But do the students have a point? Is Laura Bush qualified? One irate student remarked, “She was selected for her political celebrity. On its website, the School of Education and Information Studies declares itself committed to understanding and improving “educational practice, information policy, and information systems in a diverse society,” and training “librarians, teachers, and administrators.”

As it happens, the First Lady holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education as well as a Master’s in Library Science. She has devoted her career to education and information studies, working as both a teacher and a librarian. She has spearheaded several initiaves advocating literacy and promoting teaching as an honorable career, including “Ready to Read, Ready to Learn” and “Reach Out and Read.” All of which would suggest that she’s actually an ideal speaker.

Even the UCLA administration—not exactly a haven for Bush voters—disagrees with the protesters and is defending the First Lady. UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale calls her “an entirely appropriate speaker,” and Dorr seconds the sentiment, saying Bush’s “advocacy for early literacy and her efforts to combine education and librarianship” certainly qualify her as commencement speaker.

But some of the protesters have let the veil slip a bit, revealing that the true nature of their objections is not education, but politics.

The Daily Bruin reports that some feel that the commencement ceremony is an inappropriate forum for the First Lady, “since she will get the last word.” On what? The Dewey Decimal system versus online catalogs? The vital importance of early literacy? Unlike her predecessor, Laura Bush is distinctly non-political, and has chosen to devote her tenure to apolitical education initiatives. She is beloved by pretty much everyone within shouting distance of mainstream America—even People magazine celebrates her. What’s more, faithful readers of the Daily Bruin have responded with disgust to the absurdity of graduate students claiming Bush has “shallow credentials.”

Even though the First Lady has yet to respond to the invitation, one student proclaims, “We will not stand by and allow her presence to go uncontested.” They should have at it. They can do for campus lefties at UCLA what Noam Chomsky and Susan Sontag have done for liberals across the land.