THE BOSTON GLOBE has a strong editorial in today's edition urging Pres. Bush to "take Karl Rove to the woodshed and show him the ax."

And if Bush doesn't get better answers than the public has, he should use the ax.

Instead, the White House is producing mealy-mouthed comments that seek to avoid responsibility. Yesterday Bush ignored a reporter's question as to whether he might dismiss Rove, his deputy chief of staff and top political adviser. Shortly after, Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said the president has confidence in ''any individual who works here at the White House."

This milquetoast response was apparently meant as support for Rove. It followed an extraordinary performance on Monday, when McClellan ducked 61 press questions -- including ''Did Karl Rove commit a crime?" -- saying that he was clamming up because of an ''ongoing investigation." Never mind that McClellan had no such qualms more than a year ago when he defended Rove stoutly despite the fact that the investigation by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was ongoing then.

Via AMERICAblog.