In January 2002, President George W. Bush hailed "a new era" as he signed into law his education reform, No Child Left Behind. Rep. John Boehner, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and other lawmakers surrounded him. Despite opposition from conservative members, Boehner (pronounced "BAY-nur"), who chaired the House education committee at the time, had shepherded through NCLB with bipartisan support.
One conservative Republican who served on the House education committee, Pete Hoekstra, was peeved with the reforms, but not with Boehner, who had given him space to air his disagreements. "I fought John more than anyone else on No Child Left Behind," Hoekstra told me. "I did everything I could conceivably think of to take down that bill. He did everything to beat me every day. He never held a grudge. . . . I respect him for that."
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