Judith Miller gets a tip from one of her unnamed, (and often seemingly unquestioned) sources (coincidentally, she was pals with Chalabi) saying that Yellowcake Wilson's wife is a spook and got him the Niger gig thru nepotism.

Judy tells Bob Novak, and since she doesn't have a hook, she's cool with Bob using the tip in his column... (Maybe it was even Chalabi that told her, lending credence that it was common knowledge, tho that opens up all sorts of other juiciness that's prolly best left untouched... But I like it.)

Bob likely calls someone to confirm, but never comes into contact with the source who leaked the info. The someone, I'm sure very plausibly, also confirms that it's common knowledge she's a spook.

Then when the feds come a-calling on Novak, knowing he doesn't have an actual source to protect, he cuts a deal promising full cooperation in exchange for presumably much less than a blindfold and cigarette. Then simply points his finger. And I would hope, laughs maniacally. 'Cause it's funny.

(Or maybe he just went before the grand jury, and, again, without a source, and without a shield law in the country (much less a federal one) protecting another journo who wasn't even speaking in confidence, he simply told his story and didn't get indicted... Though I like the laughing maniacally part better...)

Check out this story on Miller from 2/12/04 in Slate, where she is slammed by numerous sources for being a mouthpiece for the administration.

And this quote from Howard Kurtz, WaPo 05/26/03:
"An internal e-mail by Judith Miller, the paper's top reporter on bioterrorism, acknowledges that her main source for such articles [New York Times coverage of the search for dangerous weapons thought to be hidden by Saddam Hussein] has been Ahmad Chalabi, a controversial exile leader who is close to top Pentagon officials."
(found at http://www.usiraqprocon.org/BiosInd/JMiller.htm)