House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is now accusing President Bush of "lowering the ethical standard for White House employees."
The new standard is, "If indicted, you can serve," Pelosi complained on Monday. She said that's the same standard used by House Republicans -- and she said the American people will demand better of the White House.
Pelosi frequently accuses Republicans of ethical lapses despite failing to report one of her own privately sponsored trips. Two weeks ago, Pelosi belatedly filed reports for three trips she has accepted from outside sponsors.
Pelosi issued blasted White House ethical standards after President Bush told reporters on Monday, "If somebody committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration."
Democrats are demanding that President Bush either fire his top aide Karl Rove or revoke his security clearance after Rove told a Time magazine reporter in 2003 that former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.
Democrats say it was a politically motivated leak. Rove says he was trying to correct Wilson's account of who sent him to Niger. Rove reportedly has testified that he never mentioned Valerie Plame's name, nor did he know what she did at the CIA.
A number of media outlets also seized on Bush's comment as "creating a higher threshold...for holding aides accountable" (Washington Post); and "raising the bar for firing aides" (Seattle Times); and giving Karl Rove "added job security" (Newsday), to name just a few media accounts.
The way Pelosi and other Bush critics interpret it, the president has said he would fire anyone involved in the disclosure of a CIA clandestine service officer's identity.
"If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action," Bush said on Sept. 30, 2003.
More recently, he has refused to comment on the ongoing federal grand jury investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame's name. Last week, President Bush said he would not "pre-judge the investigation based on media reports."
"I will be more than happy to comment further once the investigation is completed," Bush said on July 13.
"Disclosing a covert officer's identity was a serious abuse of power," Pelosi repeated in her Monday press release. "The Bush White House's arrogant stonewalling and ever- changing statements are unacceptable.
"Regardless of the results of the ongoing criminal investigation, if Karl Rove, Lewis Libby, and any other White House official confirmed the identity of a CIA clandestine service officer, they should be fired," Pelosi said.
The Democratic National Committee chimed in, too:
"Faced with a question about whether or not he will keep his promise to fire those involved in leaking the identity of an undercover CIA agent while we are at war, President Bush backed away from his initial pledge and lowered the ethics bar," DNC Chairman Howard Dean said in a statement.
"With several sources now citing Rove and Libby as two sources of the leaks, Bush should be prepared to keep his word, and to enforce a high standard of ethics in the White House as he promised from the beginning of his administration."
The furor over Karl Rove's alleged leak - which may not rise to the level of a criminal offense - is seen by many Republicans as a partisan attack and an effort to "get" Bush.
Rove and others have testified before a federal grand jury that continues to investigate the White House leak.
Some political observers say the Rove controversy is diverting attention from the nation's more pressing problems, including the war in Iraq.
