Yes, school bus drivers shouldn't flip the bird while they're on duty. And perhaps, as the Issaquah (WA) School District claims, a bus driver who gave President Bush the finger has engaged in a similar "pattern of behavior," although it would be nice to know whether she's ever been disciplined for prior alleged incidents of a similar nature. In any event, it's fair to wonder whether the school district fired the bus driver only because the president happened to see her making the gesture.

Congressman Dave Reichert called the district's superintendent to report that the president, who rarely takes note of the world around him, happened to notice the upraised finger. Shortly after that, the driver was fired -- a seemingly harsh response to a rather minor incident. Again, it would be useful to know whether lesser discipline has been imposed upon the driver for other work rule violations, and whether a policy of progressive discipline (starting with, for instance, a warning or a brief suspension) has been used with other employees who commit similar violations.

The driver has filed a union grievance. Perhaps the full factual record will become public as the grievance moves forward. At this point, losing a job over a disrespectful gesture seems extreme, particularly when it's the president who deserves to be fired. The district claims the decision isn't political, but would the termination have occurred if the complaint hadn't come from a congressman?