Honorary Degrees

Obama is giving the commencement address at Arizona State this Spring. The Notre Dame thing has already been discussed, but this is a bit of unintentional buffoonery you have to laugh at:

Universities typically confer an honorary degree on commencement speakers, particularly those who have reached the pinnacle of their career or achieved the top of their field. Arizona State University (ASU), though, says it will not confer an honorary degree on this year's commencement speaker, President Barack Obama, because "his body of work is yet to come."

So, U.S. Senator, Editor Harvard Law Review, first black President -- or just being y'know President, is not having reach the top of your field? This, of course, didn't prevent ASU from giving such honorary degrees to:

Barry Goldwater 1961; George Romney 1962; Hugh Downs 1974; Henry Cisneros 1986.

That's three years before "Senator" Barry Goldwater reached the pinnacle of his career...being humilated by Lyndon Johnson. That's one year before George Romney was elected Governor of Michigan and whose great achievement at that time was leaving American Motors while the getting was good. That's when Hugh Downs primary achievement was being Jack Paars' and then Barbara Walters; sidekick, a discount Dave Garroway. And Henry Cisneros was a 39-year old first hispanic mayor of a major city. Which of course is a much bigger achievement in San Antonio, then a black guy getting elected President of the whole freakin' country.

Good job ASU. Granted honorary degrees are pretty much bullshit, but to have bullshit standards for a bullshit honor is, well, bullshit of a high order. Because I'm guessing it's about as humbling an honor as being denied an honorary degree from the University of Phoenix.