Bush Behind Barricades

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WASHINGTON

A report as routine as what was put out by the Identity Theft Task Force Monday normally is released without a White House statement, but this time the announcement came from George W. Bush himself. He praised Attorney General Alberto Gonzales "for taking on this difficult and important assignment" in co-chairing the task force. That constituted bad news for Republicans outside the White House, signaling that the president really does intend to keep Gonzales in office.

Bush going out of his way to praise his beleaguered friend from Texas only confirmed signals sent this week. The president's improbable praise for Gonzales' pathetic performance as a …