Dancing Queen

Meets her Waterloo

What could this latest twist in the Judy Miller, Pandemonium Carnival

NYT, Miller Spar Over Role in Leak Probe
By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer

In the latest fallout from the CIA leak investigation, reporter Judith Miller and The New York Times are engaging in a very public fight about her seeming lack of candor in the case.

In a memo to the staff, Executive Editor Bill Keller says Miller "seems to have misled" the newspaper's Washington bureau chief, Phil Taubman, who said Miller told him in the fall of 2003 that she was not one of the recipients of a leak about the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame.

Miller says Keller's criticism is "seriously inaccurate."

"I certainly never meant to mislead Phil, nor did I mislead him," Miller was quoted as saying in a Times story Saturday.

...
In recent weeks, Miller testified to the grand jury in the leak probe that she had discussed Wilson and his wife in three conversations with Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby in June and July of 2003.

Keller wrote that if he had known of Miller's "entanglement" with Libby, he might have been more willing to explore compromises with the prosecutor who was trying to get her testimony for the criminal investigation into the leak of Plame's identity.
Miller spent 85 days in jail for refusing to cooperate with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. She was freed on Sept. 29 when she finally agreed to testify.

...
"As for your reference to my 'entanglement' with Mr. Libby, I had no personal, social or other relationship with him except as a source," Miller said.
Underlying the issue is Miller's own flawed prewar reporting on Iraq.

...
"It felt somehow unsavory to begin a tenure by attacking our predecessors," Keller wrote. By waiting more than a year, he said, "We allowed the anger inside and outside the paper to fester. Worse, we fear, we fostered an impression that the Times put a higher premium on protecting its reporters than on coming clean with its readers."

Op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd weighed in with further criticism in Saturday's Times. "Sorely in need of a tight editorial leash, (Miller) was kept on no leash at all, and that has hurt this paper and its trust with readers," Dowd wrote.

If Miller returns to covering national security issues, Dowd wrote, "the institution most in danger would be the newspaper in your hands."

Possibly have to do with this bubble-gum headline fresh from the Eurovision Song Contest?

WATERLOO WINS CONGRATULATIONS

Europe has voted; ABBA wins Congratulations, the anniversary show dedicated to 50 years Eurovision Song Contest. Although the selection method raised the eyebrows of many, the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest winner can now add a new title to the long, long list; the all-time winner of 50 years Eurovision Song Contest! What else can we say than... Congratulations!

The show
The show itself didn't bring any big surprises. The show's most hilarious moment was Birthe Wilke's intervention in the almost-kiss between Katrina and Renars. Slightly embarrassing was Lys Assia's announcement of Helena Paparizou's song... "what was the song title again?" With all respect for the winner of the first Eurovision Song Contest, of course!
...

The results
Remarkably, fans' favourites Eres tu, Everyway that I can and Congratulations didn't make it to the final five. The songs that made it through the first voting round;

• 1958 - Italy - Domenico Modugno - Nel blu di pinto di blu (Volare)
• 1976 - UK - Brotherhood of Man - Save your kisses for me
• 1974 - Sweden - ABBA - Waterloo
• 2005 - Greece - Helena Paparizou - My number one
• 1987 - Ireland - Johnny Logan - Hold me now
...

Judy...and a list of tooth-rotting, pop-factory, neutron-weapon-tunes topped by the retro-viral "Waterloo."

Well, seemingly, very little. To the untutored eye, nothing at all.

Until you figure in the MoDo-“Becky Sharp/Vanity Fair” tropism trope (and isn’t it a rare day when you get to use those two words, back-to-back) more of which you can read about here.

Add in the presence of a tryst cipher between them. Oh, did you think all of that “aspen turning” nonsense was only Cosa Nostra Fish Email?

And finally dope out -- using a very complex algorithm involving DayQuil, scotch and Wild Berry Zinger tea -- that “their” song was “Fernando”...

That she was his “Dancing Queen of All Iraq”...

And that her pillow nickname for him was the bunny-cute, num-num, baby-talk “Ooter-Scoo”...

...and it all falls into place.

What, do I have to spell it out for you?

Well, OK.

1...2...3...

My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf
Is always repeating itself

Ooter-Scoo - I was defeated, your media whore
Ooter-Scoo - promise to love you for ever more
Ooter-Scoo - couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Ooter-Scoo – thought it was my fate is to be with you

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

Ooter-Scoo – now finally facing my Waterloo

My my, I tried to get your back but Fitz was stronger
Oh yeah, and now it seems my only chance is giving up the fight

So how could I ever refuse
I feel like I win when I lose

Ooter-Scoo - I was defeated, your media whore
Ooter-Scoo - promise to love you for ever more
Ooter-Scoo - couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Ooter-Scoo - knowing my fate is to be with you

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

Ooter-Scoo – finally facing my Waterloo

So how could I ever refuse
I feel like I win when I lose

Ooter-Scoo - couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Ooter-Scoo - knowing my fate is to be with you

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

Ooter-Scoo - finally facing my Waterloo...

I figure every event needs an anthem, and absent something better, this is what'll be banging out of my speakers on Fitzmas Day.