Like everything else poisonous and wrong with America today, the curse of the "senior administration official" is all Henry Kissinger's fault. This we learn from Mike Allen in today's Politico, as he takes us on a magical journey through the world of journalistic euphemism.

Except that we don't actually learn that much. Apparently, journalists allow anyone to call him or herself a SAO, even though they know they shouldn't. Also, SAO's don't even have to be "senior."

They are the ubiquitous "senior administration officials," and they remain one of Washington's more enduring mysteries. Never mind who they are. The puzzle is what they are.

Ok, that's actually not what we thought the puzzle was, but we're bloggers, what do we know. Anyway, we generally assume SAO just means Snow, Bartlett, or Rove.

Who's That Senior Administration Official? [The Politico]