Charter advocates tap Larry Craig's support

From Mike Klonsky's Small Talk blog: The Center for Education Reform, the Bush-linked conservatives who are the nation's leading charter lobbying group, has been playing footsie with disgraced GOP congressman Larry Craig.

Disclaimer that I think the Larry Craig situation is really sad, and that he should just embrace life, move here and stroll down Castro on a sunny Sunday afternoon hand-in-hand with his boyfriend. Being an Idaho Republican must be hell on Earth. But that said, I doubt if CER feels the same way, and they're probably wishing they had never wiggled their fingers at him under the stall divider.

Jeanne Allen and her small, but well-heeled group of conservative CER school reformers, may be embarrassed by a recent glossy mailing they just sent out. It features embattled Republican congressman, Larry Craig getting an award from CER. Craig has been the darling of CER for years. Eduwonk’s Rotherham surmises that the mailing, “must have been printed a while ago.” It seems that Craig, when he wasn’t tapping his toes in toilets, was an ardent voucher-ite and school privatization advocate. I had to laugh when I read his speech from last May, accepting an award from CER.

"Today, our youth's competitors may very well be kids from China, India, and other technologically advanced nations," said Craig. "If we are to remain competitive in the world, we need to start thinking outside the box, and charter schools are just one way we are meeting these demands. The Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy is an outstanding example of how we are raising the bar on education and giving our kids a chance to flourish."

That’s flourish—not flush—for those who have trouble with small font size. Makes you wonder what Craig means by “outside the box.” OK, I’ll stop now.