Thick As Thieves

The New York Times reports that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Public Broadcasting Service, paid $10K to lobbyist Brian Darling. The article implies, but does not explicitly state, that the payment was authorized by Ken "Kenny Boy" Tomlinson, CPB PBS chairman. The Times author, Stephen Labaton, did confirm in an NPR interview this evening that Kenny Boy cut the check, without the board's knowledge.

The Brian Darling in question is:

- The Brian Darling who, as mouthpiece for Mel Martinez, trumpted the political benefits of using Terri Schiavo's incapacitated body.

- The Brian Darling who worked for the Bugchaser's spiritual guru, Ed Buckham, and has ties to the Bugchaser's secular benefactor, Jack Abramoff.

- The Brian Darling who worked for Bush/Cheney's Electiontheft 2000.

And what does it take to earn 10K in taxpayer funds from CPB?

Well, Tomlinson and the Bush administration were opposed to legislation giving local stations greater representation on the CPB board. Darling "was paid $10,000 for his insights into Senator Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who sponsored the provision."

I'd love to see that work product. "Our research shows that Senator Burns cannot be bought with a golf outing to Scotland or a 'Neil Bush's Malaysia' tour package. We recommend a whisper campaign portraying him as a enthusiastic member of the Culture of Death, and enclose a list of trustworthy publications, websites and blogs who can assist in that endeavor, along with an estimated budget for our further services. Please find enclosed our invoice in the amount of Ten Thousand Dollars, payable upon receipt."

I've written to CPB and requested a copy of that work product, so I can see how close I came.

Update (6/18): Corrected per Yasminah's comment. No response yet from CPB.