Miller, Er, Time

Probably not the first people to use that headline to demarcate Judith Miller business (not even close, alas). And we bring absolutely no special knowledge to "the decade's most important First Amendment battle"(TM). In fact, throwing tantrums at Canadian civil servants is about as near as we get.

But pride and vanity - those things we understand completely. Miller swallowed rather uncritically some very silly allegations about iraq's weapons of mass destruction programme. This was undoubtedly very poor reporting. She knows it. Most of us know it. In fact, it would be fair to say that her reputation had suffered rather severely as a result.

To rescue it would require either that she acquire the most amazing sh*t possible and thus take down the military-industrial complex, or that she go down in the most virtuous ball of flame possible. Which is why the most recent filing by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald (who wants her to help him find out who leaked the name of a CIA agent to noted Silas Greenback type Bob Novak) is so beautifully researched, yet so redundant.

Armies of interns have been employed searching Lexis in an attempt to prove that not everyone agrees that she can defy the Supreme court and refuse to reveal her sources. But they might be better utilised in examining the lives of Norma Desmond and Evel Knievel and the way that pride can make you do some crazy things, and let you leave a beautiful corpse. The comparisons with the time Martha did are only apt insofar as many people think that her stature was enhanced by the experience. Will Judy cave? Hell, no, this is the oonly chance at redemption, no matter how sh***y, she's got.