Fish Don’t Fry in the Kitchen
By John Cole December 30th, 2010
Some schadenfreude for those of you who were right about WMD in the beginning:
Judith Miller used to be a superstar. She was a major reporter at the New York Times for decades—at the DC bureau, in Cairo, in Paris, special correspondent to the Persian Gulf, embedded with a special unit in Iraq. She had the best sources. She had amazing scoops. Now she’s writing—on contract, not full-time—for Newsmax, a goofy right-wing magazine where conservatives you’ve never heard of (and John Stossel, apparently) report, constantly, that Barack Obama is bad and unpopular. It’s a steep fall, and it couldn’t have happened to a worse journalist.***But this must still be galling to Judith. Becoming a right-wing martyr is generally a pretty good career move—it’ll make Juan Williams a millionaire—but Judy Miller is used to the respect afforded a New York Times foreign correspondent superstar. Filing a piece from Iraq to a wingnut’s pet newsletter is probably not how she envisioned her career shaping up.
But it works for me.
Make sure you read the whole piece, including the bit about Noonan being married to some lunatic who writes there.
And has anyone done a conclusive list of all the people whose credibility was completely shot by the Bush Administration- Miller, Libby, Powell, um, me.
Martin Peretz ~ 10/16/2010
Straussian Neo-Cons – rotten to the core.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
The Republican party motto should be: A fool and their money are soon parted. We’re proof of that!
Wingnut welfare is all she has left of her career. The only people who will pay her for her ‘work’ are people who are looking for fools to feed their own fools.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
you could probably do a similar list of people who defended Judy Miller, but like the majority of people who cheerled for Bush and his war, they haven’t lost any credibility, because they are the gatekeepers of Very Serious Peopledom. Sadly and surprisingly, she’s one of the few who paid any price at all.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Yeah I saw this yesterday and thought I’d do an “Iraq War Boosters: Where Are They Now” post.
One quibble:
It’s far worse than that. Newsmax reports that Barack Obama is part of an eeevul liebrul conspiracy to hand America sovereignty over to (insert name here, United Nations will do if you’re strapped). It’s major wingnuttia conspiracy theory black helicopter shit over there. And I for one am thrilled that this is what the Queen of all Iraq has been reduced to.
She as much as anyone is responsible for the debacle that was our Iraq misadventure.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
At the time, most of the country, nearly all the media, all republicans, and at least half the democrats were on board the big adventure, soaking up the bullshit faster than than the neocons could produce it and Colin Powell could spout it. So there weren’t all that many of us who ended up right. And in the asylum, the insane never have to say they’re sorry.
I personally was just about certain there were no new WMD’s being produced in Iraq when the inspectors were laughing at the prime CIA intel, visiting these places and finding cobwebs.
At which time, I recall a telephone conversation with a Pete Domenici staffer, totally losing my shit and wondering if I’d get a visit from the fibbies because of it.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
The New York Times has never recovered from the side-effects of maintaining someone of Judith Miller’s caliber on their payroll. American establishment journalism died during the run-up to the Iraq invasion. There is no schadenfreude on my part; the whole thing is too tragic.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Great. Now that song’s in my head.
Don’t be so modest. How about practically the entire DC Press Corps, practically all of Congress…
At this point, it might be easier to come up with a list of people whose credibility wasn’t completely shot by the Bush Administration.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
@Southern Beale:
Newsmax was started by Carl who used to call into WABC in NYC on a regular basis during the Clinton years.
Miller fell into the rabbit hole.
The question about who lost their credibility in the Bush Admin would have a shorter answer if it was who has credibility. I come up with nobody.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
wow. that’s a hell of a career arc.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I think the MOST shocking news is to find out Noonan is married.
{{{{{{shiver}}}}}
December 30th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
John Cole:
Uh, John? Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think you have more credibility now than you ever did back then.
.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
@General Stuck: What sealed the question for me was Powell’s presentation at the UN. I did not see compelling evidence for WMDs. All I saw was a man who was lying, and not very well, almost as though he were under some sort of duress. In order to be convinced by Powell’s testimony, one would have to want to be convinced.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
She should have no career at all. I don’t see how living a comfortable life on wingnut welfare is a fall.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
@Mike Kay (True Grit): Why? She makes her living with her mouth.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
@beltane:
I was totally convinced there was not a nuke program going on in Iraq, and as far as the possibility of chem and bio, even if there was some of that, it was no where near cause to invade another country, and especially a middle eastern Muslim country. And in fact, would turn out to be about the bloody clusterfuck it did, and still is. We are no where near being out of the woods on this epic fuckup.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Newsmax can’t be that lowly. After all, Sarah Palin endorses it as one of her regular reads.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
While this is all well and good, I still think the journalist (for lack of a better word) who should have been the most embarrassed by Iraq revelations was the alleged ‘bulldog’ Tim Russert, when Mary Matalin was quoted saying that Cheney thought Russert was an easier interview than “Sunny Nobility” Matthews. In the minds of his peers, he is probably better respected (and better known) than Murrow, Cronkite and Ernie Pyle.
