Man Of His Word

Perhaps you recall the popular perception that Bush is a "straight shooter", that he "means what he says". It was in all the papers.

Then (September 30, 2003):

[Scott McClellan]: The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration.

Now:

President Bush on Monday shifted from a broad pledge to fire whoever leaked a covert CIA agent's identity, by vowing to dismiss any person found in federal probe to have committed a crime.

Bush, whose top political adviser Karl Rove has been caught up in the controversy, told reporters he did not know all the facts and urged them to wait until the inquiry was complete before "you jump to conclusions."

"I would like this to end as quickly as possible so we know the facts, and if someone committed a crime they will no longer work in my administration," Bush said at a news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Asked on June 10, 2004, whether he stood by his earlier pledge to fire anyone found to have leaked the officer's name, Bush replied: "Yes." On Monday, he added the qualifier that it would have to be shown that a crime was committed.

Yep, that's our Straight Shooter there, podna. He just wants "facts". Very well, then.

• Fact: Karl Rove did leak some info about an agent that had been involved in sensitive covert operations, and who still had associates in the filed doing such work, who could have been endangered.


• Fact: while there may yet turn out to be wiggle room as to what specifically constitutes a crime according to the wording of the statute, the spirit and intent of the law were clearly violated -- by more people than just Rove, it appears. Certainly this would have been so easily forgiven from a Democratic administration -- nor should it have been.


• Fact: Bush is now qualifying and waffling on his earlier statements, now demanding proof of a crime, rather than merely the clearly unethical behavior of leaking senstitive (if not outright classified) information. How Clintonian of him.

Like Humpty Dumpty, words mean what these people decide they mean. Well, they're not gonna get away with it. Enough is enough, and no matter what Fitzgerald eventually comes back with, Bush is digging his mendacious hole deeper and deeper.

Here, Harvard. Have a shovel.