Verbal Class Hero… Driving to a Redskins game awhile back with Matt Cooper, the Time magazine White House correspondent who may be going to prison for refusing to reveal his sources in the Valerie Plame investigation, I finally had a chance to really grill my old friend on why he didn’t just give up these White House shmucks, considering some of them have probably broken the law. We went back and forth for quite a while, and by the time we reached FedEx Field, I was convinced that Matt is doing the right thing. And so I heartily agree with what another mutual friend, Steve Waldman of Beliefnet.com, says about Matt here.

Our ideas can save democracy... But we need your help! Donate Now!

Paul Glastris is Editor in Chief of the Washington Monthly, founder of the magazine’s alternative college rankings, and president of the Washington Monthly Institute. He was previously a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and a correspondent and editor at U.S. News and World Report. He is a co-founder of the National Vote at Home Institute and co-author of two books, “The Other College Guide: A Roadmap to the Right School for You,” and “Elephant in the Room: Washington in the Bush Years.” He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Slate, and other publications.