Obama's Kids Book Hits Shelves, Fox News Grumbles

Network is not happy about inclusion of Sitting Bull
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 16, 2010 8:20 AM CST
Obama's Children's Book 'Of Thee I Sing' Hits Shelves, Fox News Grumbles
In this book cover image released by Random House Children's Books, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters," by Barack Obama, is shown.   (AP Photo/Random House Children's Books)

President Obama's children's book hits shelves today—what could possibly go wrong? Well, Of Thee I Sing includes a tribute to Sioux medicine man Sitting Bull—or, as Fox News puts it, "Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed US General." The book is framed as a letter to Obama's daughters, and talks about 13 Americans the president admires. In addition to Sitting Bull, luminaries like Billie Holiday, Helen Keller, Cesar Chavez, and Abraham Lincoln are included, the Washington Post reports. Proceeds are being donated to a scholarship fund for the children of killed or disabled soldiers.

The Fox News piece, Gawker points out, is actually just a reprint of a USA Today report on the book, except with a markedly different headline (USA Today's was "Obama Shares Dreams for His Kids in Book About 13 Americans") and the paragraph about Sitting Bull bolded: "His most controversial choice may be Sitting Bull, who defeated Custer at Little Bighorn: ('A Sioux medicine man who healed broken hearts and broken promises.')" Writes Maureen O'Connor on Gawker, "Basically, this picture book is [Obama's] jihad. You heard it here first."
(More President Obama stories.)

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