Posted on 09/08/2009 9:17:30 AM PDT by RobinMasters
WASHINGTON -- Former first lady Laura Bush on Monday expressed support for President Barack Obama's decision to speak to the nation's school children, saying it is "really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States."
In an interview with CNN, Mrs. Bush, a former school teacher, said, "There's a place for the president of the United States to talk to school children and encourage school children" to stay in school. And she said parents and others also need to send that message.
Obama's planned remarks Tuesday to be broadcast by C-SPAN to many schools across the country has drawn protests from conservatives and some parents who said the president is trying to indoctrinate the nation's children. Some parents have said they plan to keep their children home from school because of the Obama speech.
"That's their right," Mrs. Bush said. "That certainly is the right of parents to choose what they want their children to hear in school."
"I also think it's also really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States," she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
He has done nothing to deserve my respect!
Sorry, Mrs Bush, if I don’t want to teach my children blind obedience to ANY human being. And anyone who wants my respect has to EARN it first.. by not associating with domestic terrorists and racists.
An admirable sentiment - but JUST ONCE, I wish these folks would stop *hitting on the ones who have supported them all along and stand up and say, “Thank you, fools, for being on our side oh these many years”. Mrs. Bush et al needs to open her mouth in support of her own (or maybe we aren’t?) Ettu Nancy Reagan????
I agree with her. Its a shame they never managed to treat GW with respect.
But I’m willing to let by-gones be by-gones. As long as the teachers are willing to put out a similarly sycophantic study guide a couple of years from now when President Cheney decides to talk to the little munchkins.
On a serious note, it isn’t Obama talking to the kids that bothers me. He’s the president. What irritates me is, as I say, the sycophantic tone of the study guide the teachers put out.
Laura Bush is entitled to her opinion. However, I am the parent of the Mom4melody kids, so my (and my DH’s) opinions are only ones that count. Period.
[[”I also think it’s also really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States,” she said.]]
We respect him- however HE should RESPECT US as well and he has PROVEN He does NOT Respect us Laura, and we do NOT want him propogandizing our children!!! He should show more respect for parents of htis country, but he is so obsessed with self-agrandizing that he can’t help himself, and he’s targettign captive audiences of young impressionable minds because he wants to be a rock star and NOONE wants him to be- so he feels he has to brainwash the only vulnerable group left in order to pat himself on the back- IF he had any respect for himself and for hte parents, he would refrain from shoving his marxist agenda down our kid’s throats-
I respect the office of the presidency. Doesn’t mean I respect anything about Obama. She was asked a question and answered it. And who doesn’t think kids should stay in school?
Dems in congress held hearings to determine if Bush’s talk to school kids was illegal.
It’s my understanding that they re-wrote the speech. I also believe the issue wasn’t the speech so much as it was about the propaganda and questions (expressing assumptive adoration) in the lesson plan afterward.
The left will use the lack of a controversy in the actual speech to attack the critics. .. We’ve yet to see the lesson plans.
I couldn’t be any happeir that the Bush family is gone. They are not Conservatives, they are just Republican Party Political Hacks looking to play “Lets’ Make A Deal With Democrats”. Every time I see Rove on TV now he makes my blood boil - all he keeps talking about is “how to get a bill passed”. He’s a perfect example of why the Republicans are where they are now: they’re nauseatingly Pragmatic and stupefyingly Unprincipled. Rove, Bush, and all other RINOS care about “Getting Something Done” instead of “Getting THE RIGHT THING Done”.
Given the fact that congress investigated and held hearings when Papa Bush gave a brief speech to students, I can see her point of view.
I was pretty upset when I heard that Laura backed Obama on this...but I just listened to it, as I have four sons, one heading to college as a freshmen in a couple of weeks, two high schoolers (10th & 11th grade) and a 7th grader...I actually was moved by Obama’s speech and now wish my guys would’ve heard it...I didn’t hear anything in it to turn me off or outrage me...and as a conservative, yes I approve it...why not have the POTUS tell our young teens to stay in school, do your homework, don’t talk back to your teachers but respect them and not expect anything IF you decide to drop out....a.o.k. by me and yes I am a conservative!
We all respect the “Office” of the President. Respect for the man himself? I think that time will tell. His own people are pulling away from him. He is the first President, as far as I know, that didn’t speak from the heart to the kids. He used his teleprompters again and I believe people noticed that it was just another speach.
“I also think it’s also really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States”
Et tu, Laura? And a “schoolteacher” too boot? aka, one of my biggest “pet peeves” is the constant confusion between “common courtesy” and “respect”. “Respect”, due to the very definition, can only be earned.
Sorry, but based on his words and actions, I have absolutely no “respect” for this man.
Like you said, it was the written materials that went over the top and veered off into Obama worship. Yet, even those were revised and cleaned up (thanks to public pressure). Much ado about nothing? Maybe. However, it is always good to stay on our toes and be sure to let the WH know we will not sit back and allow any inappropriate instrusion into our kids' schools (that is, more than is already going on!).
There’s classiness, and then there’s Democrats.
Who actually wrote that original questionnaire? Was it Obama's Secretary of Education? Was it a Czar? In either case, if Obama didn't want it like that he should have nixed it before it went public. He has a real problem with runaway policy making with all those lib czars he has installed.
Unlike the Bush family, I teach my family members to STAND UP to bullies.
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