All of a sudden, the Bush White House is leaking like, well, every other White House. Aides are gabbing to reporters and passing along classified documents for the same reasons aides always do – to build themselves up, to show they are not to blame for mistakes and to get the president’s attention. Though the leaks are anonymous, it is clear that various officials are trying to extricate themselves from the train wreck and advance their post-Bush careers.

All this is to be expected. The amazing thing about the Bush administration is not that it is leaking so heartily now but that until recently it hardly leaked at all. From the beginning of Mr Bush’s presidential campaign in 1999 through last month’s election, his inner circle has been caulked and sealed like a schooner – or a tomb. To be sure, this was only possible with the advantage of unified government. While they were in the minority, Democrats were not able to extract much leak-worthy information. Now they will be able to. But even with an allied Congress in its first two years, the Clinton administration held its internal deliberations in much the way a colander holds water. In keeping his administration buttoned for as long as he did, Mr Bush did something unprecedented and impressive.