Actually, and disturbing to me, Miller is not at all scatterbrained. She is a Pulitzer winner, and some interviews I have heard, former co-workers , even those pissed at her personally, describe her as uncommonly competent, particularly in this particular field.
For so competent a woman to then testify before the grand jury that she could not remember to whom some of her own notes refer is just too convenient.
My theory is that Judith Miller's "source" revealing Plame was Judith Miller. The two women operate in a small group of people with top level expertise on the subject. I have no evidence, but I believe, just because it hangs together logically, that Miller knew about Plame's employment as a matter of general background that one comes to know in a small community of professionals. Once the story broke, she had to invent a "source" to avoid admitting that she had "outed" Plame, not that the revalation was really that big a deal.
Plame was once, several years ago, a genuine undercover operative in Europe, but the impression given by the press of someone endangered by being "outed" is rubbish. She has worked at Langley as an analyst for about five years. She took no pains to conceal her employer, and has on occasion met friends in the Langley cafeteria.
Miller's stay in jail did not cost her pay or position, in fact earned her near beatification in the press corps. Assuming, as I do, that she wanted to sidestep close scutiny of her "source", that was an effective way to do just that. Three months later, her waffling answers to the grand jury are pretty well buried behind the smoke and mirrors put out during her paid "leave of absence".
Helps to remember, the Novak column that started this sh*tstorm was actually focused on the question of nepotism, ie that Miller had used her position to get her husband appointed to the yellowcake inquiry in Niger. By the way, hubby's infamous report of his inquiry did claim Iraq had not obtained actual product, but clearly stated that Iraq had for some time been trying to obtain back-channel, undocumented ore.
I've long suspected the same thing.
Go to this Amazon page, and read some of the reviews of her book. She undoubtedly met Plame the flame years ago.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000667EX/qid=1129993643/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1249388-8049728?v=glance&s=books
If it doesn't open, just plug Judith Miller into the amazon search window.
> Miller is not at all scatterbrained. She is a Pulitzer winner
Scatterbrained from the content of notebooks she produced.
> ...former co-workers , even those pissed at her personally, describe her as uncommonly competent, particularly in this particular field.
I'd characterize her as obsessed when she continued working on WMD when the Times took her off the story.
> My theory is that Judith Miller's "source" revealing Plame was Judith Miller.
Brilliant! But for her to do so was highly unprofessional and unethical. Yet...as you say her post-jail waffling did allow her enough room to cover her ass.
I still think the Times higher-ups know exactly what has been going on. It's not for nothing that someone like Keller steps from behind the scenery to offer some sort of orchestrated and conveniently from-out-of-the-country apology.
Good post, but in the last paragraph I think you meant "Plame" not "Miller." At least I haven't heard that Miller has a husband who was sent to Niger.
Spot on!
I agree with you analysis.
In addition Novak claims he spoke to the CIA before publishing his article and was not discouraged from revealing that Wilson's wife worked for the Agency.
Therefore revealing her identity could not be a crime.
Yours is the only thing Ive read about all this that makes sense