Jonathan Fishbein has been through the ringer, as we noted, and we also noted that he applied for ‘whistleblower’ protection. The Department of Health and Human Services has opposed him at every turn. But, you may have noticed that NIH is suddenly the ‘market leader’ on conflicts of interest, and seems to be pushing hard on other internal ethics initiatives. So, while the Washington Post is stunned to read about a change in position on Fishbein’s status, we’re not. It is just too bad that Fishbein has been through the ringer while waiting for this change of heart.