In the blog post yesterday on President Obama's "empathy" requirement for a Supreme Court justice, I mentioned Sen. Mitch McConnell's concern, but failed to mention McConnell elaborating on it during the convocation commencement address to the University of Louisville Law School on Saturday.
The speech has at least one graduate upset, in a letter to the Courier-Journal, calling it a "completely inappropriate platform for voicing his political agenda in the way he did."

I have always been ambivalent on the germaneness of outside agendas during commencement addresses.
One could argue that because McConnell was speaking to future lawyers about legal issues, such as the Supreme Court, Gitmo detainees and CIA interrogation issues, it was more relevant to that audience than perhaps George C. Marshall unveiling the "European Recovery Act" aka the Marshall Plan to Harvard grads in 1946.

As a reporter, it's always more interesting when a commencement speaker makes news. I think for graduates or members of the audience, it's more about being entertained and getting it over with. McConnell's attempt at humor in the U of L speech was perhaps the most strident part of his speech. When talking about Vice-President Joe Biden ignoring his own swine flu advice of not taking traveling in a confined place, (like a plane or train), McConnell said "Do you know what that means? Not even Joe Biden listens to Joe Biden." Maybe a good line for the GOP dinner the following night, but not germane at the graduation.

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