Lobbyist Vicki Iseman has settled her libel suit against the New York Times in return for a dishonest clarification.

On Thursday, the two sides released a joint statement saying: “To resolve the lawsuit, Ms. Iseman has accepted The Times’s explanation, which will appear in a Note to Readers to be published in the newspaper on Feb. 20, that the article did not state, and The Times did not intend to conclude, that Ms. Iseman had engaged in a romantic affair with Senator McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of the public trust.”

Yeah, because no one reading that article could come to the conclusion that the Times was alleging an affair. No one except for the newspaper's own ombudsman, Clark Hoyt.

I continue to believe that Iseman had a reasonably good case against the Times. Why she chose not to pursue it we will likely never know.