Dan Froomkin Watch

Dana Milbank, one of the Post’s very best reporters, was pretty funny yesterday in his online chat. He started out with this comment,

Dana Milbank: Good morning. Many of you out there in what my colleague John F. Harris affectionately dubs “the crankosphere” are evidently of the impression that the Washington Post political staff is distracted by internal battles with washingtonpost.com. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have focused this week on the Iraqi elections, in which the Froomkin turnout was much higher than expected. We have closely monitored the White House’s about face on the Froomkin torture amendment. And today, I write from the Senate press gallery, where Froomkins are attempting to filibuster the Patriot Act.

With that, I will be happy to take your Froomkins.

Then there was the commentator who asked,

Los Angeles, Calif.: Wow, did you see how many anti-Harris comments there were after his Froomkin comment?

Note to self: if you ever need a raise, just have the ombudsman plant a story that the higher uppers aren’t happy with your stuff. then watch the fireworks fly!

Milbank was ready with this reply:

Hmmm. Froomkin, Froomkin. Nope, name doesn’t ring a bell.

Possibly “Froomkin” is a bastardization of our political editor’s middle name. His pen name is John F. Harris, but he is known to all by his middle name, Furby.

But I like the part about the raise…

At some point, it started getting a little silly:

Dallas, Tex.: No question. I just wanted to wish you a Merry Froomkin.

Dana Milbank: And a Furby New Year to you.

And let’s not leave out Milbank’s sign-off comment

At any rate, they’re having the cloture vote on the Patriot Act now. I’ve got to dash. It’s been a pleasure and, indeed, a Froomkin.

After that, it’s almost anticlimactic to report that today (Saturday being the lowest circulation day of the week), the print Post published two letters that were very critical of ombudsman Deborah Howell’s swipe at Dan. I’m curious to see if there’s anything in her next column about this amazing outpouring from the readers.