at night.
I wrote about things that were important, like unemployment, Afghanistan and women's rights. I also wrote about things that were trivial, like sports, favorite foods and my yearly battle with Christmas lights.
Christmas lights. To the leader of the free world. The man with the nuclear launch codes. I'm sure he's got nothing better to do.
Foreman explains he started his mission after the President suggested he wanted to hear from citizens about how he should run the country. It began as a series of letters posted on the Anderson 360˚ blog and clearly snowballed into an obsession of Rosebud-ian proportions.
Here is Foreman's final letter:
Dear Mr. President,
Congratulations! Watching you on that podium today, surrounded by so many hundreds of thousands of Americans, I could not help but feel inspired by the miracle of democracy and the greatness of our nation. I also have a question: Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?
I know you are busy today, but call when you can.
Regards,
Tom
Mr. Foreman, do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?
[Screengrab via CNN]