It’s always nice to see someone use a position of power to lend a helping hand with absolutely no hint of an ulterior motive.
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George W. Bush warmed the hearts of his biggest critics this week with the revelation by University of Alabama kicker Cade Foster that the former President had sent him a personal letter of support. Foster has received a ton of criticism for his role in the Alabama loss to hated rival Auburn after having a field goal blocked and missing two others, including one that was returned for the game-winning score.
The letter that Foster tweeted reads:
Dear Cade (#43), Life has its setbacks. I know!
However, you will be a stronger human with time.
I wish you all the best.
Sincerely — another 43, George W. Bush
(Bush was the 43rd President- you see what he did there?)
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In the interest of being fair and balanced, we should point out that this is not the first example of a President offering a letter of support for a nationally-maligned college athlete.
In 1993, The University of Michigan men’s basketball team was made up of a collegiate Dream Team known as the Fab Five. The team included future NBA standouts Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose. The Wolverines had lost in the NCAA Championship game the year before, but made it to the finals again.
This time, with his team down by 2 points with only 11 seconds to play, Webber called a timeout when his team had already used all its timeouts. The result was a technical foul which let the University of North Carolina score two more points to seal the victory.
Like Foster at Alabama, Webber was also a goat on a national stage, but then-President Bill Clinton reached out to him by letter as well:
His letter reads:
Dear Chris,
I have been thinking of you a lot since I sat glued to the TV during the championship game.
I know that there may be nothing I or anyone else can say to ease the pain and disappointment of what happened.
Still, for whatever it’s worth, you, and your team, were terrific. And part of playing for high stakes under great pressure is the constant risk of mental error. I know. I have lost two political races and made countless mistakes over the last twenty years. What matters is the intensity, integrity, and courage you bring to the effort. That is certainly what you have done. You can always regret what occurred but don’t let it get you down or take away the satisfaction of what you have accomplished.
You have a great future. Hang in there.
Sincerely, Bill Clinton
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It’s also always nice to be reminded that, regardless of ideology or political beliefs, we can still find things to unite us. *cough*Sports*cough*
— Photo [main] Cade Foster
— Photo [inset] Eric Montross /AP