@Mike Kay (True Grit): I think they got divorced when he came home and found her underneath Jeff Greenfield (is it irresponsible to speculate….?)
December 30th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Anyone ever figure out whether Scooter Libby was fucking her during the run-up to the war and feeding her “news” via pillow talk?
December 30th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
@General Stuck: I never believed the WMD crap, but it was Powell’s speech that convinced me the whole thing was a lie.
I never liked Shrub, but in the wake of the 9/11 attacks I had charitably assumed his comment about pursuing “terrorists of global reach” meant he wasn’t going to follow the neocon path toward insanity…I’m quite willing to agree that paying the families of suicide bombers $25K (as Iraq did) was support of terrorism, but that terrorism was clearly not of “global reach”.
Unlike Shrub, I know how the “fool me once shame on you…” saying ends.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
@BGinCHI: Only her hairdresser knows!
December 30th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I’m still mad Alberto Gonzales got a job.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
The dude on CNN (I think) this morning kept asking her, “do you really think you should be talking about this in public like this? Do you have a lawyer”. She hadn’t a fucking clue.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Check out this classic on “Judy the Mattress” from the late Steve Gilliard.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
@JGabriel:
I agree. Back then, you were just some loudmouth. Why would anyone find you credible?
Now, you’re somebody who is big enough to admit that he was wrong about something that he staked his reputation on, take his lumps, draw the appropriate conclusions, and make no excuses.
That makes you pretty credible in my book.
And, lest you think I’m sucking up to you…your cat is crazy and fat.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Like fish in a barrel…
December 30th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
There were no WMB in Iraq. I knew it then—and said so. Loud and clear
WMB were not found, because there were none.
Another example that there are gullible people who are fully capable of believing anything. Especially if it is is useful for them to believe it.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
@beltane: I thought Powell was very convincing at the UN. I wrote someone at the time that he’d hit a triple, and all they needed to do now was follow up with the data and information to back up the case he’d made.
And then they didn’t.
And then they didn’t some more.
And then, other information that threw doubt on the case started coming out.
And then, when people asked politely for that backup, they jumped up and down and waved their arms and called them names.
THAT was when I knew they were lying.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I think the Wash Post and the NY Times can be added to that list.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
@joe from Lowell: I agree, I bought it because I was sure after the Nam he wouldn’t send our people into another bottomless pit. I’m a fucking moron.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
@hamletta: I remember that article and I miss Steve’s writing to this day.
This is the NYTimes article when Steve died. I wonder if Miller will be remembered as kindly.
EDIT..my link didn’t work.. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12.....ard-t.html
December 30th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
@JPL: Steve Miller died? I’m going to start a rumor based on a misunderstanding.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
@stuckinred:
Powell is a tragic figure in my book, in the sense of the protagonist of a Greek tragedy.
He brought about his downfall, and a great disaster on the “city” he only wanted to serve, because of an actual tragic flaw. In Greek tragedy, a tragic flaw is ultimately rooted in a virtue, but the single-minded pursuit of that virtue and lack of appreciation for other concerns that should mitigate one’s actions, leads to tragic ends.
Powell was a lifelong soldier, a man with a sense of duty to the chain of command. He wanted to do his duty, be a good soldier, and “do right by” the White House that employed him and elevated him to his position. That’s admirable, but he forgot that a man and a public servant has other responsibilities, and he followed his noble impulse right over a cliff.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
@Southern Beale:
I honestly don’t know if Miller’s fate is the result of her disastrous fall from grace, or if she is simply another victim of the imploding media industry.
