great editorial

which makes so much sense!

JUDITH MILLER Plame and Simple

By John Steinberg RAW STORY COLUMNIST
While Judith Miller racked up her frequent liar miles in the Alexandria Detention Facility, not much seemed to be happening in the Plame investigation. However, her release seems to have pushed the cosmic fast-forward button; stunning revelations and developments have become almost daily events.

The ensuing cacophony of rumors, spin and positioning has created a level of FUD that would make Bill Gates proud. We all hope that one of the products of Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation will be a bit of clarity. But there is one essential matter, intentionally obfuscated by most voices now shouting into the Plamegate wind, that can and should be cleared up now, without waiting for the special counsel’s providence.
The utterly self-serving drumbeat that continues to issue from the New York Times is the claim that Miller’s status as a reporter conveys privilege, which elevates her jailing to a secular martyrdom. And the Times seems intent on treating that privilege as absolute – if Miller says her source is confidential, then no earthly force should be able to compel her to reveal it. They seem to think that with sufficient repetition they will convince someone – perhaps themselves – that it is true merely because they wish it so. But their circular reasoning seems intended to preclude meaningful discussion of the real issues at stake............