Another Paid Conservative Propagandist?

Doug Bandow, a senior scholar at the Cato Institute and a syndicated columnist via the Copley News Service, took payments from lobbyist Jack Abramoff to write columns favorable to Abramoff's clients.

Bandow acknowledged the payments after he was confronted about the payments by a reporter from BusinessWeek Online. He resigned from Cato, and was given an indefinite suspension by Copley News.

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How many conservative pundits are on the take?

At least four journalists have been cited in the past year as being paid by the Bush Administration to write favorable items, or make favorable presentations on television, about administration programs or proposals.

Also, conservative pundits Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer helped President Bush on his state-of-the-union speech, then -- without acknowledging their roles -- touted the speech on Fox News Channel.

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While Abramoff is not part of the Bush Administration, he is nonetheless at the center of a far-reaching criminal corruption investigation involving several members of Congress, including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX). Prosecutors are examining whether he sought to bribe lawmakers in exchange for legislative help.

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This item first appeared at Journalists Against Bush's B.S.

... what he really meant was, "You're either on the payroll, or you're not."