George H. W. Bush to Texas A&M: Treat Obama Well
In advance of the event, Mr. Bush has penned an open letter to the "Texas A&M Family" that seems to be a subtle call for the community to be on its best behavior. (He opens it with a friendly "Howdy!")
"This will be an important national moment, and a moment for Texas A&M to shine in the global spotlight as it always does," he writes. "I sincerely hope and believe it will serve as a point of Aggie pride for many years to come."
As Mr. Bush notes in his letter, which was posted by KBTX, the event is meant to be a non-partisan celebration of "the importance of service to our communities and our country."
Yet the university community is clearly conflicted about the visit. In comments on the KBTX site, one person writes that while he appreciates what Mr. Bush is saying, "at some point [our] population has got to step up and say enough is enough."
"It is my opinion that our community would be hyprocrical [sic] if we just sit back and welcome President Obama as if we do not have any concerns with his current policy," writes the commenter. "I hope to see a very large turn out of the Aggie family in respectful opposition to President Obama. Lets all remember the Aggie code of honor."
Writes another commenter: "What he is trying to say, dear friends, is let's represent TEXAS A&M in a positive light. I, like many of you, do not agree with Obama's politics, but I would hope that we can show our campus, our city and our state in a positive light, despite our true feelings. Let's do it right and show the world our good side!"
Last year, Texas A&M's Young Conservatives of Texas group staged an anti-Obama carnival in which students were encouraged to throw eggs at a picture of the then-candidate. The event included a "socialist on a stick Obama ring-toss." (Photos from the event here.)
Of course, the crowd's response to the president may not be entirely up to the school community: A group called the North Houston Tea Party Patriots is planning to show up at the event, and other outside protesters are likely as well.