The propensity of the Bush administration to give top jobs to crooks would be funny if it weren't so disgusting. Nothing seems to embarrass them or provide a lesson for them--not Thomas White, not John Poindexter. Of course, when we consider that an insider trader is in the utmost position of authority, it all becomes clear. And the American public certainly doesn't seem to mind (that goes double for you, California).

The latest two attempts are Thomas Griffith and Cristina Beato. Griffith, who is Bush's nominee for the federal appeals court in Washington, has been practicing law without a license for the past four years. He failed to get his license renewed in the District of Columbia, so when he moved to Utah, he could not be granted a state license unless he took the Utah bar exam. Griffith showed up for the test but declined to take it, then walked out and set up an illegal practice.

Beato was nominated almost a year ago to one of the nation's top health policy positions, assistant secretary of health for the Department of Health and Human Services. She is having trouble getting confirmed, however, because there is suspicion she fabricated part of her resume. Some of her alleged "colleagues" at several of the institutes where she "held" positions do not recall her, and others say that the roles she performed were far less significant than her resume states.

When you have poor moral judgment, vetting should be a real priority.