The Department of Education paid commentator Armstrong Williams to tout the No Child Left Behind education program that was a central achievement in Bush's first term.
A company run by Armstrong Williams, the syndicated commentator, was paid $240,000 by the Education Department. The goal was to deliver positive messages about Bush's education overhaul, using Williams' broad reach with minorities.
The deal, which drew a fast reuke from Democrats on Capitol Hill, is the latest to put the department on the defensive for the way it has promoted Bush's signature domestic policy.
The contract required Williams' company, the Graham Williams Group, to produce radio and TV ads that feature one-minute "reads" by Education Secretary Rod Paige. The deal also allowed Paige and other department officials to appear as studio guests with Williams.
This is disappointing on both sides of the equation. This is a poor use of tax dollars - the policy should be able to swim on it's own without the life preserver of regular "infomercials". I do not want tax dollars spent paying for propaganda.
The Education Department defended its decision as a "permissible use of taxpayer funds under legal government contracting procedures." The point was to help parents, particularly in poor and minority communities, understand the benefits of the law, the department said.
I see the upside to explaining the benefits to communities that may not otherwise hear the message, but not in this way.
On the other side of the equation Mr. Williams, even if he believed strongly in the policy, should not have taken the money to promote it. It forces you to think about secondary gain any time you see him (or, frankly, most other pundits with an axe to grind) touting one thing or another.
UPDATE: More on the Williams story from LaShawn Barber at lashawnbarber.com, with additional links to peruse.
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