[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Ship of Fools

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Ship of Fools
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1242822206.shtml


   It's the smallest of problems, yet among the most troubling. The St.
   Paul School Board has voted 5-1 to rename its Webster Magnet
   Elementary school to Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning
   Elementary.
   President Barack Obama hasn't been in office six months. Much can
   happen. His Cabinet appointments have been strikingly unimpressive.
   Much is on his plate, much of that from his own quest for power. His
   upsides are small and unlikely. His downsides are steep, some of which
   we're seeing now. General Motors and Chrysler may not survive 2009,
   for example. He's taken such a heavy hand here that even the much
   smaller UAW will have to rethink its politics.
   And who, pray tell, is Michelle Obama? What has she done? She's
   classy, smart, sophisticated, everything we like in a First Lady. But
   what else? Like her husband, she has no local roots or accomplishments
   here. And while she may indeed do many good things as First Lady, she
   has none to date, nor could we expect any in her relatively short time
   in the White House.
   All of this could come tumbling down, a la Jimmy Carter. What then?
   Wellstone is already taken. Franken? Pogemiller? Or would they just
   close it?
   The issue here, though, is the St. Paul School Board's total, even
   reckless lack of judgment here. If I had children in this system, I
   would be looking up alternatives this morning. If this Board can't
   reason at this low level, they cannot be trusted to handle any large
   scale decisions.