Campaigning for the Wisconsin primary, Senator Barack Obama conducted an interview with the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal newspaper. With Milwaukee being one of the few communities in the US with an operating school voucher program, it was not surprising that Mr. Obama was asked his views. What was surprising was that rather than denounce vouchers, as is typical Democratic party cant, a contender for the Democratic nomination, while expressing his basic skepticism, stated: “If there was any argument for vouchers, it was ‘Let’s see if the experiment works.’ “And if it does, whatever my preconception, you do what’s best for kids.”

As noted in the follow up report in the New York Sun, the National Education Association has already registered its displeasure with Mr. Obama’s statement. As longtime advocates for school vouchers as a means of social justice and parental empowerment, we find Mr. Obama’s statement encouraging.

(We note for the record that presumptive GOP nominee John McCain is withing his party’s mainstream and has long supported school voucher proposals.)
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