Obama and the teacher-unions

Michael Perry is right:  Because the teacher-unions -- which is not, of course, to say "teachers" -- are misguided on so many questions, it is possible to disagree with them -- even to "stand up" to them -- without endorsing school-choice.  (That said, it is not possible, in my view, plausibly to present oneself as being committed to fairness and opportunity for low-income children if one categorically opposes even modest, pilot school-choice experiments.)  So, keeping in mind that the unions are likely less opposed to merit pay than to voucher experiments, it might well count as "stand[ing] up" to the teacher-unions to suggest, as Sen. Obama (correctly) did, that "districts could give teachers a salary increase, including if they serve as mentors; if they learn new skills, and if they 'consistently excel in the classroom.'"  (That this suggestion is controversial in some quarters tells us something about the priorities of those quarters, but that is another matter.)