White House Hotheads

"Q No, I'm asking a question.

"MR. SNOW: And yes, the answer is, the ethical standard still applies.

"Q And what is the ethical standard?

"MR. SNOW: You tell me."

But the capper had to be Snow's obstinate obfuscation of the administration's position on permanent military bases in Iraq -- a highly contentious and significant issue.

According to Agence France Presse , Snow had addressed the issue quite directly at the off-camera morning gaggle: "At a morning exchange with reporters, spokesman Tony Snow said it was 'wrong' to say that the United States planned to keep troops in Iraq forever, even after Iraqi security forces are up and running.

"Prodded about the construction of permanent military facilities in the war-torn country, Snow replied: 'No permanent bases. Don't have permanent bases anywhere.' "

Sounds clear, huh? But when Hearst columnist and White House gadfly Helen Thomas brought the issue up again at the briefing, Snow was pugnatiatuis and equivocal.

"Q Would you like to reaffirm what you said earlier today, that the U.S. wants no permanent bases in Iraq?

"MR. SNOW: Well, I think -- let me -- because -- can you define what a permanent base is?"

At the end of the exchange, the administration's position was as unclear as ever.

The Zinsmeister

On Tuesday, Peter Baker wrote in The Washington Post: "While most White House aides carefully trim their public commentary, they can't take back what they said before arriving in the West Wing, and few in this day and age arrive with a more provocative paper trail than Karl Zinsmeister, who started his new job yesterday. . . .