So much for distraction

The Bush Administration (or should I say the Rove Administration) thought that by dangling a shiny new Supreme Court Justice in front of the press corps, they could buy an August free of those annoying commentaries about the irresponsibility and vindictiveness of an administration that apologies for revealing national security secrets for the sake of petty revenge.

Guess again, folks, because the Seattle Post-Intelligencer comes out today with guns blazing:

President Bush likes to talk about high standards, accountability and personal responsibility. While Bush expects students, school systems and future retirees to toe the line, his friends get an easier deal.

Consider White House political strategist Karl Rove, now implicated in off-the-record discussions that preceded the exposure of a CIA officer's identity. Viewed in the best light, Rove was engaged in leaking information about national security for the political purpose of making the president's sales pitch for the Iraqi invasion appear to have been honest. Whether Rove did anything illegal, he did exactly what the White House repeatedly said he had never done. Rove offered the media information about Valerie Plame's role at the CIA after her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the administration's attempts to connect Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction. And Rove's conduct met the standard for removal from his post that the president laid down in 2004 when he promised to fire anyone involved in the leak.

Now that Rove's involvement in leaking information has been confirmed, the president has decided to modify that pledge. Bush let it be known on Monday that he would fire any staffer who "committed a crime."

Schoolchildren, take note. There will still be high standards for you, your teachers and your schools. But at the White House, the rule is a little different: No pal left behind. Unless, of course, he is an out-and-out criminal. That's quite a standard.

And the Washington Post isn't buying the shiny new bait. It's got a front-page story on how the State Department memo that mentioned Valerie Plame's name -- the one everyone on Air Force One read in July 2003 -- was clearly marked that the information therein was not to be shared. And it's the lead story.

Nope...nothing short of another terrorist attack is going to take this one off the front page, and perhaps not even then. Another terrorist attack will simply underscore the irresponsibility of an Administration that would put us at risk for purely political reasons.

But then, they did it in 2001, didn't they?

Honorifficness and dignitude indeed.