Too Young for Fireside Chats, Did THEY Indoctrinate?

I'm too young to really remember President Carter's fireside chats.  I do remember my parents watching them, and I remember that the President wore a sweater not unlike one that Mr. Rogers wore.  I wasn't really interested in what he was saying, it didn't seem to pertain to me, or so I thought.  I wasn't even in middle school yet.  I think  that if ANY president had decided to address kids my age I would have felt privileged.  I grew up in a household where, even if you disagreed with the politics of a person, you respected them.

My daughter started second grade today.  I don't know if her school will show a taped version of President Obama's speech, but I hope that they do.  Imagine having your president, the President of the United States, take time to address kids.  How empowering that would be!  How could it do anything but make kids feel that they are worth the time?  And a message to stay in school?  To work hard?  Many kids who do that already will feel validated, and those who don't might think about it.

The fact that Obama's motives, and the content of the speech (before it was ever given) have been so skewed, upsets me more for the welfare of this great nation than anything else.  How could people be up in arms about it?  How can even the most stalwart conservative say anything other than, "Wow.  What a great idea"?

We hear all the time that we should be doing away with partisan bickering.  What better time could there have been to begin, than the President of the United States speaking directly to our children, to encourage them to stay in school?  Other presidents have been accused of using war to distract from domestic problems, abusing their executive powers, vacationing too many days, having extramarital sexual relations in the oval office.  How can it be possible that respect for our duly and fairly elected current President be so low that his motives for speaking to our children be so low?  It frightens me.