Imagine, for a moment, how you might have felt if President Bush had asked for an opportunity to directly address schools about some goal of his? What if he had chosen to lecture students on the future benefits to society of free democracies in the Middle East?

Without releasing the content of the speech first, it is pretty easy to see why some parents might get the idea that this is more about indoctrination than anything else. And it's not like such hasn't happened over and over again in autocracies that tilt left (Venezuela being a good recent example).

Obama could have easily defused this situation by releasing a text or an outline of his speech before giving it. That he's even doing this speaks a kind of politcal tone-deafness that surprises me given ho well he seemed to read public sentiment during the election.

Having said all that, I am guessing that the speech will not be overly political, and I am fine with my son seeing it in school.