Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Arnie's Army — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:03:50 GMT

Before gaving his praise, did Bush know about the $70000 the Chicago schools spent on Expresso makers? That's right, the Chicago school kids have to share text books, but the teachers in Chicago have their Expresso. At least they'll stay awake.

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

ace — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:08:19 GMT

as was already recognized by some of us, arne is a good pick. i am glad mr. bush agrees with mr. obama.

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Dewey Sanchez, San Francisco — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:13:01 GMT

You know, half, if not more, of the cabinet positions can be jettisoned. Labor, Commerce, Education, Agriculture, Interior, Energy, Transportation, HHS, HUD. What exactly do any of these positions do, other then pose for the photo op when the President calls a meeting?

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Dime Bagg — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:15:25 GMT

Arne had a program in the Chicago schools that paid the kids for good grades. $5 for a C, $10 for a B, $20 for an A. Will that same program be a budget item in the trillion dollar stimulous package?

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

MSierra, SF — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:16:10 GMT

Poor, Poor, Pitiful Sarah !!

Quick !
Show Caroline in front of a turkey that's being slaughter !!

The SNL skits of her were PRICELESS !!

'...Jason Linkins jason@huffingtonpost.com

Several people have directed me today to the raw video of an interview of Sarah Palin, conducted by John Ziegler, last seen losing his mind at Nate Silver over a weird poll he conducted with myriad foundational logic deficiencies. It's a wide ranging discussion, primarily focuses on the way Palin feels she was treated by the media, which is all she ever talks about anymore.

One of the more trenchant moments (in fact, the only trenchant moment) comes late in the interview, when Palin is invited to make a comparison between herself and Caroline Kennedy. Basically, Palin seems to think that "class bias" is enabling favorable coverage of the New York Senate hopeful:

"I've been interested to see how Caroline Kennedy will be handled and if she will be handled with kid gloves or if she will be under such a microscope. ... It's going to be interesting to see how that plays out and I think that as we watch that we will perhaps be able to prove that there is a class issue here also that was such a factor in the scrutiny of my candidacy versus, say, the scrutiny of what her candidacy may be."

I think it's true that too many have failed to consider what specific qualifications Kennedy brings to the table. Those that have, however, often compare Kennedy to Sarah Palin, most notably in a New York Times feature story that made the comparison right in the lede. That article has since been edited to remove the comparison -- which perhaps gives Palin grounds for her contention. But really, is Palin not paying attention? Last week, everyone in the media made fun of Caroline Kennedy for saying "you know" over and over again. It was pretty brutal! (It was also pretty amusing to watch, as cable TV commentators had to softly tread around the fact that they, too, often pepper their commentary with similar verbal tics.)

Anyway, I hardly think a demonstration that "class issues" prevail in politics is all that startling a revelation. I'm told that Palin's own running mate, for example, owns several homes.

If you're interested, I watched nine minutes of this nonsense so you don't have to. A rundown:

Grief Over Bloggers: Palin is still upset with the way the mainstream media treated the birth of Trig Palin. "When did we start accepting as hard news sources bloggers, anonymous bloggers, especially," said Palin to Zeigler, a blogger. Actually, as a broad topic, it's well worth discussing! But, as someone who was presented with the Trig Palin Conspiracy Story at the outset (and who personally, hasn't found it all that convincing, sorry), I take issue with the notion that Trig Palin Birth Mysteries were featured in much "hard news." In fact, the matter wasn't given a whole lot of credence by anyone but The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan, who is not, as far as I can tell, an anonymous blogger. In the meantime, she might find bloggers "scary," but I'm going to have to save my fears for an elected official who continually suggests that an investigation absolved her of ethical lapses when, in fact, it precisely didn't.

Family in the Camera Eye: Palin seems to think that there was bias in the way her family was treated. "When I heard Barack Obama state in one of his interviews ... that his wife was off limits, meaning, his family was off limits, I naively believed that they respected that ... that it applied to all of us, but it didn't apply." EXACTLY RIGHT! And, in fact, it didn't much apply to the Obamas either! I don't know if Palin was watching the Democratic National Convention, but the entire first night was given over to the staging of a pageant play called, "Black Women: They Are NOT Terrifying!" where the media sat in judgment over whether or not Michelle Obama had successfully made herself "relatable" and "presentable" to America. It was awfully embarrassing for America that such a display was even necessary, but there you go! Meanwhile, the press is still shadowing the Obama children to school, reporting on what's being served at the Sidwell Friends cafeteria. So, Sarah Palin has concluded she is "naive." Know what? THIS IS ALSO NOT NEWS, TO ANYONE.

