On June 15th, President Obama addressed the nation, referring to the oil spill and the failed Minerals Management Service, and said:

But it’s now clear that the problem there ran much deeper, and the pace of reform was just too slow.

Given that admission, we’re surprised to learn that the White House is turning away from having a single dedicated staffer overseeing ethics and government reform, and shifting his portfolio to two others with other responsibilities.

If the administration’s commitment to government reform was insufficiently focused in the face of the Interior Department’s longstanding regulatory failures, how is it an appropriate response to divide responsibilities among multiple staffers?