WASHINGTON — Former first lady Laura Bush on Monday expressed support for President Barack Obama’s decision to speak to the nation’s schoolchildren. The former schoolteacher told CNN, “There’s a place for the president of the United States to talk to schoolchildren and encourage schoolchildren” to stay in school. And she said parents and others also need to send that message.
Some parents have said they plan to keep their children home from school.
“That’s their right,” Bush said. “That certainly is the right of parents to choose what they want their children to hear in school. I also think it’s also really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States.”
Florida Republican party chairman Jim Greer, who last week slammed “Obama’s socialist ideology,” told ABC News he now favors the speech after changes were made to supporting materials and the speech itself.
“It’s a good speech,” Greer said. “It encourages kids to stay in school and the importance of education, and I think that’s what a president should do when they’re going to talk to students across the country.” The Associated Press
