Since when are American kids too stupid for politics?

Or maybe it's just their parents who are too stupid.

As you may have heard, President Obama intends to address school children in a speech tomorrow.

Not everybody likes this.

"Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me," suburban Colorado mother Shanneen Barron told CNN Denver affiliate KMGH. "I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now."

Um, ok, Shanneen...you don't think it's ok for your American kids to hear a speech from their American president?

This baffles me even more than the health care reform debate. Which is kind of saying a lot.

For some the concern lies in the lesson plan materials developed by the Department of Education to accompany the speech focus more on President Obama than on the the topic of education.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was just a little bit of a big deal that an African-American was elected to the office of the president. And not somebody from an established political family. And somebody who came from relatively simple means. A story that could maybe lead to a discussion on the evolution of voting rights in our country. Or issues in immigration patterns, forced and otherwise.

But we wouldn't want American school children to be exposed to rubbish like that, would we? They should be studying reading and writing and math. So they can pass the test.

Anyway, the Department of Education says that this isn't a policy speech anyway:

During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation's children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.

We rented W. this weekend. However, we watched only about 30 minutes of it, and then realized that there was no reason to relive the Bush administration. It's still a little fresh in our minds, if you know what I mean.

See, if George W. Bush had wanted to address school children on the topic of education, well...that makes more sense to raise parental concern, in my opinion. "Ok, kids, don't worry, if you mess up a bunch, and receive marginal grades, and need to rely on your father to pull strings to get you into elite institutions, and then quit a series of jobs your family helps you to get...you too could be the president some day!"

Very inspirational.

But at least he's a Christian. Unlike Obama. Oh, wait.