John Harris is to Bob Woodward what Lou Dobbs was to Judy Miller: The first to treat Curiously Suspect Journalist with felt gloves.

In Harris' washingtonpost.com chat yesterday, he dodged several questions (as Wonkette has pointed out) in a very McClellan-like fashion (which even he recognized)...

John F. Harris: I'm sorry, but I don't know about the matter to which you refer.

John F. Harris: I'm not going to dignify this question with a response.

John F. Harris: I'm going to have to refer you to the State Department on this.

John F. Harris: Asked and answered already. Next question.

...and made it clear what he thinks the paper should shouldn't do:

Bob should by no means be fired. He is one of the giants of journalism, and is justifiably an institution at the Post.

And, apparently, being a giant means you get special treatment, which Harris concedes:

Philadelphia, Pa.: "Bob should by no means be fired. He is one of the giants of journalism, and is justifiably an institution at The Post." Couldn't much of this have been said about Judith Miller and her status at the NY Times before her WMD reporting? While I don't think Bob should be fired, it seems like he made a pretty egregious mistake in keeping The Post in the dark about his role in the Plame affair, while at the same time criticizing the investigation on television.

John F. Harris: I don't want to get in Miller bashing, but Bob's professional reputation is different than hers, and his work has held up over time.