What, that was illegal?

The GAO has finally gotten around to ruling on the Bush administration's use of propaganda to try and sell No Child Left Behind. Guess what?

In a blistering report, the investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said the administration had disseminated "covert propaganda" in the United States, in violation of a statutory ban.

The contract with Mr. Williams and the general contours of the public relations campaign had been known for months. The report Friday provided the first definitive ruling on the legality of the activities.

Lawyers from the accountability office, an independent nonpartisan arm of Congress, found that the administration systematically analyzed news articles to see if they carried the message, "The Bush administration/the G.O.P. is committed to education."

The auditors declared: "We see no use for such information except for partisan political purposes. Engaging in a purely political activity such as this is not a proper use of appropriated funds."

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. I think the lesson we should bring from the whole fiasco is that our executive branch are willing to do anything for political purposes, up to and including breaking the law. One must wonder what they are up to still.