Bush - Defining Accountability Down

President Bush is applying retroactively a much tougher standard on what it would take for someone in his administration to lose his or her job over Traitorgate.

Writes the New York Times:

"If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration," Mr. Bush said in response to a question, after declaring, "I don't know all the facts; I want to know all the facts."

For months, Mr. Bush and his spokesmen have said that anyone involved in the disclosure of the C.I.A. officer's identity would be dismissed. The president's apparent raising of the bar for dismissal today, to specific criminal conduct, comes amid mounting evidence that, at the very least, Mr. Rove provided backhanded confirmation of the C.I.A. officer's identity.

The tone of the coverage of Traitorgate is changing. The press are getting tougher. Time was, this attempt by Bush to pivot in mid-air would have been met with complete deference. Today, it is met with a nice, solid body-check, as evidenced by the headline of the Times story:

In Shift, Bush Vows to Fire Aides in Leak if They Broke Law

And, another thing! What does this even mean?

President Bush is vowing to fire any member of his administration who should, while in his employ, become a convicted felon. Well, gosh, Mr. President! Couldn't we have assumed that? Are we to understand that there was a chance Rove might have kept his job if convicted of blowing the cover of a covert intelligence agent?

What will tomorrow's headlines look like?

Bush promises to eat if he gets hungry

Bush vows to disapprove of child molestation

Bush says murder is bad