So much for wanting to restore a reputation.

Josh Howard, the lone standout of the three executives asked by CBS to resign over Memogate has taken a settlement and agreed to do so, according to Fox News.

Tuesday’s agreement ends any possibility of a wrongful termination lawsuit, which had been looming since top CBS executive Leslie Moonves asked for Howard’s resignation on Jan. 10. It was in response to the review of the story by former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh and former Associated Press chief executive Louis D. Boccardi.

That leaves Esther Kartiganer’s age discrimination and defamation lawsuit as the sole litigious reminder of Memogate for Moonves to handle. I’m not expecting much out of that.

The Fox story also reveals that Mary Mapes’ book is due for an autumn release.

On a side note, the publishing house said something I couldn’t resist picking up:

St. Martin’s announced Tuesday that Mapes “will chronicle what really happened at CBS and reveal the corporate, political and ideological agendas that threaten the integrity of journalists and the news.”

Maybe Mapes can speak to corporate agendas, but she sure as hellfire has first-hand experience at political and ideological agendas. This coming from the woman who wanted to “change the momentum of an election,” said “the road to the White House” runs through the restaurant where she saw the forged memos, and put Bill Burkett in contact with Joe Lockhart at the John Kerry campaign.

Watch and learn, kids. The publishing house made that asinine statement so Poynter and other fellow ideological journalism sites (”Bias? No, only Fox and those terrible blogging people are biased!”) will hype the book. Mark my words — when the book comes, the MSM will almost completely ignore the numerous indictments against Mapes and paint her as a martyr sacrificed by the bean counters.

Every time you see an article on this book, see whether or not the writer bothers to bring up any of Mapes’ transgressions, most notably that she put her ethics aside and put the man with the memos in contact with the Kerry campaign.