"The White House on Tuesday began mandatory, hourlong briefings for an estimated 3,000 staffers on ethics and the handling of classified information in response to the indictment of a top official in the CIA leak investigation.

Among those who attended the first ethics briefing were some assistants to the president with top security clearances, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.

President George W. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, was not among the first group, although he was expected to attend an ethics class later this week."

This is news. Why does it make me laugh?