Now why would any sane, lucid, rational American equate the NEA with Terrorism? No sane person would, but we're talking about the 1600 Crew here...so it comes as no surprise that a cabinet-level official makes a comment like this:

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." President Bush was not present at the time he made the remark.

"As one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better," said Paige, the first black education secretary.
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When Bush welcomed the governors at the State Dining Room during brief public comments, he told them that rising political tensions of an election year won't stop him from working closely with them.
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Bush spent much of the first half of his opening comments on foreign policy and the war on terrorism, defending his decision to go war in Iraq and thanking the governors for their work on homeland security.
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Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said that during the private meeting, Bush took only two questions, leaving little time for a full exploration of issues.

"It would have been helpful for him to have heard the discussions about 'No Child Left Behind' because there may be a disconnect between what he thinks and what we know," Vilsack said.

As long as he supports and tries to get other to embrace Pavlovian Eduma-cation, I'm guessing not too many governors are going to real thrilled about an 'unfunded mandate' of this size from DC. Remember, excercise of Free Speech and Objections to Party Policy are now Terra™.

Interesting that Fearless Leader showed up and showered the governors with faint praise, that's usually a signal that someone or something is about to get their budgets waxed, big time. He touched on Homeland Security, is that their next big shortfall of federal dollars like say hmmmm, in early November? Note to governors: Check Six.

ps, note to self: buy a round for the house if Paige gets canned.