Question on Judy Miller

[joemurphy]

Miller is now saying she was jailed because she "was protecting her source" and that only when her source -- Scooter Libby -- told her it was okay to testify before the grand jury, that she came forward.

OK, we all know that Libby signed a general waiver early on in the case authorizing any journalist he talked to to testify. Miller has claimed that this general waiver might have been coerced from Libby and that, therefore, she would not talk unless and until Scooter gave her a personal waiver.

Judy ultimately called Scooter on the telephone (presumably from jail) and after talking to him learned that he did not mind if she talked to the grand jury and orally authorized her to do so. With that in hand (and reassurances from Fitzgerald that her testimony would be confined to her communications with Libby and no one else) Judy came forward and talked.

My question is why did Judy wait 83 days to call Scooter? Was it all just a misunderstanding? Is she maintaining that Scooter wouldn't give her a personal waiver prior to her most recent call to him?

Something stinks about this. I smell a strong odor of mendacity.

[FloridaPat]

1. "confined to her com with Libby and no one else". That's the secret

right there. Took this long to form a plan and get the right people to agree to the GOP way.

[Beaver Tail]

2. IMO

She was being preped to say what the Necons wanted her to say.

[jsamuel]

3. yep, this happened just NOW for a reason, and it isn't because of Libby

Something happened... not sure, maybe the DeLay thing would take heat off of Libby? Maybe something else...

[Ready4Change]

6. I agree. But what?

The Delay indictment?

The Roberts appointment? (My bet. So he can control things that advance to the SCOTUS?)

Something about the other Bennetts racial slur?

Maybe it was waiting until attention needed to be drawn from somthing else?

I dunno. But something shifted that knocked her out of the slammer.

[Lerkfish]

9. I'm thinking roberts confirmation was the trigger.

because Fitz is going to name BIG names, and it will be quashed by the SCOTUS.

didn't want to name big names without a bush shill running things.

or.....something else.

I have no idea. It certainly smells fishy.

[Jara sang]

4. Makes for a bettter book if she does jailtime

plus she had time to write it in jail.

[clydefrand]

5. It was my understanding that she didn't have anything to do

with a call to Libby, but rather he told his lawyer who told her lawyer, Robert Bennett, brother of Bill Bennett...it's ok to kill black babies in the womb to prevent crime in this country.

He voluntarily gave her a release according to Bennett. But who the hell knows the real reason.

[hang a left]

10. I read something different...

I read that she had special permission from the prosecutor to speak to Libby and get an explicit release.

Something went on behind the scenes that gave Fitz what he wanted because he allowed Miller to save face ie release from source and limited testimony.

[melissinha]

7. This story is so bogus, its spin

There cannot be any truth to this story because waiting that long is ludicrous.

Some possibilities:

* Fitz has info that would imply Libby anyway.
* Miller facing new criminal charges
* Libby is the newly appointed fall guy, would lead Fitz away from real complicit individuals (fat chance)
* She agreed that she would provide content of her conversations with Libby and nothing else
* Something we could never guess because we don't have all the facts to piece it together

I mean why isn't Novak in jail himself, he is the one that disseminated the information... what did he provide to Fitz that connects to Judy?

[spindrifter]

8. The key

has got to be the negotiations. You do not spend 93 days in jail when you are as high profile as this journalist a) for no good reason, b) because the prosecutor forgot about you, c) because there was a misunderstanding about a waiver you already KNEW you had. Now, the only plausible explanation is that no one in Scooter's office was authorized to accept a collect call from some woman calling from a jail.

[longship]

11. Or, maybe Fitz made a deal with somebody.

(which would be standard procedure)

Question is, who turned? Madsen says it was Libby. I don't think that's true unless the whole damned administration is doomed by this thing. Libby wouldn't double cross the admin if it was just Cheney. They'd be too close for that.

I think Madsen is wrong. It wouldn't be Libby. But he might have something right. Maybe somebody turned and Fitz let him or her select Door Number 3.

[johnnydrama]

12. jail

There are many reasons she might have wanted to go to jail.

Her career was toast after people were scrutinizing all her articles with WMD lies. This makes her a martyr. (It didn't!)

To protect Libby and the administration from it becoming known that Libby was a major source of hers. (Articles with WMD lies sourced from Libby?)

Probably didn't think Fitz would jail such a respected journalist for too long (turns out her jailing led people to scrutinize her, leading to her losing all respect)

Now why she decided to come out at this moment is a good question!