It was [probably] a joke

It is interesting to see what happens when you are quoted in the news. Judging from the hundreds... er, many... er, few... er, make that zero emails I received today, I'm not sure if this media reference counts even as fifteen seconds of fame, in relation to Judge Roberts' statement in a 1985 memo,

"Some might question whether encouraging homemakers to become lawyers contributes to the common good, but I suppose that is for the judges to decide."

The article, as a whole, is quite fair in its depiction of my comments. The initial part, where the word "probably" belonged, is mitigated by the later quotation. That later quotation is a bit compressed,

"That sounds like the type of dark humor a lawyer might make about the profession," he said. "If I got that from nine of 10 lawyers, I'd assume he was making a joke about the profession."

I believe that reverses my phrasing - that is, I think I said that "If I got that from a lawyer, nine times out of ten I would assume he was making a joke about the profession." I think there is a subtle change of meaning. I also commented that my knowledge of the lawyer could affect my impression. But I can't complain too much, given that I do think this probably falls into the category of "dark humor about the profession", so on the whole my position was accurately reported. (And boy, would I be in trouble, if even a few of the billion or so deadpan sarcastic quips and comments I have written over the years were taken literally. I get in enough trouble with that tendency already - but sometimes you ruin the joke when you tack on a "smiley.")

Dana Milbank is very engaging and personable, and picks up on things very quickly. I can see why he's an effective reporter.