The week before Christmas is often a time when government's try to bury a controversial decision, safe in the knowledge that most people aren't all that focused on politics. This week, President George W. Bush appointed Warren Bell to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The CPB, which is funded by Congress, makes grants to public radio and television stations in the U.S. such as PBS. Bell, a former television sitcom producer and contributing writer to the National Review, describes himself as a "a not-so-secret conservative." Bell was originally nominated to the position in June 2006 but was opposed by Democrat members of the Senate Commerce Committee. Bush's recess appointment means that Bell's term will run until a permanent nominee is approved.