You know things are bad when even conservative Republican House members chide President Obama for changing his position on a federal shield law, but that’s exactly what happened last week when Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) released a statement saying, “It is time for the President to rediscover his passion for transparency in government and use the power of the Oval Office to support, rather than block, strong media shield legislation that will ensure the First Amendment freedom of the press for generations to come.”

To be fair, Rep. Pence has long been one of the primary congressional proponents of a strong shield law. And behind the scenes last week the Obama White House was backtracking, moving closer to our position — and the President’s original position — on shield legislation. But still.