Yeah, she’s not on anyone’s short list for lead reporter, but she’s not the only beat journalist to lose her job in the last ten years. Keeping a woman like Judy Miller in the field can be fucking expensive. Much easier to just hire a few more Op Ed writers. They do the same job for all intensive purposes.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
@joe from Lowell:
I had been following the nuke claims and aluminum tubes evidence fairly close, reading the Oak Ridge report, and what the McClatchy boys were saying, so I knew that part was full of shit. Otherwise, I didn’t really know what to make of Powell’s spill, but it didn’t really matter, since I was flat against the thing from the first moment it left the Bushies lips, and also knew they had already made up their minds and about nothing would stop them. But when they kicked the inspectors out, my rage o meter went off the charts, and stayed that way until the 2006 election, when it lowered a little.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
I suppose that depends on one’s definition of journalist. Miller was unquestionably a bona fide journalist at the Times. Like more than a few of her fellow journalists, the job she did wasn’t what we should expect from a real journalist, but times have changed.
It’s hard to imagine a more profound career collapse than one from the NY Times to Newsmax (by comparison, the Onion would have been a much better gig, though I doubt Judy has the sense of humor to pull that one off). Come to think of it, winding up at the Onion would have been appropriate in one way—neither she nor the Onion deals in actual facts.
Good luck, Judith, it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. And, yes, it does seem unfair that so few others have shared your fate. So much hackery, so little justice.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
@cathyx: Then you too can be hired by NewsMax.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
i just automatically assumed that anyone who would marry the lady of the magic dolphins was nuts. i can’t believe she lives in brooklyn. i always figured her for an upper east side townhouse.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
@hamletta: Wow. Thanks for that.
Signed and sealed.
And for the record, I don’t give a shite who she sleeps with, just for what purpose she does so.
Judy pried (her legs apart),
People died.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
The aspens, as promised, have turned.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Not enough, man. All the blood her lies spilled? Not nearly enough.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
@Judas Escargot:
Thought they were quaking.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
@JGabriel:
No shit. John Cole v2.0.10 is one hell of an improvement over John Cole v2.0.04.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
@joe from Lowell: A highly astute observation. I gave him some credibility at the time.
I remember almost two hours of rationalization and a bit of panic… and then there was a sort of snapping in my head and I said to myself, This is George W. Bush and Rumsfeld and that sick #^*& Cheney.
Considering The Messenger convinced me it was all a load of crap, (since I didn’t have a lot of knowledge until later) and I was right.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
@Zifnab: “They do the same job for all intensive purposes.”
I see this all of the time here and this one time I am going to point out the error. While I’m no phrase nazi this misstatement always bugs me because if anyone took a second to think about it, it doesn’t make sense in the way it’s used.
Intensive purposes? Maybe if something is ruggedly designed for a specific task but otherwise bury that fucker already! ;)
December 30th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
“The Republican party motto should be: A fool and their money are soon parted. We’re proof of that!”
I respectfully disagree … the Republican Party motto should instead be “Enough of the People, Enough of the Time”.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
@J.D.:
I thought it was pretty well agreed that the Republican motto was:
It’s simple and ugly and covers most of life, politics, and death. What more could you ask of a motto?
And somehow I can just hear it rolling off the lips of virtually any high profile Republican in response to a request from a dying parent, spouse, or child.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I think there’s a huge difference between people who bought the war boosters bullshit and the people who actively pushed it.
However, to my credit I am proud to say I never, ever, not for one second believed the WMD lies. It’s why I started blogging. I wanted to be on the record.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
@joe from Lowell: Edumacate yourself. Powell was rotten from a long, long time back.
My Lai
December 30th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
@joe from Lowell:
The guy who helped bury My Lai, knew all about Iran Contra and later facilitated actual arms shipments in violation of the Boland Ammendment.
A scumbag with great marketing. He deserves much worse than Judy.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
@General Stuck: IIRC, I first read that the aluminum tubes line was wrong after the speech, and the administration’s behavior when that was pointed out was one of the big “tells” that led me to conclude they were lying.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
@beltane:
This. Sadly this…
December 30th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
@Triassic Sands:
You have a point. I suppose my version is less of a motto and more of a modus operandi…
December 30th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
@numbskull:
Its interesting how that has been conveniently forgotten. Wanna bet if he were a Dem it would be a lot more popular story?
December 30th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Powell didn’t “help bury My Lai.”
He was tasked with responding to a letter that didn’t even mention My Lai.
