The Canadian foreign minister recently resigned for leaving classified documents at a girlfriend's house, and in France this week, the army chief of staff swiftly resigned after live rounds were fired into the public during a training exercise. Rapid, kneejerk resignations are a common tool in global politics, a way to admit fault or to take the heat for the leader or party after a particularly embarrassing incident. As the George W. Bush administration wanes, it is interesting to note that while there have been many resignations, few have been of this nature, and almost none at high levels. Since there has hardly been a shortage of controversy, is the idea of resigning honorably antiquated in the U.S., did the Bush administration reject it, or is something else going on?
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