President issues get out of class pass to 10-year-old
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (CNN) - How do you get away with skipping classes on your last day of school?
Make sure you get your hands on a presidential pardon.
President Barack Obama held a town hall meeting on Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin to discuss his health care agenda - but he also took a little time to write an all-important "get out of school" note.
A young girl named Kennedy attended the town hall with her father, who was called on to ask a question.
Her father, John Corpus, started his query saying he hoped his daughter wouldn't get into trouble for missing the last day of school.
"Do you need me to write a note?" Obama asked.
Clearly assuming that Obama was just kidding, Corpus continued with his question - only to be interrupted by the president.
"No, no, I'm serious. What's your daughter's name?" Obama said, as he started to write a note. "I'm going to write to Kennedy's teacher."
He then walked over to the girl and handed her the note: "To Kennedy’s Teacher, Please excuse Kennedy’s absence…she’s with me. Barack Obama"
No word yet on whether the president's get out of school free card did the trick.
Brian MacDougall June 11th, 2009 3:39 pm ET
Republicans and PUMAs on this board have become so twisted by their blind hatred that they can't even see an honest moment for what it is. I feel sorry for all of you.
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I am conservative and have no problems with this! Speaking of honest moment, please have one and stop making blanket statements! Jeremiah Wright is a democrat! Does he speak for all Democrats?
This coincides nicely with Maureen Dowd's recent NYTimes column – about the human side of Obama.
Aint no way that teacher is getting that note. It's going in a scrap book.
....
And, Presidential pardons are absolute!
There's always those who have to find fault with President Obama. I'm a grandmother of 20 and I would love for all of my grandchildren to have had the honor of meeting our president. I would skip work any day of the week if I thought I could meet him and shake his hand. I think he is doing a great job.
TCM, learn how to spell before you criticize. Maybe you shouldn't have missed too many days from school, eh.
lol, classic
This is so wonderful That young person will remember. Obama is for all people dont you get it? I am for all people. I pray for them everyday. Yes, gotta love him.
I can hear his voice now. See what is going on is that many of you cant get in reality that there is a man in office who cares. Who is real. down to earth.
Like he said that other week: What would you actually like me to give up (responding to folk saying he is doing too much, too much on his plate).
Yes he is kool. We love you Obama.
YES MICH IT IS NEWS.
EVERYTHING OBAMA DOES IS NEWS.
EVERYTHING THIS INDIVIDUAL, THIS HERO, THIS HONORABLE GENT, THIS MAN WHO CARES FOR ALL, THIS AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN, THIS FAMILY MAN, THIS LAWYER, THIS FRIEND,LEADER, FATHER , LEADER, CHRISTIAN, HUSBAND, HAND SHAKER, PRAYING MAN, RESPECTFUL, SMART , INTELLIGENT, BRIGHT, COMMITTED MAN – EVERYTHING HE DOES IS NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD, YOURS. HE CARES FOR YOUR WELLBEING@
Wow...There's maybe 5 comments total that say something to the effect of "This is an outrage!" (from the right) and then 50 comments saying there are so many GOP comments bashing the President (from the left).
It's really like Napoleon-syndrome for those 50 people...
What a nice/funny gesture though by Obama..now, can we get back to how the country is going bankrupt, CNN?
Priceless. He's adorable.
To everyone, the moral equivalence of this story is?....
Comment by "panem et circenses"
Right on! I applaud your commonsense comment - Thank you!
The moral of the story is that this young girl has been saddled in debt by this president. Now the real meat of the story is do we really want the same people (dems and repubs) who are mismanaging medicare and social security in charge of all health care? Would guess probably not
Wow... some of the Republicans are even finding fault with Obama for showing kindness to a child! They better slow down a bit if they want to maintain any sembalance of credibility, because Obama's got at least three and a half years to go, and probably will get a second term.
Wait a minute... Republicans, credibility? Forget it, they blew that when they gave Bush a second term.
When Palin had her whole family on the campain – none of the Republicans made a coment not even when they spend all the money for Sarah and the kids – OUR PRESIDENT
TCM – You crack me up!
You rant on partial stories relating to issues you want to believe to be true.
Our Doctors will leave the country. Only a doctor in AMERICA can make the amount they make.
Where other countries have doctors to heal and cure, our doctors get into the business to get rich.
Besides, this is about a cute moment. Not your Turner Classic Movie agenda.
Sure, Palin's kids were attending all kinds of events, sled-dog racing etc, and anything else that would place her in the limelight. Wonder why Bristol got into the u-know what? OK, so it was all right for the rightists to drag their kids all over kingdom-come, and an offence for one girl to go see the prez?? No wonder the Palins are fodder for Letterman. So get over it!!
I think it was a great opportunity for this student to see the President in action.
She better hang onto that note and that photo though. It'll be worth alot of $$ to some collector someday!
Remember this is coming from a proud "right-winger" that can't stand the president, so take this with a grain of salt. What he did was simply a nice gesture. As a teacher, if a child had to chose between my class and seeing the president, I would insist they see the president. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. That said, I don't really see why this was newsworthy.
Oh no, he pardoned a girl missing the last day of school. Now she won't be able to turn in her homework tomor...no wait.
The GOP has already placed the young girl on the terror watch list and deemed the USA as being less safe while she is free to roam the streets.
Congrats CNN, you actually printed a positive uplifting story. What a lucky little girl!
Oh look here come the Republicans with their pitchforks, ready to be angry with ANYTHING the President does. What a surprise!
The coolest president ever!
I live in a solidly Republican town. My neighbor, a card-carrying GOPer, has been yanking her kids out of school regularly for travel hockey and soccer. Her policy of "....letting the kids work it out for themselves", as she liked to put it, has borne fruit in the form of her eldest child flunking out of college before his first semester was completed, and her other children being repeatedly on acedmic probation. Putting sports ahead of learning has had this result.: now explain to me how a man taking his child to see the POTUS is some how indicative of bad parenting? This is a huge opportunity for a young person, a potentially life-changing one, and people here see fit to ridicule it? I would not care if it were George W. Bush, Bill Clinton or Barack Obama: don't minimize the moment. She did not go to a spa day, she went to see the POTUS.
By the way, this is newsworthy. With all the bad things in the world, its nice to see our leader in a human light.
What an awesome gesture! Is anyone surprised? This Presidnet of ours has loads of human capital! He cares! He has shown it over and over again. Sadly, those who are partisan will find some reason to criticize.
I saw that. Quite a keepsake for her, the President of the US writing an excuse to the teacher.
This is very sweet – the most powerful man in the United States behaving like a normal parent/adult.
Children understand adult issues better than we assume they do. Whether the girl understood where she was or what was going on, or if she just wanted to see the President, she has something to cherish for a life time. The President only made her day even better.