4 Reasons President Obama Should Give Notre Dame Commencement Address
President Obama is the subject of more breaking news stories than any other political figure in recent history. That will obviously be the case throughout this administration in that every single action, every stroke of his pen and every word uttered is a first by virtue of the fact that he is the first black president. This time the winds of change are blowing on the religious front. The prestigious Catholic university, Notre Dame, extended an invitation to the president — which he accepted — to give the commencement address to the 2009 graduating class and receive an honorary law degree. Online and written protests to the decision are estimated to number between 100,000 to 206,000 complaints.
There are several dynamics at work here, one of which is that the president, who is not Catholic, is also pro-choice and has lifted the Bush administration’s ban on embryonic stem-cell research.
First, since when does the criterion for speaking in a university setting require that the speaker conform to the predominant thinking in that environment? The university setting is a bastion of controversy and nonconformity, and if it’s not, it should be.
Secondly, President Obama will not use the opportunity to advance a pro-choice dialogue on this issue. He is sincerely concerned about larger and more pressing issues — like the future of the country and how these young professionals will fare in a dubious economic environment.
Thirdly, the issues the president will talk about to this class and their parents are the same issues that compelled millions of Americans to vote for him— education, financial stability and legislative reform.
Finally, six other sitting presidents — who have not been completely simpatico with university principles and practices — have had the honor of giving the commencement address at Notre Dame and receiving the customary doctorate degree.
In an era of firsts, it would be a shame if Notre Dame were the first institution of higher learning to withdraw its invitation to this president and put an irrevocable stain on their remarkable record. –roz edward
