When it comes to outrageous and illegal behavior, this administration is in the Bush leagues, to borrow a phrase. When President Nixon wanted to insure his already-certain re-election in 1972, he engineered a full-blown second-story burglary at Demo-cratic headquarters right in the heart of Washington. Maybe not high style, but it showed a bit of chutzpa.

The Bush-Cheney henchmen, on the other hand, oozed out of the sewer and did a mean and petty thing. Perhaps it did not reach the legal level of a crime, but they ruined the career of a loyal and talented CIA undercover agent and endangered her life, just to retaliate against her husband, who had told the truth.

Now Bush and Cheney both have their closest advisers, Rove and Libby, unmasked as unsavory servants to their lowly cause.

All four should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves and wondering about their own Americanism.

Tom Schroth

Sedgwick