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Why Spellings (Probably) Won’t Get Canned

By Alexander Russo — May 18, 2007 1 min read
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Now that Wolfowitz is out at the World Bank, and Gonzalez seems poised for his own departure from Justice, it might seem logical that Spellings would be next. And, to some, her departure would be an appropriate result given the current spate of scandals plaguing the Education Department.

However, there are a number of reasons why Spellings won’t get canned, for practical, political, and other reasons. For starters, the Democratic lust for blood is likely to be sated somewhat by the Wolfowitz and Gonzalez departures. Ditto for the media. No lawmaker has taken the lead on the Spellings issue -- out of fear of Kennedy and Miller or insufficient evidence of harm. Kennedy hasn’t even scheduled a hearing.

Then there’s the fact that the two main victim/accusers in the Reading First situation (Doherty and Slavin) are both somewhat unsympathetic characters. Doherty apparently lied about his wife’s working for a DI company. Slavin has been a remarkably successful proponent of SFA for at least a decade.

Last but not least, the evidence is still thin and our tolerance is high. A revolving door between the USDE and the loan industry? Sure. Poor oversight of major programs? OK. But we’re used to all that at this point, given Iraq and New Orleans. Financial gain for Bush friends? Yeah.

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