I guess the real issue is whether Borosage is making a mountain out of a molehill. If in fact the Harkin-Miller bill does sneak through the reconciliation process, and was never really in danger, then maybe the NEA did get their money's worth out of him. If it doesn't sneak through, then he's reported some very disturbing facts, American priorities really are massively fucked up, and that'll be true whether or not the NEA's man was the first to call attention to the problem.
You know, 2+2 will always =4, even if the NEA says so.