“Kiddies of our Nation, hear your Leader!” No, just kidding. Look, it’s possible to make too much of Obama’s Speech to the Schoolchildren. And it’s possible to make too little of it. No, it’s not the end of the world: Such a speech does not put us on a path toward North Korea. But it’s also a little . . . creepy. A little un-republican. A little — just a little — Dear Leader-ish. Immodest. George Washington would never have done such a thing, is my guess; doubt Lincoln would have either (as much as he liked to give speeches); FDR, one can easily see doing it. Perhaps he did.

I remember when I first went to Washington, in a government-affairs program — this was my third year of college. I was shocked — actually shocked — to see the portraits of the president and vice president (Reagan and Bush) in the federal buildings. In pretty much all federal offices. It seemed to me a little . . . reverential, undemocratic, Big Brother-ish. Of course, I’ve seen a lot more by now.

But still . . .

P.S. I’ve always hated it — I’ve written about this pet peeve — when people go to political rallies and put signs and such in the hands of their little children: “Don’t cut my school-lunch funds!” “President Reagan, please let me grow up!” and so on. That has always made me ralph. Seems to me rather . . . exploitative. But I know this is a different (possibly related?) subject.