Lou Dobbs, PR bunny

Judy Miller, the gift that just keeps on giving. Her latest gift to snark-deprived junkies: an interview with CNN's Lou Dobbs, who took a brief time out from bitch-slapping immigrants to kiss Ms. Judy's ass. Por ejemplo:

DOBBS: It's -- first, the idea of 85 days in jail is something that most of us cannot comprehend. It is -- give us your -- the sense of what you had to endure?

MILLER: Well, it was the most soulless place I've ever been. I think we don't realize how much we take things for granted like color, silence, the right to take two aspirin when you feel you have a headache. It was demeaning. It was degrading. It was very lonely.

Though she was careful to note that this high-volume, black-and-white, no-Excedrin existence could not under any circumstances be compared to a "deadly illness."

Hard to believe but it actually went downhill from there:

DOBBS: One hopes that we all learn something from the experience and the example you set. There were people, Judy, who -- writing into this broadcast, saying Judy Miller thinks she's above the law. Why should any journalist be above the law? Our response on the air was, straightforwardly, if she thought she were above the law, she would not be accepting the punishment for following her principles. How do you respond?

(Why should she? Asked and answered, Lou.)

MILLER: Well, precisely the way you did. And if I had wanted to evade the law, if I thought that I was better than the law, the law didn't apply to us, I wouldn't have sat there for 85 days to make a political point about principle, and the principle that we journalists have to safeguard the confidentiality of our sources. And it was a rather extreme way to make it, but I felt I had to, and I also have to tell you, by the way, that your clock, your "Judith Miller has been in jail for X number of days," gave me a lot of encouragement at the end of some very long and depressing and challenging days. And I want to thank you for it, and CNN for standing up for journalist principle and the right of confidentiality.

DOBBS: Well, obviously, we are -- we're committed to, in this organization, Jim Walton, the chairman of the newsroom, Jon Klein, the president of the network, we couldn't ask for more support. I look at "The New York Times," your publisher, your editor, your management. They stood with you without even the slightest hesitation.

MILLER: Right.

DOBBS: You must be extraordinarily proud and thankful.

MILLER: I am. To have a publisher like Arthur Sulzburger, who said, Judy, this is your decision. I'm not going to push you one way or another. But what you decide is right. We will back you on. Because it was a difficult decision.

DOBBS: Absolutely. [LINK via Wonkette]

Jay Rosen is on the Times' case for canonizing Miller -- as have I been on this blog -- but at least they have a dog in this fight. What is CNN's excuse for playing PR bunny? This above was an outrageous display of bad journalism -- irrespective of the identity of the interviewee.