NINOMANIA
:: A constitutional law blog by Scalia/Thomas fan David M. Wagner, M.A., J.D., Research Fellow, National Legal Foundation, and Teacher, Veritas Preparatory Academy. Opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not reflect those of the NLF or Veritas. :: bloghome | E-mail me ::
:: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 ::
The manufactured quasi-scandal about Maggie Gallagher
Well, turns out some people I thought had more than two neurons to rub together, in fact don't. Michelle Malkin, for instance. Under the preening header "Holding Ourselves to a Higher Standard" (scroll down -- she evidently thinks permalinks are for losers), she joins the Washington Pest's ambush of Maggie Gallagher.
Maggie is a much-published policy analyst on the issue of marriage. In that capacity she was hired a few years ago by HHS to turn out a number of specific, tangible work products related to marriage policy. Now, because she never mentioned these contracts in her syndicated column on marriage, the Left sees its chance to make of her another Armstrong Williams -- the columnist and talk-show host who was paid by the Bush administration precisely to use those venues to promote a particular Bush initiative (in his case, the No Child Left Behind Act).
Being paid to endorse a bill in your syndicated column; being paid for specific, agreed-upon works of policy analysis -- exactly the same, right? Not. If no actual work product had been required of Ms. Gallagher, we could then suspect that this was a disguised pay-off designed to produce favorable coverage in her column. But no one disputes that her contract with HHS was to produce think-tank-type products that HHS needed, that Maggie was and is superbly qualified to produce, and that she did in fact produce. HHS was buying her intellectual work-product, and not (as in Williams's case) her column-inches.
Did I mention that Maggie is also the nation's most influential voice against same-sex marriage? The Lavender Left is mad, really mad....
:: David M. Wagner 10:52 PM [+] ::
...
Well, turns out some people I thought had more than two neurons to rub together, in fact don't. Michelle Malkin, for instance. Under the preening header "Holding Ourselves to a Higher Standard" (scroll down -- she evidently thinks permalinks are for losers), she joins the Washington Pest's ambush of Maggie Gallagher.
Maggie is a much-published policy analyst on the issue of marriage. In that capacity she was hired a few years ago by HHS to turn out a number of specific, tangible work products related to marriage policy. Now, because she never mentioned these contracts in her syndicated column on marriage, the Left sees its chance to make of her another Armstrong Williams -- the columnist and talk-show host who was paid by the Bush administration precisely to use those venues to promote a particular Bush initiative (in his case, the No Child Left Behind Act).
Being paid to endorse a bill in your syndicated column; being paid for specific, agreed-upon works of policy analysis -- exactly the same, right? Not. If no actual work product had been required of Ms. Gallagher, we could then suspect that this was a disguised pay-off designed to produce favorable coverage in her column. But no one disputes that her contract with HHS was to produce think-tank-type products that HHS needed, that Maggie was and is superbly qualified to produce, and that she did in fact produce. HHS was buying her intellectual work-product, and not (as in Williams's case) her column-inches.
Did I mention that Maggie is also the nation's most influential voice against same-sex marriage? The Lavender Left is mad, really mad....
:: David M. Wagner 10:52 PM [+] ::
...