Story continues below...'

Scenes from the 'class conflict' in Alaska !!

At least Caroline BUYS HER OWN CLOTHES !!
And buys (or builds) her own homes

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

pat huntington ny — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:16:26 GMT

Arne will have a heck of a job trying to right all that was wroing with No Child Left Behind!

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Grace Moore, Columbus Ohio — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:16:47 GMT

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Jerry/ corpus christi — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:17:08 GMT

That 7000 expresso maker is chump change compared to what haliburton has wasted and stole in Iraq...btw...did you serve there or are you one of those tough talking chickenhawks too?

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

eagle1776 — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:18:03 GMT

Keep an eye on Arne. If Bush likes him there must be something wrong with him. Or is Bush finally waking up and learning from his tons of mistakes? I guess we will see won't we?

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Beverly in Chicago — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:28:01 GMT

Out going Bush realizes Duncan won't leave any child behind.
========================================
Arnie's Army
That's right, cappuccino makers were a waste of funding, but Duncan was chosen because he turned the grades into something better.

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Beyond the Sea — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:38:55 GMT

Duncan sounds like a great pick to me. But why on earth in George Bush endorsing him? If Duncan worked in education in Chicago, then chances are, he encountered University of Illinois-Chicago distinguished education professor, Bill Ayers. Heck, I'll betcha they even attended secret decoder ring meetings together and talked about science and math education and stuff. Whoa, danger, danger.

Or maybe that argument was just a red herring, after all.

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Mary, Illinois — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:57:55 GMT

The expresso makers were for classes teaching restaurant and culinary skills in a vocational education setting. There were not for the teachers. Get your facts straight before you spout off. Arnie Duncan will be great for education in America! He doiesn't think that teachers are terrorists(Secretary Page).

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Venable James — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:13:58 GMT

What Bush knows, well it isn't much and who cares. What do the professionals in the Chicago neighborhood schools think about Arne. What reform in the neighborhood schools of inner city of Chicago? Reform has been defined by Mr. Duncan and the Chicago Commerce Club as creating a policy of watching the bottom line over looking out for the welfare of children. Arne Duncan and CPS want better scores on the standardized tests. That sounds simplistic but that reflects the real knowledge of Duncan, the Chicago School Board and their non-educator surrogates since none them have any first hand knowledge of transforming neighborhood schools into high performance centers of learning in a systematic way. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are ignorant on these matters. It is conveyed to Principals and Teachers that the bottom line is scores. I think there needs to be a reality check about Chicago schools. The instructional day in elementary schools is possibly the shortest of all large urban metro areas. By the tenth grade a CPS student may be shorted close to a whole school year in instructional time in comparison to a New York City student. One response by Arne Duncan and the Chicago School Board has been offer second rate after-school tutoring services and eight Saturday's of test prep before the standardized exam are given in early March. Behind closed doors and in a most non-transparent manner, neighborhood schools are closed and usually charter schools with non-certified teachers are opened. Remember, charter schools cherry pick their students and keep students with special needs out or are squeezed out. Students with emotional problems are squeezed out as well. These schools are not held accountable to the same standard. Is that reform and forward thinking? I wonder why Arne Duncan and his ilk don't really engage the professionals in the the classroom, the teachers. Is it fear of what they will say. Fear of coming up short as to what is needed to help build a strong cohesive professional community at each neighborhood school. Why doesn't Arne Duncan and the Chicago School Board, give each neighborhood school the same POWER and FREEDOM to reorganize themselves as the charter schools do? Empower your teachers, that is a novel idea! Nahhh! We got clowned by Obama with his selection of Duncan. We don't need policy wonks who do not know how to lead and innovate with the professionals in the present schools now!

Bush praises Obama Ed. nominee

Ed, San Antonio — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:16:34 GMT

W likes the pick! OMG what's wrong with this picture?

W also likes the X-PM of Australia, more than he likes PE Obama and his family! W isn't even embarassed by the Blair House snub......He's such a reptile.

Who cares what he likes, after the last 8 years?! As in the song, W did it "his way"....and look at the country now!

Hurry 20 Jan 2009!