White House paid commentator to promote law

"Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same," USA Today reports.

"The campaign, part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB), required commentator Armstrong Williams 'to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts,' and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004."

"...The contract, detailed in documents obtained by USA TODAY through a Freedom of Information Act request, also shows that the Education Department, through the Ketchum public relations firm, arranged with Williams to use contacts with America's Black Forum, a group of black broadcast journalists, "to encourage the producers to periodically address" NCLB. He persuaded radio and TV personality Steve Harvey to invite Paige onto his show twice. Harvey's manager, Rushion McDonald, confirmed the appearances."

Much like with the fake news story they created to promote the Medicare changes and the use of the Social Security Administration's website to promote Bush's reform proposal, this a pretty questionable use of taxpayer money. In this case, and the top Democrat on the House Education Committee, Rep. George Miller, has called it "probably illegal."

Honestly, why doesn't the White House get on with it an appoint a Secretary of Propoganda? It'd be much easier than getting caught with their pants down every few months.