Ok, before I begin this, I have to admit – I have two little ones in the house and they are split on Reading Rainbow.

From NPR:

… the decision to end Reading Rainbow can also be traced to a shift in the philosophy of educational television programming. The change started with the Department of Education under the Bush administration, he explains, which wanted to see a much heavier focus on the basic tools of reading — like phonics and spelling.

Grant says that PBS, CPB and the Department of Education put significant funding toward programming that would teach kids how to read — but that’s not what Reading Rainbow was trying to do.

“Reading Rainbow taught kids why to read,” Grant says. “You know, the love of reading — [the show] encouraged kids to pick up a book and to read.”

Teaching children WHY to read – yeah, that doesn’t sound important at all, does it? < / sarcasm>

Also – I know it wasn’t Cheney, per se, but, Bush didn’t personally shoot a dude in the face.