Pay for Options

Looks like no less than three conservative columnists have been caught with their hand in the Bush administration cookie jar:

And three makes a trend.

One day after President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries to stop hiring commentators to help promote administration initiatives, and one day after the second high-profile conservative pundit was found to be on the federal payroll, a third embarrassing hire has emerged. Salon has confirmed that Michael McManus, a marriage advocate whose syndicated column, "Ethics & Religion," appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to foster a Bush-approved marriage initiative. McManus championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed.

The guys that have been caught have all been 3rd tier conservative gasbags. I'm waiting for some big game to be caught up in this. FOE (Freedom of Information Act) is a wonderful thing. It all comes out because unlike WMD, screw-ups by Health and Human Services can't be hidden behind national security.

Just for the record Craigorian Chant shall never be bought. We will however, be rented.