Ethics: White House: 'Bar' Highest Ever?

As previously noted, Tom Daschle ceased his efforts to appointive office today in the uproar over tax problems. In other news, Nancy Killefer withdrew her name as potential White House "performance chief" after it became known that she, too, had ... tax problems! New Treasury Secretary Matthew Geithner was confirmed despite having had ... tax problems.

I complimented Pres. Obama for his "no lobbyist" rules. Since that post, he has had several known (and registered) lobbyists join his team with special waivers. The waivers clause wasn't discussed in his initial press conference but apparently it's pretty damn handy.

So today White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about all this stuff.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite the tax problems faced by high-level nominees, and the exceptions made to the no-lobbyists pledge, President Barack Obama's spokesman is defending the administration's ethical standards.

Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday, "The bar that we set is the highest that any administration in the country has ever set."

No doubt. No doubt. But the key to a good ethics program, Mr. Gibbs, is not setting a high bar. It's knowing whether you're striving to go over it or under it. I'm not sure you guys know which side to be on.

And that's really the most important part.

Alternative explanation: Somewhere in the White House they have installed a wet bar on a pedestal that is higher than any previous wet bar. Perhaps this is what Gibbs meant.