I wonder what GWB would have said had he been called upon to exhort America's students to reach higher academically...
Prepared Remarks of President George W. Bush
Back to School Event
La Grange, Texas
September 11, 2008
The President: Hello everyone – how’s y’all doing today? I’m here with the students of Capt. William Mosby Eastland Middle School in La Grange, Texas. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade, at least those whose parents would sign their loyalty oaths. I’m glad these Americans could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. As you know today is also the anniversary of a great American tragedy, so I know something about feeling nervous in a classroom and not knowing what to do next. Sometimes, the best thing to do is just remain quiet and do nothing for as long as possible.
And I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. Boy, do I know how you feel too. Four more months. That’s like twelve in kid years.
And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning, like I did. So I know that feeling. When I was young, my parents had enough money to send me to the best private schools in America, where I would stay up Monday through Friday partying until 4:30 in the morning. Because they also had enough money to keep me in those schools.
Now I wasn’t too happy about going to sleep even that late. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right in the middle of class just to show them. But whenever my teachers would complain, I would just give them one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, boy."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility. And as I can personally attest: you don’t need either of them. Because if your parents have enough money you can still be the president of the United States, however mediocre your grades. Then you can go to sleep whenever the hell you want.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.