By Juliet Eilperin: How the White House decides whose death is worth ... - Tulsa World
When Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played the iconic Star Trek star, died earlier this year, the White House took official notice. Hoover Institution research fellow Peter Robinson, who served as one of Ronald Reagan's speechwriters, said his recollection was that "the Reagan administration tended to restrict condolences to people who had served in office, with the exception,... Roughly a quarter of Obama's statements have recognized African Americans, about twice the figure for President George W. Bush's. And the current president has issued more statements than his predecessors on Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans, as well as social activists and civil rights leaders. The list includes Wilma Mankiller, Percy Sutton and Ann Nixon Cooper, whom he lauded in his 2008 election night victory speech and died a year later at age 107. Bush, for his part, weighed in more frequently on the deaths of religious leaders,... 14, 1998, according to documents from the Clinton Library, President Bill Clinton tinkered with his speechwriter Jeff Shesol's draft of a statement honoring Alabama Democratic Gov. Source: www.tulsaworld.com
