A Bush Administration First

The resignation of Michael Brown may be the first time a Bush Administration official has resigned as a result of failed performance. I did a quick bit of research (although not comprehensive) and found a slew of folks who quit to make room for someone else (Evans) because they were fed up (O’Neil, Powell) or because they were going to big money jobs (Ashcroft). I cannot find anyone though, as far as I can tell, who left due to mismanagement or even scandal. (and would like to be correct on this if I am wrong)

Every administration since George Washington had political pay-offs, incompetence and scandal, so I don't believe they it's a statistical anomaly based on the really good job they're doing over there.

No, this one has a whiff of ... accountability to it. Just a whiff, but it's definitely there.

In every two term administration, at about year 6, all the dirty laundry comes out and hearings, resignations and shock(!) are expressed that politicians can behave badly and not always in the public good. This is normal and healthy in our democracy. My only concern is that, except for some brief periods during Carter and Johnson, we've had the delightful gridlock of two party government. I'm hoping that we return to that sooner, rather than later, before the corruption metastasizes and we have something bigger and vastly more expensive to clean up than New Orleans and Iraq.