Oprah Winfrey took a lot of criticism recently over her comments that U.S. inner city kids are more interested in iPods and sneakers than getting an education, but her words were confirmed by our president on Tuesday evening.

Among the first lady’s guests, touted as examples to American youth, was Dikembe Mutombo, who came to the U.S. to study medicine but instead became a basketball star for the Houston Rockets. Wouldn’t it be better to praise a young man or woman who overcame the obstacles of the inner city to attend college and become an engineer, or lawyer or doctor and go on to a life of service to help society? Mr. Mutombo’s philanthropic efforts are laudable, but Mr. Bush’s conscious or unconscious message that the way to succeed is to get a pair of Nikes and try for the NBA was off the mark.

We should expect our leaders to give us a clearer message about what kinds of success make us a better people.

H. Frank Andersen, M.D.

Everett