Judy Miller: Jail, Bob Novak: Nothing. What gives?

[Carl Yasutomo]

Can someone explain to me why Judith Miller may go to jail over the Plame outing while Novak, the one who outed Plame, seems to be facing no consequences at all? Is there some actual reason for this inconsistent treatment, or is it just an example of blatant partisanship and double standards?

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Because Novakula squealed like the piggie he is...

...and gave Fitzpatrick everything he wanted. Miller's being jailed for failing to name her sources to the Grand Jury, not for the actual outing of Plame.

[punpirate]

2. There was thread on this yesterday...

... and there was no real consensus on it. One good suggestion was that Fitzgerald was simply trying to get enough background information to put Novak in the hot seat when he was subpoenaed by the grand jury. There's no indication that Novak has been called yet.

My thought was that because the appeals court decision was written by Sentelle, the court was helping the Bushies by trying to freeze up anonymous sources and cut off government leaks--by taking on reporters from the New York Times and Newsweek, the appeals court was trying to indirectly trying to stick a finger in the collective eye of government leakers.

Of course, there's been so little information available that it's all speculation. If the investigation is proceeding more or less honestly, my guess is that Fitgerald is trying to get the information from the people who didn't run the original story--the legal logic might be that because they didn't immediately run with the story, they didn't have a story (and sources) to protect, the very clear argument that Novak could make in refusing to testify.

If the investigation is not proceeding honestly, as some have said, it could be a way of making the story about Miller and the Newsweek writer, rather than about the outing of Plame, creating a backstory, if you will.

Cheers.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. I hadn't thought of that angle

that they were going after ones who had the info but didn't run the story because they had no sources to protect. But what about "Jeff Gannon"? I've read that he had the Plame information as well, and he can't really claim to be a legitimate journalist.

[punpirate]

4. I'm not sure...

... about the facts in that part of the story. It originated, I think, because Gannon/Guckert/??? himself claimed that he'd been shown the documentation, and since he's plagiarized, toadied and lied copiously already, I think his credibility is greatly in question. He may never have been shown any documents, or if he had been, it was done so for disinformation purposes.

Cheers.

[fasttense]

5. Judith Miller didn't stand up for the truth when she had the chance.

Anymore, it seems to me, you can lump, politicians, federal judges (in particular the Supremes) and reporters in the same group. They lie, they cover up, they are partisan, they are selfish and looking for the quick reward. Normally I would care about Judith Miller but didn't she help set up the environment of partisanship that is prosecuting (or persecuting) her now? She didn't research the weapons of mass destruction, she didn't report on the election fraud, she didn't report on the debate b*sh bulge, she didn't stand up for justice when she had the chance and now they are attacking her. Well you reap what you sow.

[The Flaming Red Head]

6. Novak committed treason

I don't understand why he's still on TV (and not in court or jail) and Rather is being retired.

[htuttle]

7. Novak is a made man

You can't whack him.