Those were the famous last words of Matt Cooper, Master of Ceremonies at the April 1st "Fear & Loathing at the Press Club" comedy event in honor of the late Hunter S. Thompson.

While the context was in reference to the death of Pope John Paul II, it was eerily prophetic of things to come some three months later when Cooper would have to testify before a grand jury in the Valerie Plame case.

The 29th of June was an unbearably hot sticky day in Washington, more like one we have come to expect in August. It would have been hot despite the weather though when Time magazine's Matt Cooper and New York Times reporter Judith Miller arrived at the DC Federal Courthouse where the media circus had been poaching for hours.

The incubation stage of the case had been in play for so long it was difficult to remember exactly what the fuss was all about. Craig Crawford, MSNBC's political commentator and author of "Attack the Messenger", paraphrased it this way: "It was a grand jury investigation into who leaked the name of an undercover CIA operative (Valerie Plame) that ended with one reporter going to jail for contempt of court (Judith Miller) and the other being released by his anonymous source (Matt Cooper)."

The Cooper-Miller saga continues to be played out on the stage of political partisanship; as to whether any of the other players will be indicted is anyone's guess, but could range from Chicago Sun Times columnist Robert Novak to Republican political operative Karl Rove.

Betting odds: The press will be the fall guys; the made for TV rights have already been sold; Judith Miller, incarcerated in the same Virginia prison that houses alleged terrorist Zachariah Moussaoui, will write a best-seller with or without her jail mate; Matt Cooper won't have to give up his day job, although he could move on as a comic or psychic.

Famous last words: "It's fun covering Bush, "he's a man of determination and had this to say about the hurricanes: I vow to get the scums who did this." (Matt Cooper, April 1st at The Press Club) The question is: Will he?

Only winner so far is Star Limousine Service whose ominous black sedans were clustered in front of the courthouse.

Well, gotta go now, my car is waiting....so that's all folks.

Photo: Matt Cooper by Neshan H. Naltchayan