Anti-Bush Groups Want Education Secretary Fired

CNSNEWS.COM ^ | March 8, 2004 | Susan Jones

[yoe]

Liberal groups on Monday plan to launch a petition drive, urging President Bush to fire Education Secretary Rod Paige.

Paige recently apologized for a remark in which he described the National Education Association as a "terrorist organization."

But MoveOn.org and another group called Campaign for America's Future are not accepting Paige's apology.

"Parents, teachers and students across the country are outraged that the Bush administration is attacking teachers instead of listening to them to ensure a high-quality public education to every child," the groups said in a joint press release announcing the launch of Monday's petition drive.

Paige made the "terrorist" remark in a private meeting with governors on Feb. 23. He later apologized, saying, "It was an inappropriate choice of words to describe the obstructionist scare tactics the NEA's Washington lobbyists have employed against No Child Left Behind's historic education reforms."

Paige also said, "I have nothing but the highest esteem for teachers and the teaching profession."

But MoveOn.org and Campaign for America's Future are spreading the word that Paige referred to teachers -- not union leaders -- as terrorists: "Education Secretary Rod Paige last week called millions of teachers part of a 'terrorist' group," the press release said.

Robert Borosage, co-director of Campaign for America's Future, and Peter Schurman of MoveOn.org said they will join Houston area parents and teachers on Monday in a "media conference call regarding the Bush Administration's wartime tactics and education policies."

They're all "banding together to launch a major petition drive...to call on President Bush to fire Secretary Paige and start listening to teachers," the announcement said.

In an unrelated development, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie has accused MoveOn.org of breaking campaign finance rules by paying for recent anti-Bush political ads with "soft money" - unlimited donations from individuals.

[yoe]

Ron Paige spoke the truth when he called the NEA a terrorist organization - many teachers will not join that socialist group just because they do nothing about e-d-u-c-a-t-i-n-g; they can't because they aren't!

Parents, teachers and student across the country are Cheering the Education Secretary on! These people are from some other planet...........

[Russ]

Ditto that!!

[BushisTheMan]

WAH-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H!

Seems like they are trying to come up with daily "issues" that affect the President so that he spends all his time "defending" himself.

President Bush....go on the offensive...NOW!

[Arpege92]

Teacher's in this country are giving high quality education to our children? LOL

[nobody_knows]

And ditto this!

[MegaSilver]

But MoveOn.org and another group called Campaign for America's Future are not accepting Paige's apology.

Does anyone care what a bunch of angry, out-of-tune college students think?

[BookmanTheJanitor]

you mean the same moveon.org that labeled Bush a Nazi, among other names?

[squidly]

Hell, these people have wanted him fired since the day he was nominated.

[ChadGore]

Rod Paige is a good man. Can't a black man enjoy real power in this country without being torn down ?

RACIST liberals.

[Political Junkie Too]

Liberal groups on Monday plan to launch a petition drive, urging President Bush to fire Education Secretary Rod Paige.

I don't recall them complaining when NAACP leader Julian Bond called Republicans and Aschroft the "Taliban wing of the Republican Party."

The liberals are always calling for someone to be fired. First, they chum the waters with calls for a firing. If it happens, then they'll complain that Bush fired a black man.

-PJ

[weegee]

This does not raise to the level of dismissal. Censure and move on... < /sarcasm >

[weegee]

I don't recall them complaining when NAACP leader Julian Bond called Republicans and Aschroft the "Taliban wing of the Republican Party."

If it happens, then they'll complain that Bush fired a black man.

Exactly. Liberal lie. Always.

[RightthinkinAmerican]

No mention of Dasshole's calling conservative Christians "America's Taliban", either. This should be quickly thrown into the argument. Hypocrites.

[atomicpossum]

BRING IT ON.

I don't think most Americans favor the NEA, and are incensed about the poor state of public education. Bush can say it was a dumb thing to say and turn it into a debate about the strangehold the union has, keeping effective teaching from taking place. It is a winning position if they want to take the time to make it so.

Plus, MoveOn.org's time is running out. Raise their prominence to ensure they can't scurry away out of sight.

[weegee]

Reminding people that Nina Totenberg wished AIDS on Jesse Helms and his grandchildren didn't cost her the NPR job or help Michael Savage keep his cable gig.

The media is biased left and they protect their own. You won't see any consistancy in the rules.

[raloxk]

MoveOn.org has become a terrorist organization

[raloxk]

Not kidding. In the next Liberal DEM adminstration. MoveOn.org will be like the Storm Troopers

[Tacis]

Can't we put together an equally fake group of Indians (dot, not feather) to pretend outrage over Hille's racial slur and demand her resignation?

And, the teachers' unions are terrorists in that they are intentionally destroying the public education system where ever they can for their own personal dogmatic reasons.

[Luke Skyfreeper]

RACISTS!!! alert.

[scamsam]

Bush has got to go on the offensive. This is an organized
hijacking of the election. Every thing "Left" is working from the same page and the responses from the White House are weak and defensive. The entire Kerry campaign is one big lie after lie, but the Bush campaign seems unwilling to finish Kerry early; the longer he stays in the game the tougher it will be to beat him. We made the mistake in 96 and got killed. Dick Morris is correct when he urges Bush to go after Kerry Now.