"The Times's policy does not permit the granting of anonymity to confidential news sources 'as cover for a personal or partisan attack.'" So which is it, Times editors? Let's give Judy the benefit of the doubt for a minute and accept that she was a catcher, not a pitcher. Then, according to her own paper's ethical standards, if the person pitching to her is doing it for partisan reasons -- and is anybody doubting that? -- then there is no "granting of anonymity".

Arianna asks,

"Will the preemptive PR work and keep Judy from being charged with criminal contempt? Stay tuned..."

My questions are: Why are the Times and Abrams coming out now, in August, when the grand jury isn't set to expire until October? Has Abrams been told Fitzgerald is ready to file criminal contemmpt charges against Miller now if she doesn't change her mind and cooperate? If Miller were to accept Fitzgerald's offer now, he would still have time to evaluate her information and call more witnesses if necessary. If he waited until the final days of the grand jury to make Miller his final offer, there might not be time enough remaining to tie it all together and present indictments to the grand jury.

Next question: Fitzgerald has previously said that Judith Miller was single-handedly derailing the investigation. Is it possible that if Judith Miller turns down his final overture, she will be the only one indicted by Fitzgerald and he will say that without her testimony, there was insufficient evidence to indict anyone else - even for perjury or making a false statement? Does he need her testimony that she was not the source for Rove or Libby to put the final nail in the coffin of Rove's claim that he learned of Valerie Plame's covert status from a journalist? All the other journalists have already talked and denied being Rove's source prior to the time he allegedly told Matthew Cooper, "Yeah, I heard that too." Miller may be the only one left who could have told Rove (or Libby) and if she is ruled out, then Fitzgerald may have his case that Rove lied to federal investigators and/or the grand jury.

And, if as Arianna puts it, Miller was the "catcher not the pitcher," is she the only one who can make the case for Fitzgerald that Rove or Libby leaked the contents of the classified June memo that reached Colin Powell on Air Force One the day the plane took off for Africa?

Or, is she the only one who can establish there was a plan to out and discredit Plame, because multiple sources within the Administration told her about the "boondoggle," as Walter Pincus called it.

Fitzgerald has said he knows the identity of Miller's source. The subpoenas directed to her asked for information from a specific White House official - Lewis Libby. She has said she doesn't want to talk because she believes, based on what Fitzgerald did to Matt Cooper, that Fitzgerald will then insist on asking her about other sources. Who are these other sources, what did they show her or tell her, and how high up the (presumably Cheney) chain of command do they go?

As Arianna says, stay tuned.