He didn’t exactly cover himself with glory, but the letter didn’t even report about the massacre.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
@John Cole:
Oh John, John. You’ve never had any credibility! :-)
December 30th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
@srv: and if you had to go beyond My Lai, which you really don’t, I would just point out that Powell lent his name and image to the Bush campaign not just in 2000, but in 2004, and then he was fired. He wanted to stay on.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
@joe from Lowell:
Actually, no. The tubes had been contested long before the war, beginning in 2001
December 30th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
@Odie Hugh Manatee: Shouldn’t it be “intents and purposes” anyway? Makes more sense.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
It’s an eggcorn . . . for all intents and purposes is just morphing in a natural way
i love these things ~
favorite examples:
“curled up in the feeble (fetal) position:
“coming down the pipe (pike)”
lots more here
December 30th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
@numbskull:
When I read about Powell’s role in My Lai, I lost all respect for him, although his behavior was what I would expect of any ambitious career soldier. He has always gotten much better press than he deserves and his role in Iraq was little more than frosting on the cake. Some people seem to lead charmed lives and Powell seems like one of those to me. I think the continuing respect and admiration that people give Powell—even after My Lai, which few people seem to be aware of, and Iraq—just confirms (to me, at least) that the fix is still in.
No sane person thinks the world is a fair place, but the degree of perversity is remarkable.
December 30th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
John, “Schadenfreude” doesn’t begin to describe the wonderful satisfaction I got from reading this. It has more to do with things like truth, justice, karma, and … yes, there is a God.
December 30th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
@hitchhiker: I’m pretty tired of reading about people “pouring over” documents.
December 30th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
If you haven’t clicked over to the Salon article, do so now if only to see the Newsmax cover they screenshot.
The Jesus Question: Will He Ever Return?
December 30th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
I think this is about right.
But beltane, you are a better person than I am. I won’t rest until I see Bill Keller asking me if I want fries with my Big Mac.
Okrent, too, I’d like to see him making lattes at my local Starbucks. Is that whole milk or skim, sir?
What a bunch of lousy war pimps these people were. And then so freaking pissy about it when they were caught out.
Tough shit for the lot of them.
December 30th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
From the bio of the former Mr. Peggy Noonan:
That doesn’t sound sketchy at all!
December 30th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
@abscam:
Yes it does, as it is it doesn’t. That’s what nags me…lol!
@hitchhiker:
I know about eggcorns, I prefer eggdroppings. ;) Like honus, I’m tired of reading words like ‘shear’ when ‘sheer’ was meant. Same with ‘affect’ when ‘effect’ was meant (or the reverse). I rarely ever offer a correction but lately all I am reading is the same wrong things over and over again.
It’s time to strike back before they sleigh the English language!
December 31st, 2010 at 2:26 am
Ironically, the New York Times page 1 story this morning was how the war affects the children of the soldiers who have been deployed. And, NYT, you played a major role in in creating that scenario. You have blood on your hands. In other news, Pope prays for peace.
December 31st, 2010 at 10:56 am
No, he’ll never return
And his fate is still unlearn’d
He may ride forever
‘neath the streets of ….
Oh, wait …
Never mind.
December 31st, 2010 at 11:11 am
You might concider (or consider, if your going to be nitpicky) not reading any more NewsMax. Or the WaPo, for that matter. Their not what you might call “trusted news sorces”.
December 31st, 2010 at 11:17 am
But your heart has grown three sizes since then. And you don’t tell me to go fuck myself anymore either.
Happy New Year.
December 31st, 2010 at 12:17 pm
And he wouldn’t have any credibility if he did. (Which is not to imply that he currently has any, of course.)
December 31st, 2010 at 12:21 pm
It’s pretty easy to call Republicans batshit insane these days, even David Frum does it (though he still pulls the lever for them). It was harder to do so at the height of the carnage in Iraq.
But I think it was Terri Schiavo that did it, that disgusted John to the point of parting ways with the GOP.
It’s hard to have your heroes disappoint you so and there must be the temptation to believe one of them over there isn’t a total shill or insane because lord knows the Democrats know how to fuck up a wet dream.
Me, I will never ever consider for one second voting Republican. If Jesus was running on a GOP ticket I’d have to vote for Satan.
Never, not ever will they get my vote.
There are no good Republicans, there a no bad Democrats because you can primary the bad ones. Besides the GOP did us a favor taking out the Blue Dogs now half their strength. Barrack Obama did what Democrats have been trying to do for 100 years, pass health care legislation and these dickheads didn’t have his back.
If they had the guts to proclaim they passed this legislation and were damn proud of it there would have been a much different outcome.
December 31st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
@priscianusjr: Can we indict Him for negligence, then?
December 31st, 2010 at 1:38 pm
@hitchhiker:
Wonderful link!
May I site you as a deference whenever I locate one?
December 31st, 2010 at 4:04 pm