Posted on 02/18/2009 7:36:51 AM PST by LottieDah
BY Richard Sisk DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Tuesday, February 17th 2009, 11:38 PM
Marine Lance Cpl. Julian Brennan was killed by a land mine on Jan. 24. Related News Articles Obama signs stimulus package into law Bronx boro prez bound for Washington Green is going to grow in wallets of New Yorkers Hillary warns North Korea on missile launch WASHINGTON - President Obama has adopted role model Abraham Lincoln's practice of writing deeply personal letters to the families of troops killed in battle. He signs them "Barack."
Bill Brennan, the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Julian Brennan, said at first he barely glanced at the letter he had received last week.
"I assumed it was a form letter and then I saw that he had signed it - just 'Barack.' You could tell it wasn't a stamped signature. I was so surprised he signed it with only his first name. We were very touched," the Brooklyn dad said Tuesday.
Without disclosing the details of the letter, Brennan said, "It had some personal mentions about Julian's history. I was inspired to respond."
An aspiring actor, Julian Brennan, 25, was killed by a land mine Jan. 24, the first U.S. combat death in Afghanistan during Obama's presidency.
Obama has since written to the families of about a dozen troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. He handwrites the notes, has an aide type them up and then signs the version to be delivered to loved ones.
Obama has often spoken of his desire to follow the example of Lincoln, who wrote moving letters to the families of Union troops killed in the Civil War. He signed them "A. Lincoln."
Former President George W. Bush similarly reached out to the families of the fallen.
Robert Rivera, 31, a Navy reservist, said his family received a letter signed by Bush and First Lady Laura Bush following the Jan. 1, 2009, death of his brother, Bronx Marine Lance Cpl. Alberto Francesconi, 21, who was killed in Afghanistan by a land mine.
There was a P.S. handwritten by Laura Bush at the bottom of the letter, Rivera said. "It was like - this is Laura, this is George - not the President, not the First Lady," Rivera said. "It showed the human side, that they were feeling the same emotions. It was truly sincere," he added.
Ron Griffin of Emerson, N.J., whose son Army Spec. Kyle Andrew Griffin, 20, was killed in Iraq in May 2003, was heartened by a note from Bush.
"You get the letter, and it has the presidential seal," Griffin said. "It's like the whole country is supporting you because the President took time to write a letter."
rsisk@nydailynews.com
It would be tasteless to just say Hussein
Give me a break... this is the same Barack that said that our troops in Afghanistan do nothing else but killing civilians in the night.
Does it occur to him that the actual hand-written note might be well received?? I suspect that the first step is for an aide to type up a note, and the second and last step is for Obama (or the aide) to sign the note.
My my daughter’s boyfriend served in Iraq and his mom got a note from President Bush thanking them both for their service. It was much appreciated. Zero isn’t the first president to send a note and nor will he be the last.
Just nothing was made of it as there was no media agenda to make him a heroic figure.
The Marketing of a President continues. When, oh when, will the bloom come off the rose?
“Former President George W. Bush similarly reached out to the families of the fallen.
Just nothing was made of it as there was no media agenda to make him a heroic figure.”
They want to make it should like Barrack was the first president ever to write a condolence note. He isn’t the first and sadly will not be the last.
George Bush is a totally different personality. He was overwhelmed by these deaths. Compassion in the deepest sense.
My point is that an actual hand-written note is a wonderful thing to receive. Obama (we are told) creates a hand-written note, then he directs an aide to type it up, making it far less personal, then he throws away his hand-written note, dashes off a signature on the typed sheet and has it mailed.
If he's actually going through those steps, he's an idiot.
Some how I doubt he figures that out.
Sorry, but I don’t believe a word bo says. For him to suggest he actually writes the notes first, has them retyped, and then he signs them is ridculous.
Who buys this crap!
“Sorry, but I don’t believe a word bo says. For him to suggest he actually writes the notes first, has them retyped, and then he signs them is ridculous.
Who buys this crap!”
Obamabots filled with Kool-Aid.
Well, I'm grateful for Mr. Brennan's sacrifice, and I'm glad he draws a measure of comfort from the letter. However, he's clearly never heard of the autopen.
I’m cynical - he’s like the Hollyweirds who show up at a photoop and say “I support the troops” and then do nothing until the next photoop. The personal letters will stop after a month or so, after he’s gotten some press on it.
It’ll be a form letter by June. With an autopen.
I am in no way belittling the notes or the comfort they bring the families.
In terms of the process:
Call me a cynic, BUT as far as the process goes, I suspect he does not want to see his handwritten notes show up on ebay....part of controlling the obama image as far as marketing goes.
IOW....self-interest.
Or is this story just a load of bull cr*p?
Oh like Donald Rumsfeld did.
I thought the Senators/Reps had machines that held a pen & duplicated their signature...maybe I’m wrong.
When does he find the time to write notes? He’s so busy piling up frequent-flyer miles on AF1 and working out that I’m suprised he manages to pick up a pen.
When he went on record with Chris Wallace he said;
“WALLACE: Finally, last question sir, biggest surprise since you’ve been in here, two weeks, of the demands of the office?
OBAMA: Every decision you make counts. I think in terms of just raw hours and physical exhaustion, you can’t beat a presidential campaign, especially the one that I just underwent which was so long. But here, everything you do matters.
I think I mentioned this a couple of days ago. I’m now signing letters to the families of troops who have fallen in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Every time you sign that, you are reminded that you have enormous responsibilities and so, that’s why all of these debates — when I’m talking to Democrats or Republicans, one of the things I try to remind then and something I remind myself every single day is the only criteria for what I do should be — is it working for the American people?
Because this job is too big, too important, to just want to occupy space. And if I’ve spent the next four years, every day, making decisions based on that single criteria, is this going to help the American people achieve their dreams and keep them safe, then I’ll be able to look at myself in the mirror and say, you know what, you did a good job?
WALLACE: Mr. President, thanks for talking with us.”
When he said “I’m now signing letters “, I gathered more than enough of an impression of the man who holds the office.
Thanks for posting that. There is a significant difference.
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