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We urge those troubled souls who might have suspected that Robin Williams' release from rehab and subsequent embarking on a press tour for his upcoming movie was a little too conveniently timed to open their desk drawers, look at the half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels hidden under a stack of file folders, and ask themselves if their lack of charity might be fueled by their own, 80-proof problems. (If you must know, we failed this test of conscience so badly that had to freshen up our third cup of coffee with the devil juice just to continue with our day.) Today's Rush & Molloy column suggests that Williams' rehab timeline might have been massaged to beat a tabloid report about his trip to Hazelden, a much more palatable motive for playing fast and loose with the dates of his stay:

Robin Williams was out of rehab before it was ever announced, a source tells us.

"It was over already. They wanted to beat a tabloid story about it," the source adds.

The improv genius reportedly checked himself into Oregon's Hazelden Springbrook for alcoholism treatment in July after starting to drink following 20 years of sobriety. [...]

Mara Buxbaum, Williams' spokeswoman, wouldn't comment, except to say, "That's why they call it Alcoholics ANONYMOUS."

Now that an uncooperative outlet has been beaten to press, Williams' publicist can help her client navigate the final step of his recovery: telling his story of addiction and redemption to every reporter in America, so that potential Man of the Year ticket-buyers might benefit from his struggle with his recently vanquished demons.