"Students, this is Mr. Bin Laden. He'll be teaching Earth Science while Mrs. Philpott is on Maternity leave."

Billings Gazette / AP
Education Secretary Paige calls national teachers union a 'terrorist organization'

WASHINGTON - Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization" Monday, taking on the 2.7-million-member National Education Association early in the presidential election year.

Paige's comments, made to the nation's governors at a private White House meeting, were denounced by union president Reg Weaver as well as prominent Democrats.

The education secretary's words were "pathetic and they are not a laughing matter," said Weaver, whose union has said it plans to sue the Bush administration over lack of funding for demands included in the "No Child Left Behind" schools law.

Paige said later in an Associated Press interview that his comment was "a bad joke; it was an inappropriate choice of words."

Hilarious.

Making a frustrated comment about security measures while standing in line at the airport can get you detained, strip searched and arrested.

A Presidential Cabinet Secretary can malign public servants he is charged to work with, using the most grisly of American insults available--at an official function, no less--and it's called a faux pas?

Super. Now that I understand the rules:

WORLD EXCLUSIVE:
Rod Paige belongs to NAMBLA!

Inappropriate choice of words? My bad.

___________________


[Update: 2-24-04] Poputonian points out that Paige may have been "Kidding on the Square", which urban dictionary.com tells us is A term coined by Al Franken in his book Lies and the Lying Liars who tell them. And I quote:

Kidding on the Square: Joking, but also meaning it.

e.g.

Person 1: "My husband has a tiny dick."
Person 2: "What!?!"
Person 1: "Oh, I'm just kidding."

In this case, person number one is obviously Mrs. Rod Paige.

___________________

[Update to the Update: 2-25-04] Also, a

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: con la Drudge

SECRETARY PAIGE ISSUES APOLOGY FOR 'TERROR' COMMENT ABOUT TEACHER'S UNION
Mon Feb 23 2004 18:51:54 ET: U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today issued the following apology for his remarks about the NEA.

"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. I also said, as I have repeatedly, that our nation's teachers, who have dedicated their lives to service in the classroom, are the real soldiers of democracy, whereas the NEA's high-priced Washington lobbyists have made no secret that they will fight against bringing real, rock-solid improvements in the way we educate all our children regardless of skin color, accent or where they live. But, as one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better."

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