McManus, Williams, and Gallagher: Douche-Bags of Liberty

The reader might be wondering, "why is the man on the left smiling"? Well, the smiling man is named Michael McManus. He writes a syndicated column titled (ironically, as we shall soon find out) "Ethics & Religion" for over 50 national news-papers. He has also just gotten zapped by Salon for being on President Bush's payroll. He wrote several columns supporting Bush's queer-fearin' agenda without disclosing to readers that he was under Department of Health and Human Services payroll.... Or wait, let me put that better: he did not disclose that he was a spinless sellout that was willing to masquarade as an authority when he was little more than an advertisment -- a brand name to be bought out by the highest bidder. So to the hypothetical reader's opening question, I respond, "good use of the rhetorical question, dear reader".

Those of you who, like me, have been reading news (I got bored of minesweeper too) might know that Mcmanus is not alone. The Bush Administration also payed $240,000 to Armstrong Williams, a conservative African-American pundit, to help promote the "no child left behind" gizmo-act-word-thingy; and $21,000 to syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher. McManus, is the third -- and his smile is a charm, isn't it?

So why am I making a fuss? Simple: they didn't reveal their conflicts of interest. Did they act in accordance with the law? Of course, and that is why I named them "douche-bags of liberty". Here is a neat tidbit: President Bush has spent over 250 million on PR. Which, to put it in perspective, is double that of Clinton's PR bill during the great BJ affair of the late ninties. I've always wondered how Bush survived; I guess I know.