Barack Obama, on D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee in a presidential debate two years ago: “The D.C. school system is in terrible shape, and it has been for a very long time. And we’ve got a wonderful new superintendent there who’s working very hard with the young mayor there.”
Now Rhee is on her way out–she is expected to announce her resignation later this morning. She is a victim of politics (“the young mayor” Adrian Fenty lost a Democratic primary last month) and teacher-unions (which bankrolled Fenty’s opponent because they wanted Rhee ousted).
Rhee has fired incompetent teachers and seen student test scores inch upward. Will Obama have the guts to bemoan the departure of this “wonderful” public servant? Or is Rhee no longer a convenient campaign prop?