A little-known story from the very beginning of TPMmuckraker: a few days into the gig, Paul and I were still messing around and trying to figure out how to cover all the scandals that were out there. Let’s divvy it up by scandal, Paul said. He offered to take Abramoff. I took Duke Cunningham. And we were off.
A few months later the Cunningham scandal sprouted hooker rumors. What luck! I never asked Paul if has was sore I got the (alleged) hookers. Looking back, I wonder if he gave me the juicier scandal in yet another gesture of his genteel Southern manners (of all the persistent journalists I’ve known, Paul is by far the most polite).
Today’s my last day at TPMmuckraker, and that more or less sums up my experience here. I’ve been incredibly lucky: Lucky to get to cover scandals all day, lucky to work with Paul, lucky to have the exceptionally talented and insightful Josh Marshall as an editor and blogging mentor.
So a great big thank-you to Paul and Josh. And thanks to our readers, whom I’ll miss just as much. Your tips, your questions, your insights, your jokes and cranky dissents — it’s like working in the biggest, liveliest newsroom in the world. It has been a privilege. Rakers of muck, rake on.
Update: Paul just told me he wasn’t sore about the hookers. If there were any.
