Appoint Now, Ask Questions Later.

The NY Times gets to the heart of the Kerik fiasco today, reporting that the reason FBI agents didn't uncover any of his questionable activities was because they hadn't even started their background investigation when President Bush announced his appointment to the Homeland Security post. Why not? Because the Bush White House never starts such investigations until after nominees are unveiled. And they're not the first to use this dubiously streamlined approach. So did President Clinton--and look how well it worked out for him.