Rod Paige’s church-state controversy — Day 3

I mentioned yesterday that Education Secretary Roderick Paige might get raked over the coals for a little while longer, and sure enough, today’s papers didn’t let me down.

Three major dailies published angry editorials today lambasting Paige for the controversy and his seeming intolerance for religious diversity.

The LA Times, for example, criticized Paige for being “intemperate,” and said that religious minorities with children in public schools hear Paige’s remarks and have “chills” down their spines.

The New York Times joined in and even was even more aggressive, concluding that the Paige controversy may even undermine the president’s goals in education reform.

“Most people took the president at his word when he said that one of his prime objectives was to improve public schools,” the Times editorial said. “But Dr. Paige’s statements reinforce suspicions that the administration is in sympathy with the religious right’s drive to undermine the public school system in favor of a voucher-financed nationwide network of religious schools. Despite Dr. Paige’s later claim that his remarks applied only to higher education, they were too destructive to be waved off with a clarification. The secretary of education needs either to do some fast fence-mending or step down.

Of particular interest was an editorial in the Houston Chronicle, worthy of attention because it was Houston’s school system that Paige led before becoming Secretary of Education.

While the Chronicle acknowledges that some of Paige remarks about Christian schools are appear to have been “taken out of context,” the paper’s editorial board nevertheless argue that Paige appeared to be suggesting that Christianity has a “monopoly” on values.

“Paige’s personal preference that children be instructed in the faith might have been less controversial,” the Chronicle said. “He and other officials of President Bush’s administration could be more demonstrative in their respect for the beliefs of non-Christians and nonbelievers.”

This story will go away one of these days, but it’s hanging on.