"MISTAKES WERE MADE"

Attorney General Gonzales was the latest to use this circumlocution to sound responsible while avoiding admission of personal culpability for the political dismissals of Federal prosecutors. The impression the administration wants to give is that the mistakes were in comunication or management when the actual problem was lying.

Think of all the other "mistakes were made" possibilities arising from the Bush years, including:

misguided Iraq invasion hyped by misleading statements

tax cuts favoring rich

Katrina

misinformation and unforgivable foot-dragging on global warming

degradation of forests under "Healthy Forests" initiative

worldwide loss of respect for the U.S.

Harriet Miers nominated for Supreme Court


But, worst of all, are the mistakes that were made by the U.S. electorate in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.