Matt Blunt Faces Conjunction Malfunction

In this story, "instead" replaces "but" to signal some sort of negation that apparently does not exist:

Gov. Matt Blunt has done away with a state board that oversaw public employee elections on whether to join unions - a move he contends should save the state money.

Instead, Blunt transferred the board's duties to the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission.

In vetoing several budget items in June, Blunt cut the state Board of Mediation's budget from nearly $123,000 to about $59,000, saying he would shift the board's duties to the labor commission. He then quietly signed an executive order to make that happen July 1.

Of course, careful reading indicates that instead of the state board overseeing the elections, the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission would do so according to Matt Blunt's plan. But careful crafting of the sentences conveys the sense that instead of saving money, something else happened.

Congratulations to AP for its wordsmithery to paint Blunt as a flip-flopper of sorts instead of one who adheres to his promises and principles regardless of the media scorn.