Yowza. Anybody else feel that 2005 will be as bad a year for The Profession as it was when...well, come to think of it, it's just never been worse, has it? We just got done taking down our Eason Jordan dart board, and now this:

CBS prez Les Moonves' attempt to create a clean slate in-house after the Gunga Dan/Bush scandal has hit a snag, with exec producer Josh Howard and the other two scapegoats involved refusing to go quietly, according to the Observer. Howard, Mary Murphy and Betsy West are retaining counsel. CBS's own report on the flubbed story appears, at least in part, to support The Three's position. When heavyweight lawyers like Martin Garbus fling words like "libel," you can bet your bottom dollar it's gonna be a long, painful Spring.

Advantage: The Three. Because even if they don't win whatever suits they may be flirting with bringing, each day they remain inside the building is a bad day for Moonves. Because dead fish, culpable or not, still stink from the head down.