With the sure hand for snatching at defeat we’ve seen working ever since George W. Bush long ago alluded to all the accrued political capital he was going to spend on Social Security reform, the behind-the-scenes political savants of the Bush White House this Sunday gave the Times a story, which undoubtedly brought a smile to the face of every one of the president’s and the administration’s adversaries from Berkeley to Babylon. All members of the Presidential staff are going to be required this week to attend “refresher lectures” on ethics and the handling of classified material.

What could assure a more effective spirit of efficiency, enterprize, and elan in managing the affairs of a great nation than a mandatory corporate training lecture (out of Dilbert) on covering your hindquarters as priority number one?

What more could they possibly do to affirm the legal validity of the preposterous Plamegate investigation, aside from affixing Karl Rove’s head to a stake on the White House fence, and having the president appear on the porch barefoot and attired in sackcloth, wearing a sign around his neck bearing the inscription: Peccavi ?

The lecture on ethics ought to be scheduled for the firing of the CIA officials involved in policy war activities leading to the appointment of a special prosecutor, and the lecture on handling classified information for the arrest of the “intelligence officials” mentioned in last week’s Washington Post as sources for a report alleging the existence of top-secret Eastern European terrorist prison facilities.

Follow-up: The ethics classes begin.