Why Haven't Dems Called For Spellings' Resignation?

Given the alternatives -- the Foley scandal or the war in Iraq -- Administration officials are understandably eager to change the subject to NCLB and school safety.

But the Dems aren't about to let them do any of this, Amish Country hostage takers/ molesters be damned. So Cong. Miller (D-CA) issues a press release today accusing the administration of "botching" implementation of NCLB (nice word choice, Rachel!), corruption and lack of accountability, zeroing out school safety funding, and underfunding NCLB in general. Miller really throws the kitchen sink at them -- to a point.

What Miller and the Dems haven't done, somewhat surprisingly, is call for Spellings' resignation. Why not? Based on Miller's press release, she's easily as much of an underperformer as Rumsfeld, whose resignation has been called for almost daily now for two years. Even before Reading First, the WSJ editorial page has gone after her for poor performance. The generally conservative National Review Online ran my piece about Spellings' many blunders without blinking an eye. Also in NRO, former USDE staffer Mike Petrilli practically called for her resignation himself last week. Plus which, resignations (and calls for them) are very popular right now.

It would turn the entire education conversation back on the White House. If Miller can't do it, then get Pelosi to do it. The only reason not to is that maybe Spellings polls high enough (thanks in part to remarkably soft treatment from the mainstream education press), or polls show that calling for the resignation of a female cabinet member might backfire. And that may be why the Dems haven't taken the obvious next step.

UPDATE: The DNC gets in on the game in this afternoon Washington Post story: "'The broken promises of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act are disgraceful,' said DNC spokeswoman Stacie Paxton."