hughes presses the (virtual) flesh

karen hughes held a pre-mothers' day chat online today to endear her and the president's self to "security moms."

here's what she had to say about education:

Gena Morgan from Suwanee GA wrote:
I need to understand how to answer the question - Why isn't President Bush funding education? Can you please help me understand the SPIN that the opposition is giving to the No CHild Left Behind - underfunding- issue?

Karen Hughes answered:
For starters, the Bush administration is investing more money in elementary and secondary education than the federal government has at any other time in American history. Under President Bush, federal funding for elementary and secondary education has increased by 49% since FY2001 and total Dept. of Education funding has increased by 36% during the same time period. That may not be enough for Massachusetts liberal like Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, but it demonstrates President Bush's absolute commitment to improving our schools and leaving no child behind. Throughout his time in public service, as both Governor and President, President Bush has made improving our public schools, by raising standards and requiring accountability, one of his top priorites. His opponent, Sen. Kerry, has what CQ Weekly has described a "thin record" on education. It has never appeared to be one of his clear or consistent priorities.

a couple things to think about here:

1. the woman asked "why isn't the president funding education?" that's an odd way to look at the left's criticism of bush. clearly i'm trapped inside the mindset of the "blob," so it's interesting that the message that's trickled down is that bush is stingy on education. the criticism isn't that he hasn't funded education enough; it's that he has tied federal funding to many new requirements, and hasn't provided enough funding for schools and districts to meet these requirements. that's why it's so easy for hughes to reassure this woman - it's simplifying the issue to the point that it makes it look like the left's been lying.

again, it's rove's faulty logic: funding education is good. we are good. therefore we must be funding education. kerry's bad, therefore he must not want to fund education.

2. "massachusetts liberals." i can't get over this. yet from the looks of the chat transcript, around twice as many southerners wrote in as non-southerners. i'm from atlanta, an island of non-southernness, and spent my college years in philadelphia. i have lots of northern friends and have dated many northern men. yet even I feel like i can't quite relate to northerners, on some unidentifiable but profound level. so imagine the gut reaction most southerners have to the phrase "massachusetts liberal."

and don't you think it's interesting that it's karen hughes and not first mom laura bush who made this appearance?