Curiously, Post Ombudsman Deborah Howell doesn't use her Sunday ombudsman column to discuss the Ben Domenech story (opting instead to discuss "The Post and the Whole Picture in Iraq").

Why? According to AMERICAblog, Howell is sending the following email to everyone who writes her about Domenech:

Subject: Re: Domenech

The Washington Post has not hired him. The website has. The two are under totally different management. He will not be working for the newspaper. If you want to complain to the right person, try executive.editor@wpni.com.

Deborah

So Howell doesn't comment on website issues? Hmmm...funny. We seem to remember quite vividly her doing just that not so long ago...

Indeed it seems that, more and more, Howell's position at the Post has been to be Chief Defender, rather than Chief Regulator.