Tactics and Substance in the 2004 Elections GoogleNews: Howard Dean

April 20, 2004

by V

Woodward's Book

Reasons I haven't commented on Woodward's book yet:
  1. I didn't see 60 Minutes yet (still on the TiVo..)
  2. I hadn't read any of the actual text till this morning's Post.
  3. Outrage fatigue
Some interesting bits of extra flavor come from today's online chat with the author: Books: Plan of Attack (washingtonpost.com)
Smyrna, Tenn.: Bob, I'm curious. As a budding college journalism student, I'm wondering if the book "Bush at War," was basically a more flattering, less critical book about Bush and all that laid the foundations for you to establish a trusting relationship with the administration so that the second book could explore more deeply the flawed ideological nature of the Bush White House?

Bob Woodward: That is not the case. This book, "Plan of Attack," is not a one-dimensional portrait of the president or the administration. People are going to read it very differently depending on what they bring to the book. I was surprised and frankly somewhat happy that both the Bush/Cheney campaign and the Kerry campaign have put the book on the recommended reading lists on their Web sites.

...[Woodward:]In the case of Powell and "The Commanders," if you go back and read Powell's autobiography, you will find Powell discusses what I wrote saying that he was in effect a reluctant warrior and Powell then writes a one-word sentence. Which is, "Guilty."

He confirmed and the only dispute he had with what I had written was the timing of one of the meetings. I think some of the facts that people are arguing about now are precisely, or generally, confirmed on the record by the President himself, Sec. Rumsfeld or others.

I think that the White House is uneasy that I've reported that the decision on war was made earlier than they had previously claimed. I certainly stand by what I've written and I suspect in a lifetime we will see memoirs by participants who in one way or another will rehash the issues and the reporting that I've done and then in effect say, "Guilty."

Posted by V at April 20, 2004 07:23 PM
Comments

Recommended Reading:

The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir
The Politics of Truth... A Diplomat's Memoir


Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush
Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush


Against All Enemies by Richard Clarke
Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror


LIES by Al Franken
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right


The Great Unraveling
The Great Unraveling


The Great Big Book of Tomorrow
The Great Big Book of Tomorrow


Clinton Wars
The Clinton Wars


Blinded by the Right
Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative


Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat

Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics, and Culture

Living History

The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton

John Adams

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace

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