The Washington Post is reporting that President Obama is ‘willing’ to extend the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program long enough so that all the students currently in the program can finish their high school education.

Big whoop.

Just as the rally was breaking up in Freedom Plaza, word came that Mr. Obama would seek to extend the program until all participants in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program graduate from high school, although no new students would be admitted. Considering that some of the students are in pre-kindergarten, that would be an admirable commitment.

This rally dragged President Obama into doing the right thing…sorta. The White House’s announcement takes the video of Ingrid and Mercedes Campbell off the Right Blogosphere, which is its intent. What it doesn’t do is keep filling the pipeline with new underpriveleged students, which is what’s appropriate.

In short, this is a PR move. This isn’t about President Obama coming to his senses and doing what’s right for DC’s children trapped in substandard public schools. What needs to be asked is this: Why isn’t President Obama willing to stand up to the NEA and demand that this program, which is giving DC’s underprivileged students a world class education, be expanded, not just extended? If President Obama had the cajones, he’d push the NEA like he’s pushed secured bondholders.

That won’t happen, though, because President Obama knows that these children don’t make campaign contributions like the NEA and other unions make. That’s right; I’m accusing President Obama of not caring about the children as much as he cares about his union allies.

Gee, Ya Think?

This paragraph in the Washington Post article is stunningly naive:

Mr. Obama had never embraced vouchers, so it bespeaks a pragmatic open-mindedness that he would put aside that philosophical opposition in deference to the interests of these children. As Education Secretary Arne Duncan told us earlier, it doesn’t make sense “to take kids out of a school where they’re happy and safe and satisfied and learning.” Maybe there was also some thought given to the political optics of booting hundreds of poor, black students from private schools back into troubled public schools.

Mr. Obama’s halfhearted ‘embrace’ of vouchers doesn’t “bespeak a pragmatic open-mindedness that he would put aside that philosophical opposition in deference to the interests of these children.” There’s more than a little “thought given to the political optics of booting hundreds of poor, black students from private schools back into troubled public schools.”

RedState’s Moe Lane gets it right with this statement:

I will note this, though: this “compromise” that the administration is currently offering is nothing but. It’s an attempt to get the heat off of both it and the teachers’ unions that are trying to gut school choice.

Watching Virginia Walden-Ford’s speech was inspirational. Here’s what she said that most inspired me:

But it won’t be over until every child is in a school which they deserve and that meets their needs. Every child. Put children first.

What’s most upsetting to me is that President Obama won’t put children first, which is what these parents are demanding. I’ve focused on President Obama thus far but let’s be honest about this: President Obama can’t eliminate this program without House and Senate Democrats voting to eliminate the bill. Likewise, President Obama couldn’t end this program if Rep. David Obey hadn’t written this provision into the omnibus spending bill that funded the government for the rest of FY2009.

In other words, DC’s Democrats, starting with President Obama, then continuing down to Chairman Obey, then being ratified by rank-and-file Senate and House Democrats, chose to put the NEA’s best interests ahead of the DC children’s best interests. After thinking this through, it’s impossible to argue that Democrats, whether they’re in the Senate, the House or in the White House, won’t put the union’s campaign contributions and GOTV staff ahead of doing what’s right for DC’s children.

This isn’t about compassion because they’ve shown where their allegiance lies. I have a simple demandment for President Obama, Chairman Obey and the rest of the DC Democrats:

Put children first…period.

Technorati: Education, Virginia Walden Ford, Vouchers, Ingrid Campbell, Mercedes Campbell, President Obama, David Obey, Unions, NEA, Campaign Contributions

Cross-posted at California Conservative