A Pen Pal in the White House

A touching story about a woman who wrote to Obama, as well as an interesting look at how the White House operates internally. Really one of the best articles I've read in a while. A taste:

Obama opened the purple folder on Jan. 8 and pulled out a three-page letter written on lined notebook paper. He prefers handwritten letters to e-mails, believing them to be more thoughtful, with better stories. The return address showed Monroe, Mich. The writing consisted of bubbly block letters, sometimes traced twice for emphasis. Obama started to read.

"Dear Mr. President," the letter began.