Walton: Don't concern yourself with Judy

Friday afternoon is typically the time when interesting things get dumped on the media, leaks and such. With a long weekend one might expect a few today, and perhaps this development in the case of the United States versus Scooter Libby qualifies.

The presiding judge Reggie Walton ruled that some of the notes taken by Time journalist Matt Cooper requested by the Libby team be turned over. That had to be a set back to some in the media, however in the same decision he overruled a similar request involving Judith Miller and NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell.

As usual, Just One Minute has the best right-leaning coverage and the order itself, so it's prudent to let Mr. Mcguire and friends figure out what this might mean to Cooper, Libby and Rove. But his first glance reaction to the denial of the Miller notes seems to invite comment:

Huh? Presumably Ms. Miller is going to be asked about why she was talking to Libby at all. Presumably she will be asked why there are entries for "Valerie Flame" and "Victoria Wilson" in her notebook, and to explain her testimony that she may have discussed Ms. Plame with other sources. But the judge can't conceive of cirsumstances in which she will be asked whether she was actually working on a story?

It might help to speculate on Miller's mindset around May through June of 2003. Among her extensive reporting of the Middle East and Iraq war she had previously published a book in 2001 entitled "Germs" discussing germ warfare. Ironically, shortly after she was a recipient of an anthrax letter, although the powder was inert. She had just returned from Iraq in May 2003 after a stint with Army Task Force Alpha looking for WMDs. She had a lot invested.

One might imagine with her personal reputation on the line she'd have been more interested in discussing the NIE with Libby as opposed to "Valerie Flame". After all, finding the WMDs would help debunk the Plame story and recapture her reputation.

An alternative theory might be that Miller was beginning to sense a double-cross and was open to any revenge stories against the administration. However, even if the Plame story turned out true her rep would still need rehabilitating, the kind only a WMD smoking gun story could provide. Revenge doesn't seem to sqaure with her spending time in jail.

Speaking of jail, during her time there Scooter sent her the now-famous "root of the Aspens" letter inviting her to identify him as a source and return to freedom. In that letter he also said the following,

"You have stories to cover--Iraqi elections and suicide bombers, biological threats and the Iranian nuclear program."

Of course, it was the rest of that paragraph that was sliced and diced including "Out west, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them. Come back to work--and life." which prosecutor Fitzgerald later asked her to explain.

The truth is often whispy and amorphous. Sure, this whole sordid affair could be the result of a corrupt administration protecting a false story about invading Iraq for nefarious purposes, as the left says. But Libby's subterfuge also brings about the possibility he was signaling Miller about future stories to come, something in line with her expertise in WMDs. He named both Iran and Iraq. A stretch? Perhaps. But hey, you ARE just reading a blog here. It's not like this is the New York Times.