Oops

I'll admit, yesterday's Times article about Spitzer's supposed willingness to cede his ongoing Wall Street investigations to federal regulators had me a bit concerned as it seemed an overt political move to win support and money for his gubernatorial race. However, by the Times's own admission, they fucked up and today they have issued a correction.

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer of New York said yesterday that he did not intend to cede to the federal government any of his existing or previous investigations into business practices.

Criticizing a front-page article in The New York Times yesterday about his plans, Mr. Spitzer issued a statement saying that increased regulatory activity by the federal government, particularly the Securities and Exchange Commission, made it more likely that Washington would take the lead or act alone in new investigations. But he said that his office would not withdraw from cases in which it is now actively involved, calling the notion "absurd."

The article referred imprecisely to Mr. Spitzer's plans, saying he was "ready to cede those investigations" to the federal government and leaving the incorrect impression that he was referring to existing investigations. The headline also said that he would "yield inquiries" to federal regulators.

The article "suggests that the attorney general has somehow altered his views on the role of his office in confronting corporate fraud," the statement said. "This is simply not true."

Perhaps I can suggest a New Year's resolution for the Times:

In the New Year I promise to never again make things up.