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There's no other word than "dumbass" that adequately describes Arizona State University's decision not to award President Obama an honorary degree when he addresses the school's commencement today.

Sure, you can cook up lame excuses, such as that the school instead decided to name a scholarship program after him. That's nice. It's still an insult. A dumbass insult.

The Daily Show's Jason Jones visited Tempe to get some of the flavor of local sentiments. That same word kept coming to mind as we watched ASU students try to explain why Obama didn't deserve an honorary degree. My favorite:

"We're trying to be like the Cambridges, where they don't give out any, uh, honorary degrees. Make them so, uh, prestigious. To give them to, like, important people. Heads of state and stuff like that."

Runner-up:

"Wull, I've been at ASU for three or four years, and I don't have a degree yet. Why does he deserve one for being in office for 100 days?"

Attytood: Cheney gives Philly economy a shot in the face

Newshoggers: Nice, if true, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference either way.

Average Bro: Cotton Hill & John McCain - Separated at birth?

Jewschool: Israel's Arabs

Dani Rodrik: If the Danes can do it, why can't others?

Crooked Timber: Phyllis Schlafly's honorary degree: a travesty of a mockery of a sham.

AP Via The Huffington Post:

Download | play Download | play (h/t Silent Patriot for the vids)

Download | play Download | play UPDATE: longer version here, you can see what a madhouse it was (h/t Scarce)

President Bush's former chief of staff Andrew Card was loudly booed by hundreds of students and faculty members as he rose to accept an honorary degree at the University of Massachusetts on Friday.[..]
Card smiled slightly while Seymour spoke and raised his hand in thanks, then sat down without speaking.

One faculty member onstage held a sign: "Card _ no honor, no degree." Another sign said, "War criminals go home." Read more...

Frankly, I have a hard time understanding why UMass would even entertain the thought of awarding Card an honorary degree, especially after hearing the recent testimony of Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey detailing his disturbing and highly unethical bedside hackery meeting in John Ashcroft's hospital room in 2004 with then White House Counsel, Alberto Gonzales.

This is unbelieveable. OK, nothing surprises me anymore. He lost his chance to get an honorary degree by being voted down by a 38-28 margin so--what happens next?

A state House of Representatives council just passed a bill proposing to name UF's College of Education for former Gov. Jeb Bush. You read correctly. We are not making this up. The new name would be the "Jeb Bush College of Education." ...read on