Dear President Obama,

You don’t know my telephone number, but I hope your staff is busy trying to find it. Ever since you called Sandra Fluke after Rush Limbaugh called her a slut, I figured I might be next. You explained to reporters you called her because you were thinking of your two daughters, Malia and Sasha. After all, you didn’t want them to think it was okay for men to treat them that way:

“One of the things I want them to do as they get older is engage in issues they care about, even ones I may not agree with them on,” you said. “I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way. And I don’t want them attacked or called horrible names because they’re being good citizens.”

And I totally agree your kids should be able to speak their minds and engage the culture. I look forward to seeing what good things Malia and Sasha end up doing with their lives.

But here’s why I’m a little surprised my phone hasn’t rung. Your $1,000,000 donor Bill Maher has said reprehensible things about my family. He’s made fun of my brother because of his Down’s Syndrome. He’s said I was “f—-d so hard a baby fell out.” (In a classy move, he did this while his producers put up the cover of my book, which tells about the forgiveness and redemption I’ve found in God after my past – very public — mistakes.)

Sep 9, 2008 7:02pm
Obama Defends Palin’s Children and Faith
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LEBANON, Va. — "Why don’t we join with the Republicans and agree that children, families of the candidates, religion of the candidates, is off limits," asked a Virginian tonight at a town meeting with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

"Let me be very clear about this, and if there are members of the media who are listening, I hope they hear me loud and clear," Obama said. "I have said already that people’s families are off limits. They are civilians and they didn’t choose to run for office, and how qualified we are for office … isn’t determined by what our children do. And I’m very protective of my two kids. They’re 10 and 7 and at some point I expect they’re gonna make a mistake. They’re not perfect, although I think they are and I don’t want them, particularly if I’m successful and I end up being in the White House — I don’t want them to not be able to make mistakes or live … out their childhood without it being in the papers.

"So, family, particularly children, I believe are off limits," he said.

"Now the second thing," Obama added. "I’m a Christian and I believe deeply in my faith."