This year marks the 30th anniversary of the decision by the National Education Association (NEA) to become a major player in politics. While 1976 was the first year that the nation’s largest teachers union endorsed a presidential candidate (Jimmy Carter, who was promising to deliver creation of the union’s cherished federal Department of Education), it wasn’t long before the NEA’s political activity became a major part of its raison d’etre. Over these past three decades, the NEA has carpet-bombed the political landscape with money. In just the one-year period from September 2004 through August 2005, the NEA spent $25 million...