The battle to transform the public school system in America has created strange bedfellows indeed.

Chris Matthews just broke ranks with his Democratic Party on the issue of education reform. He actually used the word "competition" as a way to lift students out of failing schools.

Speaking from Tampa after hearing Jeb Bush's speech on the state of education Matthews praised the Republican, called him a "humble" man, and flatly disagreed with Rachel Maddow's assembled panel of Al Sharpton, Ed Schultz and Chris Hayes.

Perhaps Matthews' view was softened by Jeb Bush's earlier comments about Republicans: "We have to change not necessarily our core beliefs, but the tone of our message...and the intensity of it, for sure."

Matthews went on to say "Randi Weingarten [AFT union] hasn't done a good job for our city [DC]; we don't have a good mayor who lost the best superintendent [Michelle Rhee] we've ever had in education."  Four years ago, President Obama gave Rhee a shout out in his 2008 debate with John McCain at Hofstra University. He called her a "wonderful new superintendent who's working very hard."

In mentioning Rhee [who while at the RNC this week described herself as "very, very lefty liberal"] Matthews had to include a jab at unions. Rhee's promotion of the movie Waiting for Superman in 2010 effectively launched an anti-union crusade and endeared her to the right.

Now, we have Chris Matthews joining others on the bus like Barack Obama, Michelle Rhee, Jeb Bush, Condoleezza Rice [she gave a speech on education "being the civil rights issue of our time" at the RNC], foundations, nonprofits and a wide array of leftist hedge fund manipulators 'burning down' the old schoolhouses and replacing them with a hybrid public/private product.

The drive by the Obama administration and the left to join their policies on education with traditionally Republican policies means more bureaucracy to handle the affairs of school districts across the nation. Under Obama, we're moving toward more centralization of power, not away from it.

Matthews' about face doesn't bode well for those of us who truly want--with as little leftist intrusion as possible--what's best for our children.

Read more Ann Kane at Potter Williams Report