Maureen Dowd on Judy Miller
Maureen Dowd’s piece (sub. req.), Woman of Mass Destruction, in today’s New York Times is the first piece I have seen published, with possible exception of the paper’s initial accounting of Miller’s saga, in the Times that simply states the Times and Judy Miller screwed up, collectively and severally.
Dowd’s piece is not the revelation of facts surrounding the Plame Wilson investigation so many people are seeking. Rather, it is Dowd saying shame on Judy, shame on the Times, and kudos for all as appropriate.
She never knew when to quit. That was her talent and her flaw. Sorely in need of a tight editorial leash, she was kept on no leash at all, and that has hurt this paper and its trust with readers. She more than earned her sobriquet “Miss Run Amok.”
In classic Dowd style she says, “[Judy Miller has] never bothered me. I enjoy operatic types. ” Continuing, Dowd provides an interesting portrayal of Miller.
Once when I was covering the first Bush White House, I was in The Times’s seat in the crowded White House press room, listening to an administration official’s background briefing. Judy had moved on from her tempestuous tenure as a Washington editor to be a reporter based in New York, but she showed up at this national security affairs briefing.
At first she leaned against the wall near where I was sitting, but I noticed that she seemed agitated about something. Midway through the briefing, she came over and whispered to me, “I think I should be sitting in the Times seat.”It was such an outrageous move, I could only laugh. I got up and stood in the back of the room, while Judy claimed what she felt was her rightful power perch.
I believe the following are good excerpts to summarize Maureen Dowd substantiating Miller’s well earned nickname, “Miss Run Amock” and the Times faux pax.
Judy admitted in [her personal account] that she “got it totally wrong” about W.M.D. “If your sources are wrong,” she said, “you are wrong.” But investigative reporting is not stenography.
Judy refused to answer a lot of questions put to her by Times reporters, or show the notes that she shared with the grand jury. I admire Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and Bill Keller for aggressively backing reporters in the cross hairs of a prosecutor. But before turning Judy’s case into a First Amendment battle, they should have nailed her to a chair and extracted the entire story of her escapade.
I’m not surprised that Maureen Dowd leads the pack of those willing to tell it like it is at the Times. Regrettably, Maureen doesn’t have the facts from Miller’s “investigations.”
