Bush media whore, Williams was

paid to defend NCLB.

Suggestion for journalists, especially ed writers: Ask Secretary Duncan or his press guys Cunningham or Hamilton about DOE staffers assigned to the secret Ravitch Group. Word from dept. insiders is that such a group has been meeting regularly.Is Duncan really spending badly-needed (especially after the Obama/Boehner debt deal) funds to have this relatively large group of DOE staffers strategize how to undercut criticism from Diane Ravitch?Are they really so worried about DR's criticisms of DOE policy that they're spending their time trying to dig up personal dirt on Diane to feed Ravitch debators and detractors likeandter their linesMaybe even ask some of the folks over there at Politico or Dropout Nation . They might know something.Ask which friendly columnists and talk-show hosts have been receiving DOE anti-Ravitch memos and debating tips and running with them. Ask if any of these embedded columnists are taking DOE money for their services the way it was done during the Bush years with media whores like Armstrong Williams Finally, ask why the Ravitch group (if it exists of course) is dong such a poor job. Diane is chewing up and spitting out embedded journalists on the issues, while they just parrot the same old b.s. about her being "paid by the unions" or being for the "status quo."Just a suggestion.