Kellyanne Conway's Ethics Breach Is a Mild Outrage

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway broke federal ethics rules Thursday by endorsing Ivanka Trump’s clothing line -- that much is open and shut. If Conway worked for a regular government agency, she’d be temporarily suspended for a first offense, and fired for a second. But because her punishment depends on President Donald Trump, she has been “counseled,” not sanctioned.

There’s a lesson here about difference between law and morals. It may seem worrisome that ethics rules can be so easily ignored by an administration that chooses to do so. But the truth is that, ultimately, ethics rules are only as good as the administration that applies them. If we don’t like the administration’s morality, we have only one real option: vote it out of office.