'Offensive' commencement speech (Mitch McConnell)

Graduation day was supposed to be my day. The day I worked toward for three painstaking years as I trudged through law school. The day was supposed to be about my accomplishments and those of my classmates. It should have been about hope for our futures.

Instead, Sen. Mitch McConnell chose to make it about himself. Serving as the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law's commencement speaker, he didn't bother congratulating us in any significant way or recognizing that our ideas are the key to the future. Instead, he took our time to criticize who he labeled as "the others" and their handling of everything from swine flu and the CIA torture memos to the closing of Gitmo and the upcoming fight looming over the Supreme Court nomination.

McConnell has, at times, been incredibly influential in Congress. The appropriateness of having a figure who has shaped the law in such a way can hardly be questioned for a law school's commencement. However, our graduation was a completely inappropriate platform for voicing his political agenda in the way he did. Regardless of political persuasion, the speech was offensive to both students and their families.

It is very sad that the vast majority of us graduates began discussing how inappropriate and offensive it was before we even left the stage and haven't stopped since. It is very sad that many students had to exercise restraint in not walking out of our own graduation ceremony. It is very sad that our final memory of the law school experience boils down to a U.S. senator taking our day and turning it into a stump speech for the "NoBama" campaign as it dwindles further into irrelevance

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090514/OPINION02/905140309/1018/OPINION/+Offensive++commencement+speech

in particular, is.

Really? Did they honestly expect anything different from freakin' Mitch McConnell?

I never went to law school, but could have seen that one coming from miles away.

I donated to his opponent this last election even though I'm not from your state. I think the students should complain to whomever was in charge of this so they get someone who has something worthwhile and meaningful to say next time.

Whether you want to or not, you'll find yourself in a temp job (if you can find even that) with some jerk like McConnell running the show, threatening you and making you feel like feces. Those pleasant days of just sitting in a classroom and absorbing useless knowledge are over.

And no, I can't afford one of those expensive sarcasm icons, so I am not being sarcastic.

Just Steele Yourselves
By GAIL COLLINS
Published: March 6, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/opinion/07collins.html