Lasik, I don't object ot the speech, I object to the way it is handled, at least on my local level.
Also, if you don't have a child, or have had a child, you really don't have a voice on this subject. You won't know what I'm talking about until you've had a child. I can't explain it, it's something you have to experience.
Presently, if there is something that happens at school (my children are in public school) as an activity or event, I have to sign a form for them to be allowed to participate. In this case, unless I sign a note saying not to allow them to participate, they are forced to do so.
My 8 year old son has ADHD and unless Obama is wearing a Sponge Bob outfit or is driving a Monster Truck, he's not going to pay a bit of attention and I'd actually be doing a dis-service to the other children there watching it that their parents believe they're able to comprehend it.
I actually asked my 13 y/o daughter who is in 7th grade, and my 17 y/o step daughter who is a senior if they wanted to watch it. And I asked the question in a manner that was neutral as I always encourage them to make their own decisions on how they should believe something. I didn't ask "Hey, you get a chance to watch President Obama speak on the TV at your school, are you going to watch it?", nor did I ask "I can't believe they're making you watch the speech by the President, are you wanting to?" I asked them both, "the President will be delivering a speech on Tuesday to all the schoolchildren in the US on Tuesday, would you like to watch it?"
Neither indicated that they had any desire to do so and asked why I asked. I told them that if they didn't want to watch it, I had to write a note to their principles stating they were not to watch it.
As I said before, I read the speech and I'll watch it and make a determination then. I'd have done the same for Bush. I think had the shoe been on the other foot and the right was doing this, the left and the media would have gone nuts.