''They are trying to crash our party and we need to beat the (expletive deleted) out of them in front of all the other would-be party crashers who are standing on the front lawn waiting to see how we welcome these dirtbags,'' the program director wrote, the report says. -- AP, via the NY Times

So said Chris Doherty, in an e-mail describing vendors of reading curricula he didn't like. A report from the DoE Inspector General, released today, seems to show that there was at the very least, some bending of the rules, winks and nods at conflicts of interest, and a heavy-handed favoritism in doling out billions in grant money in the Reading First program.

The Education Secretary was right on top of it, according to her AP interview: ''When something undermines the credibility of this department, or the standing of any program, I'm going to spring into action.''

When something undermines it in a way that shows up in the media, yeah, sure, of course. But, clearly, not before.

Once again, the folks at the top, reading "My Pet Goat," it seems, forever.