If you’re been with the blog since the very beginning, you might recall that during staging, our training group had the rare priviledge of being invited to the White House to meet the president. I was reflecting on this a few weeks ago, and had a crazy idea: since President Bush was so kind as to invite us to his house, we should return the favor and invite President Obama to ours. I’m not so naive as to think that he would actually come, but even the slim chance of that happening would be too cool and really cap off a fantastic Peace Corps experience. That, and a good consolation prize would be if he invited us back to HIS house for chips and beer. So, on behalf of my entire training group, I sent this Barack this letter:
I thought that it would really capture the Peace Corps spirit if it was handwritten and sent with a Guatemalan stamp on it. Heh.
Today I got a response via email:
Dear Mr. Fanjoy,
Thank you for inviting President Obama to visit Guatemala to observe the Peace Corps efforts that have taken place over the last 27 months.
President Obama values each and every invitation he receives. However, the constraints of his schedule and the volume of requests are such that the majority must be declined. At this time, the President’s travel itinerary does not include plans for a visit to Guatemala.
Thank you for your interest in welcoming the President to Guatemala, and we appreciate your understanding.
Sincerely,
The White House Office of Appointments and Scheduling
Please note that for each inquiry or invitation, the White House Office of Appointments and Scheduling considers not only the stated request but also the possibility of additional forms of Presidential or White House involvement. This includes, but is not limited to, greetings, messages, proclamations, videos, and the attendance of the First Lady, the Vice President, Dr. Jill Biden, or White House staff at an event or meeting. Replies to this email regarding additional or alternative requests or reconsideration cannot be answered.
It isn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but I figured it was a long shot anyways.