That's not reporting!

The White House announced today that Obama is nominating David F. Hamilton to fill an opening on the 7th Circuit.

They can say whatever great things they want about him. But they chose to do some of it anonymously. And Michael Fletcher of the Washington Post has actually played along, in his piece online this afternoon:

Hamilton's legal scholarship, coupled with his varied experiences and his sense of "empathy" makes him "precisely the kind of person that President Obama wants on the federal appellate bench," said a senior administration official, who would speak only on background.

Hamilton is expected to attract bipartisan support, something the president will seek in an effort to "put the confirmation wars behind us," the official said.

Wow, that's real top-secret stuff that needed to be on background!

And yes, Fletcher was the guy who asked the question about A-Rod at Obama's press conference. Hmm, my Washington Post subscription dollars, hard at work.

On a related note, David Cay Johnston has a great piece taking the White House to task for this kind of stuff.