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POLITICS: Bush to agencies: Don't hire columnists to promote agendas

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posted on Jan, 26 2005 @ 07:31 PM
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With the recent revelation that a second columnist was paid to endorse the administrations agenda, President Bush has issued a edict to not hire columnists in the future. The remarks came the day after columnist Maggie Gallagher issued an apology for not disclosing that she had taken $21,500 from the Health and Human Services Department in an effort to promote marriage. This comes on the heels of an admission that the Education Department paid Armstrong Williams $240,000 to plug its policies.
 



www.sfgate.com
President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries Wednesday not to hire columnists to promote administration agendas after disclosure that a second writer had been paid to assist an agency.

"All our Cabinet secretaries must realize that we will not be paying commentators to advance our agenda," Bush said at a news conference. "Our agenda ought to be able to stand on its own two feet." The president said he expects his agency heads will "make sure that that practice doesn't go forward."

Bush's remarks came a day after syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher apologized to readers for not disclosing a $21,500 contract with the Health and Human Services Department to help create materials promoting the agency's $300 million initiative to encourage marriage.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


I'm not sure if the actions were legal or not. However, the columnists in question should at the very least be reprimanded or better yet terminated. They used thier position to betray thier readership by failing to disclose that they were hired guns. Also, why was this edict not issued after the first case was discovered? You have to wonder how many received this money?

[edit on 1/26/05 by FredT]



posted on Jan, 26 2005 @ 07:36 PM
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Interesting........an attempt at credebility...........too little, too late if you ask me.



posted on Jan, 26 2005 @ 07:41 PM
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Originally posted by FredT

I'm not sure if the actions were legal or not. However, the columnists in question should at the very least be reprimanded or better yet terminated. They used thier position to betray thier readership by failing to disclose that they were hired guns. Also, why was this edict not issued after the first case was discovered? You have to wonder how many received this money?

[edit on 1/26/05 by FredT]


Bush kills me. He postures and boasts about being "Commander in Chief" but when push comes to shove, he bails.

FYI - using governments funds for covert propaganda is illegal. Bush has been busted many times before.




The Government Accountability Office reported on Thursday that mock videos produced by the Bush administration "constitute covert propaganda" and violate Federal law. The Bush administration violated the same law last May with Medicare "news" segments targetting the elderly. The Accountability Office also found that federal agencies under the Bush administration distributed editorials and newspaper articles written by government officials without identifying them, which also constitutes "covert propaganda" and violates Federal law.

www.abovetopsecret.com...



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posted on Jan, 26 2005 @ 08:39 PM
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Maybe the adminstration should be reprimanded instead of the columnists?
I approve of the adminstration being reprimanded. They used tax money to pay the columnists. Illegal, GAO said that!



posted on Jan, 26 2005 @ 08:41 PM
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$300 million initiative to encourage marriage????? And we wonder how we have such a record defeceit!
Dumb***'s running our country, or are they ruining it?

[edit on 26-1-2005 by Prince_Machiavelli]



posted on Jan, 26 2005 @ 10:39 PM
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so it is "lets stop doing it, cause we are getting caught" instead of punishing the people invovled for doing something ILLEGAL. Next thing we are going to hear Bush say he is not a crook



posted on Jan, 27 2005 @ 10:03 AM
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I thought if a president violated fedral law, while in office, that it called for impeachement? or do we let our leaders slide, just cause they make the rules?

If he didn't know, then the one benefit is that he will be hearing TRUE feedback, instead of propagande bounced back at him. And he might even realize how many people DO NOT agree with him...

it might stiffle that "mandate of america" that he is so proud of...

I dunno... if i stood in a room and knew that only 51-54% were for my side... i would step very carefully around "mandates"



posted on Jan, 27 2005 @ 01:06 PM
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Hell, they no longer need to hire columnists anyway, They now ouw the airways. As for Armstrong Williams--Uncle Tom.



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