Was it just me, or did other people experience quivers of nausea at the President’s claim that “My job is not only commander in chief, but educator in chief”? Exactly what does he think he stands to teach us?
On a related note, in a chat today with Pascale, I referred to “a real edfucational institution.” Those of you who know me and my keyboarding skills will realize right away that I didn’t intend to cast aspersions; I just fat-fingered the “d” in “education.”
Pascale and I, however, saw the implications of my slip. I then alluded to the institutiona as Edfucational U, and she noted that it must colloquially be known as Edfuc U — which then struck us as a tremendous merchandising opportunity (imagine the t-shirt sales). . . .
As long as you name isn’t Ed.
“Exactly what does he think he stands to teach us?”
And they were muttering the same about Moses … flawed as he was.
I admit, I wouldn’t have thought of comparing George W. Bush to Moses for a very long time.
Look: I make no pretense of being a Commander-in-Chief; that is not my function in the civil body, and I’m suited for it neither by temperament nor capacity nor theology. Does Bush really think he has the vocation to be Educator-in-Chief? Look around; does he stand for patient, critical, scholarly thinking more than any other possible E-in-C? That’s hard for me to believe — but then, the Moses comparison flummoxes me, too.