And again...

...Bushco's back in the headlines with an ugly story, proving, I suppose, that they can't buy all the journalists all the time. They can try, though, and everytime they do the

gets a little longer...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Agriculture Department paid a freelance writer for stories in hunting and fishing magazines where he promoted the agency's conservation efforts.

The writer, Dave Smith, later was hired by the department. He is now a biologist for the department's Natural Resources Conservation Service in Missoula, Mont.

Hmmm. Maybe David Sirota needs to tell Gov. Schweitzer about this guy. And the plot thickens...

Three of Smith's stories ran in the magazines Outdoor Oklahoma and Washington-Oregon Game & Fish. The Oklahoma publication, published by the state's Wildlife Conservation Department, identified Smith as a freelance outdoor writer and biologist working for conservation service.

So, the feds hire a 'journalist' to write as a ringer for one state government before going to work for another one. What do these Republicans have against the private sector, anyway?

Agriculture Department spokesman Ed Loyd's response?

"We don't think that paying journalists to promote government programs is a proper use of funds."

Or, at least, not anymore. Sounds like a classic case of closing the gate after the critters have eaten the crops…

(by the way, I know I'm woefully behind on the Scandal Scorecard '05 home page. Hope to have it all caught up by the weekend. Hang in there with me.)