The most interesting newspaper correction in weeks appeared in the $ IWashington Times on October 29. Under the heading “Explanation,” the notice read: “The Washington Times regrets assigning Matthew Scully to review Jim Pinkerton’s book. . . . The assignment was made without knowledge of prior personal differences between the reviewer and the author.” Since this item will pop up forevermore in Nexis searches of the words “Pinkerton,” “paradigm,” and “Scully,” it’s only fair to explain the meaning of this remarkable little explanation, the oldest there is: Cherchez la femme.
Bush White House aide Pinkerton and Bush White House speechwriter Scully (he wrote for Dan Quayle) were serially involved with the same woman, a third White House scribe. This was the third occasion on which Scully had taken out after Pinkerton in print, and Pinkerton had finally had enough.
To see the STANDARD’S take on Pinkerton’s book, What Comes Next, turn to Alan Ehrenhalt’s review on page 42. Appropriate measures have been taken to ensure that we have not inadvertently made the same mistake as the $ IWashington Times.
