Obama’s speech to students an ugly political mess

The Obama administration shares the blame for making his scheduled speech to K-12 students next Tuesday such an ugly mess.

Sure, the hyperpartisan reaction to it by conservatives and radio shock jocks has drawn the attention of many Americans. They are being told to oppose allowing Obama to shove his politics down their children’s throats (which, by the way, isn’t what’s going to happen).

Now school boards and superintendents across the country are being pressured by right-wing groups to pull the plug on Obama’s speech.

But Obama’s education officials didn’t help their cause by indicating that the speech would be a good occasion for students to outline how they could help Obama be a good president.

Or offer ways for Obama to help serve the nation.

Those suggestions — now gone from the official website of next Tuesday’s speech — were wrongheaded.

Of course, the speech won’t be about politics at all, and most people realize it.

It will be President Obama doing what he does best, trying to inspire young people to stay in school and do their best to get a good education.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

But the missteps by the Obama administration helped confuse the message.

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Tags: obama speech, obama speech sept 8, obama speech to children, obama speech to kids, obama speech to schools, obama speech to students