"There will be trying moments. The critics will rage. Your 'friends' will disappoint you," Bush wrote. "But, you will have an Almighty God to comfort you, a family who loves you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me."
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Eight years earlier, Bill Clinton offered an optimistic view of the job.
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"The burdens you now shoulder are great but often exaggerated,"
he wrote Bush in 2000. "The sheer joy of doing what you believe is right is inexpressible."
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"I am rooting hard for you," he concluded. "Good luck."
Here’s a copy of the letter which Obama wrote to Trump which CNN obtained a copy of from a Trump aide to whom it was shown. This is the full letter (to which we are entitled because it is an historical document.)
Dear Mr. President -
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Congratulations on a remarkable run. Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure.
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This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don't know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful. Still, let me offer a few reflections from the past 8 years.
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First, we've both been blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune. Not everyone is so lucky. It's up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that's willing to work hard.
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Second, American leadership in this world really is indispensable. It's up to us, through action and example, to sustain the international order that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend.
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Third, we are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions -- like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties -- that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them.
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And finally, take time, in the rush of events and responsibilities, for friends and family. They'll get you through the inevitable rough patches.
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Michelle and I wish you and Melania the very best as you embark on this great adventure, and know that we stand ready to help in any ways which we can.
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Good luck and Godspeed,
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BO
Here is a small portion of CNN’s analysis of the letter:
He advises Trump that American leadership is "indispensable" and encourages him "through action and example" to sustain post-Cold War international order.
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And he offers a warning against eroding the tenets of democracy in the name of political gain.
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"We are just temporary occupants of this office," Obama wrote. "That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions -- like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties -- that our forebears fought and bled for."
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"Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them," he said.
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That passage, read seven months after Trump took office, appears prescient. Trump has been accused of flouting rule of law in his broadsides against federal judges and his own attorney general. His verbal assaults on Congress have led to charges that he's disregarding the constitutionally enshrined separate but equal branches of government.
According to Trump’s aides, Trump cherishes the letter from Obama, an interesting side note at a time in Trump’s presidency when his attacks upon Obama have hit a new vitriolic peak. The next few days should be interesting because Obama pledged to come forth if Trump ended DACA, which Trump apparently did a few days ago, but another formal statement on the matter is expected Tuesday. Obama had previously said he would not remain silent in the face of “efforts to round up kids who have grown up here and for all practical purposes are American kids, and send them someplace else, when they love this country. The single most important thing I can do is help in any way I can to prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and to take their own crack at changing the world.” Obama has been dignified and reserved in the face of Trump’s public attacks on him, only speaking out on the ACA repeal efforts. This week could change that dialogue.