We're watching Lou Dobbs on CNN presenting a report on the New York Times meeting today about Jayson Blair. The theme Dobbs keeps repeating is that no top editors are accepting responsibility.

According to the Times, Howell Raines accepted full responsibility and turned the meeting into a grievance session against himself and his management style. So what gives with CNN? Raines said,

"I was guilty of a failure of vigilance that, since I sit in this chair where the buck stops, I should have prevented."

If that isn't accepting responsibility, what is?

Raines said he would resign if Sultzburger asked him to.

Mr. Sulzberger, who was sitting next to Mr. Raines, quickly interjected that he would not accept Mr. Raines's resignation even if offered.

When asked whether race played a role in keeping Jayson Blair, Raines said,

"Our paper has a commitment to diversity and by all accounts he appeared to be a promising young minority reporter," Mr. Raines said. "I believe in aggressively providing hiring and career opportunities for minorities."

"Does that mean I personally favored Jayson?" he added, a moment later. "Not consciously. But you have a right to ask if I, as a white man from Alabama, with those convictions, gave him one chance too many by not stopping his appointment to the sniper team. When I look into my heart for the truth of that, the answer is yes."

What are we missing?