Calling the Kettle Black

President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education reform has had its share of opponents since it was passed by Congress in 2001. Few individuals or organizations have been more vocal in its opposition than the NEA, which holds that the law is "fundamentally flawed," and which has hounded the president and supporters of the law steadily over the past five years.

The law's critics cried foul in 2005, when documents revealed that the Bush administration paid TV and radio commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote it on his syndicated programs. The revelations led to a government-wide inquiry.

Interestingly enough, it turns out the administration is not the only party to put its money into swaying public opinion.

A report to be released today by the group Education Sector says the National Education Association (NEA) has given at least $8.1 million to education, civil rights and policy groups that have opposed or criticized No Child Left Behind, Bush's far-reaching and controversial effort to reform public schools.

Now that's the pot calling the kettle pitch, sable, ebony and as many other forms of black as Mr. Rogett could ever dream of.