Mr. Williams said he called the mayor to apologize but stands by his position that the NYPD is misusing the tactic and that the administration is using "spin and selective statistics" to sell stop and frisk as a life-saving tool.

WSJ: Mayor Celebrates His Achievements

Last but not least, there are clear signs that the administration is fulfilling its campaign promise to be more selective about where to engage its troops and its attention.

ECONOMIST: Working out the world

Administration officials also have complained that congressional Republicans in recent days had been leaking selective excerpts from the emails to buttress their argument that the talking points were manipulated for political purposes.

WSJ: White House Releases Benghazi Emails