Thanks For The Input, Brit

Luckily, Digby has the stomach to watch FauxNews:

Referring to the NY Times coverage of the Judy Miller saga, Brit Hume said something today to the effect of, "I don't think the American people care about this and as I was reading it today it occurred to me that I don't care much either."

Well, he wouldn't. Brit's career as the dean of FoxNews was made by covering the important stories, after all. . . .

It's true -- Brit certainly knows an important story when he sees one. As Digby points out, FoxNews, with Hume's help, "grew to its current status riding on Clinton's penis."

Meanwhile, Kevin Drum explains the significance of Judith Miller's "Valerie Flame" notation, and also points out why Miller is so obviously a liar:

Judith Miller's contention that she can't remember who originally provided her with the name "Valerie Flame" is completely ridiculous. She apparently wrote down the name in her notebook sometime around July 8, 2003, and obviously she knew where it came from at the time. Within a week, Robert Novak had written his infamous column in which he outed Valerie Plame, and Miller certainly hadn't forgotten who provided her the name that quickly. A couple of days later all hell broke loose, and that would have etched the name of her source in her mind permanently.

Also, Mickey Kaus has suggested that Judith Miller's lawyer may have pulled a fast one on the prosecutor by getting Fitzgerald to limit his Miller questioning to Mr. Libby and the Wilson matter. Kaus' argument goes like this:

[A] key question is who told Miller the name "Valerie Plame," which she miswrote as "Valerie Flame" in her notebook. Miller says she's not sure it was Libby. Therefore it might have been someone else--i.e. she might well have had another very "meaningful" source, contrary to Bennett's alleged representations to the prosecutor. Am I missing something, or does Fitzgerald have grounds for being extremely p[isse]d off?

I have some different thinking on that point. I think Fitzgerald set a trap of sorts for Judy Miller. If Miller were to have come forward and testified -- clearly and unequivocally -- that Scooter gave her Valerie Plame's name, then that would have obviously been fine with Fitzgerald.

Instead -- as noted above -- Miller clearly lied during sworn testimony to the grand jury when she said she couldn't remember who gave her Valerie Plame's name. I think Fitzgerald will now ask the grand jury to indict Judith Miller for perjury and obstruction of justice; and if that happens, then Fitzgerald will be able to put the screws to Miller in the hope that she has had enough of jail cells and will choose to cleanly give up Scooter and any other "meaningful" TreasonGate source she might have.

Some will say that Fitzgerald won't be able to do that because, according to Judith Miller, he told the grand jury that Miller "is only a witness in this case and not a target." Well, that may be true, but I really doubt that Fitzgerald agreed not to pursue an indictment against Miller should she end up committing perjury during her grand jury testimony.

I think Judy might be in a little trouble.