Secretary of Education Rod Paige鈥檚 reference last week to the National Education Association as a 鈥渢errorist organization鈥� prompted calls by the union鈥攁nd some others鈥攆or his resignation, though the White House made clear that no such action would be forthcoming.
President Bush has full confidence in his education secretary, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan, who referred to the remark as 鈥渋nappropriate.鈥� Noting that Mr. Paige had apologized, he added: 鈥淚 think that issue has been addressed.鈥�
Meeting privately with a group of governors at the White House on Feb. 23, Mr. Paige responded to a governor鈥檚 question by likening the nation鈥檚 largest teachers鈥� union to a terrorist organization because of its efforts to resist key provisions in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Later that day, the apology Mr. Paige issued took a few more swipes at the union.
鈥淚t was an inappropriate choice of words to describe the obstructionist scare tactics the NEA鈥檚 Washington lobbyists have employed against No Child Left Behind鈥檚 historic education reforms,鈥� he said. Mr. Paige said that during the meeting, he had emphasized that his remarks were not aimed at teachers. Even so, he said, 鈥渁s one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better.鈥�
Secretary Paige followed up with an op-ed column Feb. 27 in The Washington Post, in which he said he was 鈥渢ruly sorry for the hurt and confusion鈥� his remark had caused, and re-emphasized that his frustration was aimed only at union leaders in Washington.
鈥淚 guess I was kind of surprised on one hand, but not surprised on the other hand,鈥� said NEA President Reg Weaver when asked about the secretary鈥檚 label for the union, 鈥渂ecause this is the tone that the administration has been using toward us for quite some time.鈥�
鈥淭his time, he has gone overboard,鈥� Mr. Weaver said.
He said his 2.7 million-member organization had received a big pile of e-mails from members upset over the matter.
The American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers鈥� union, also condemned the remark, though Gayle Fallon, the president of that union鈥檚 Houston affiliate, suggested that those offended by Mr. Paige don鈥檛 know him very well.
鈥淚 probably know more about his views on labor than any other labor leader鈥攍ocal, state, or national,鈥� said Ms. Fallon, who worked with Mr. Paige in his last job as Houston鈥檚 schools superintendent. 鈥淭he man does not seriously consider labor unions to be terrorist organizations. He has a very quick and sarcastic sense of humor on occasion, when he thinks he鈥檚 among friends.鈥�
She added, 鈥淚 think he just forgot that in Washington politics, there are no friends.鈥�
Secretary Paige鈥檚 comment wasn鈥檛 the first time he has openly attacked the NEA or other critics of the No Child Left Behind Act.
After the union last summer announced plans to file a lawsuit challenging the federal school-improvement statute, he said, 鈥淭he NEA wants to assemble a coalition of the whining to hold kids back.鈥�
In January, Mr. Paige likened the law鈥檚 opponents to those who resisted the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling striking down racially segregated systems of public education.
鈥淭hose who fought against Brown were on the wrong side of history,鈥� he said, 鈥渏ust as those who fight No Child Left Behind will be judged so.鈥�
鈥楬ardball Tactics鈥�?
For their part, the NEA and its affiliates have used strong rhetoric at times to describe the law, which President Bush has held up as one of his top domestic-policy accomplishments. A newsletter published last year by the Maine Education Association had a headline declaring that the law 鈥渟tinks,鈥� along with a cartoon of a skunk with a clothespin clamping its nose.
The Connecticut Education Association has begun running television commercials in opposition to the federal law. In a press release announcing those ads, the state affiliate鈥檚 president, Rosemary Coyle, said: 鈥淎re we going to allow irresponsible micromanagement by federal bureaucrats far removed from our communities to create havoc with our schools and children?鈥�
The Wall Street Journal jumped into the fray with an editorial Feb. 25 arguing that Mr. Paige鈥檚 poor choice of words should not distract from his message.
鈥淚n political influence [the teachers unions] rank alongside the Teamsters, the AARP, and the [National Rifle Association],鈥� the editorial said. 鈥淎nd they use the exact same hardball tactics to try to get what they want, which in their case is to preserve their monopoly on public education.鈥�
Complaints about Secretary Paige鈥檚 remark didn鈥檛 come only from unions and teachers.
Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., called it 鈥渁 hateful comment beneath the dignity of a Cabinet secretary,鈥� and said Mr. Paige should resign.
James A. Fleming, the superintendent of the 50,000-student Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, Calif., wrote Secretary Paige a letter expressing his dismay.
鈥淎 member of al-Qaida hijacks an airliner and flies a plane into the World Trade Center killing thousands of innocent people. That is a terrorist,鈥� Mr. Fleming wrote. 鈥淭eachers throughout America who raise legitimate questions about the many untenable components of No Child Left Behind are not 鈥榯errorists.鈥欌��
鈥淚t is incumbent upon you to at least listen and consider what is being reported,鈥� the superintendent said, 鈥渁nd most of all to not apply McCarthy-era politics to discredit justifiable critics.鈥�
