Today, the national media are lauding President Obama for seeking “common ground” on the abortion issue during his commencement speech yesterday at the University of Notre Dame. In an article entitled “Obama a Champion at Notre Dame,” Washington Post columnist Eboo Patel called the speech a “near perfect demonstration of public leadership in an environment of polarization.” If public leadership means saying what your audience wants to hear while pursuing your own hard-line agenda with gusto, then the author is right on target. The trouble is, the President’s words of …
The University of Notre Dame recently announced that it would be welcoming President Obama to speak at its graduation in May. Among the questions that should be asked as President Obama’s speech approaches is how the administration’s views about private school choice—and specifically, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program—may conflict with the university’s strong commitment to supporting Catholic education. Last fall, the Bush administration released a report highlighting the crisis facing faith-based private schools in urban communities. Across the country, roughly 1,000 Catholic schools have closed per decade since the 1960s.
