Libyan Leader Forms Ed Reform Group

February 23, 2011 (GBN News): No one can accuse Muammar Qaddafi of failing to take the long view. Even as he fights for his political and perhaps literal life against a spreading democracy movement, the Libyan strongman announced today that he is forming an advocacy group called, “Despots for Education Reform”.

Mr. Qaddafi is said to have been impressed with the educational policies carried out in the US by such figures as Michael Bloomberg, Joel Klein, and Arne Duncan. “It’s not just that they exercise a form of total control that Qaddafi can only dream of,” said a spokesperson. “But he feels that the earlier children are exposed to dictatorship, the more likely they are to continue to accept it later on.” The aide went on to say that Mr. Qaddafi hopes that even if he cannot hold onto power in Libya, he could at least be tapped to head up a major US school system.

The Libyan leader may have competition, however. Eli Broad’s Superintendents Academy reports a dramatic spike in admissions, said to be due to the enrollment of a number of world leaders hedging their bets against the democracy movements in their countries. Mr. Qaddafi also could run into legal problems stemming from the use of the initials “DFER”. But when told that the initials were already being used by Democrats for Education Reform, he is said to have responded, “There’s a difference?”