Fitzmas: After the Storm, the Praise Begins

Fitzmas Day has come and gone, and it was definitely an exciting day. However, the unspoken end result is that we all know we didn't get everything we were hoping for. We got the nice Lego set, but the bicycle we had set our hopes on wasn't there. But the Jolly Old Elf, Fitz Cringle himself, assures us that it's still a possibility for our birthday.

Now that the dust has settled, the AP reports that Bush is stressing the "innocent until proven guilty" angle.

"Scooter has worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people and sacrificed much in the service to this country," Bush said. "In our system, each individual is presumed innocent and entitled to due process and a fair trial."

For the President who was running on a pledge to restore honor and integrity to the White House, that's a pretty fine hair to be splitting. As this WaPo article mentions, the bar for which firing is merited has been raised as Fitzmas seemed to be drawing nearer.

But more to the point, the trail of commendations for failure is getting longer and longer.

Scooter - "worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people"
Harriet - "the best person I could find."
Brownie - "doing a heck of a job"
Tenet and Bremer - Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Realistically, at this point, it would seem to be time to start discussing Bush's criteria for awarding praise. Frankly, we all know your buddy can put lipstick on any old pig and call it a beauty queen, but at some point the listener is going to realize that his buddy is setting him up on some pretty disappointing blind dates.

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