This is why I gave up looking for heroes

Ben Bradlee Defends Woodward's Actions in Plame Case

Former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee today defended Bob Woodward, who revealed in a story Wednesday that he waited more than two years before disclosing to current Post editors a conversation he had in 2003 with a White House official about CIA Agent Valerie Plame.

"I don't see anything wrong with that," said Bradlee, who ran the Post during the turbulent Watergate coverage that made Woodward famous. "He doesn't have to disclose every goddamn thing he knows."


He also revealed that Woodward had shown him a copy of the story on Tuesday before it was published. And he explained: "Woodward never has 'no involvement' because he is who he is."

No -- why would he disclose everything he knows? It isn't like he is a reporter for a major newspaper or anything. He doesn't owe us a fucking thing, and certainly not a scoop on a major story he is at the very center of. Hell, we expect reporters to toss our interests onto the dustbin of history in exchange for the royalties that come from writing tell-not-quite-all puffery.

I was at a party last just week in an apartment with a picture of Ben Bradlee on the wall. Good thing this didn't happen a week ago, or I would have made myself very unpopular.

"He is who he is" -- and "who he is" is utterly contemptible. Now Ben Bradlee shows himself to be more of the same. All that is left is for Carl Berstein to give Woodward a pass and the last of the hero class will have checked out.

Like I said: fuck journalists.