Woodward Returns

[dArKeR]

by Eric Alterman

Well, Bob Woodward has partially redeemed himself. His last book, Bush at War, read like a superhero comic book mistranslated from its original Serbo-Croatian. Everyone in the Bush Administration was portrayed as they might have wished: brave, steadfast, determined to protect America from evildoerdom, no matter the cost.

Because Colin Powell and his aides evidently decided to tiptoe off the reservation in preparation for their long-overdue departure, the new book, Plan of Attack, has texture. There are conflicts. Not everybody can be right about everything. And while the book does gloss over many of the Administration's most nefarious characteristics--its serial dishonesty with Congress and the media, for instance--the trust Woodward earned with his hagiographic first account put him in good stead to expand our understanding of how these people go about making their catastrophic decisions and then denying them. Here's what I learned:

1. For foreign policy purposes, Dick Cheney is President: Cheney wanted this war from way back when; it was Bush who needed convincing. As Slate's Tim Noah points out, "The closest Woodward comes to showing Bush making a final decision is when Bush pulls Rumsfeld aside in early January 2003 and says, 'Look, we're going to have to do this I'm afraid. I don't see how we're going to get him to a position where he will do something in a manner that's consistent with the UN requirements, and we've got to make an assumption that he will not.'" When the President is not around, Administration officials refer to Cheney as "the Man," as in, "The Man wants this" or "The Man thinks that."

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040510&s=alterman

Why doesn't Eric write about Woodward's Larry King Live pre-invasion.
Larry: Are there WMD in Iraq?
WoodWhore: There are double the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq which Bush has alluded to. That's the rule.
(paraphrase).

I personally saw this on CNN International Larry King Live while in Asia. Was this edited out of USA?

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On Lehrer, Woodwhore said Junior is a 'really really tough pResident.' I guess Woodwhore left out the no brain part. In my opinion, Woodwhore is just a operative of the Shadow Government.

[hedda_foil]

1. Read this part!

The record demonstrates that the White House went out of its way to undercut the weapons inspectors in order to justify its obsession with war. For the past year, the goofball President of the United States and his Defense Secretary have been denying that inspectors were ever even allowed inside Iraq--something that goes all but unreported in the US media because reporters apparently find it too weird (see my last column).

[stellanoir]

2. others have speculated that Woodward

sucked up with the first "Bush at War" book, only to gain further trust within the administration. In the second, "Plan of Attack" he exposed the missappropriation of 700 million bucks and that thievery is thoroughly unconstitutional. If any one besides Senator Byrd is paying attention. . .is probably an impeachable offense. So thank him.

[Proud_Lefty]

3. How is he going to get impeached?

No matter how many times he gets caught with his pants down, the media builds him back up to a super power. Some of his own people are getting tired of how much crap they have to ignore, but not enough to stop the madness. Our current government is downright screwed up and we're screwed. Why not ask Scareli to head up the investigation?

[stellanoir]

4. yeah I agree with you. . .

the misdeeds of this administration are so heinously tiresome and loathesome. I'm really wondering if they successfully manipulate the election this year, whether it won't be a Nixon redux. Re-elected then forced to resign. There are so many high crimes and misdemeanors burbling.

Just praying that the truth will come out over time.

[dennis4868]

5. I agree with you....

Bush has created about 55 type watergates scandals while in the WH....Joh Dean outlines this in his new book. But Dean says that a high crime and misdemeanor is not a scandal until the media gives it legs. IT REFUSES TO GIVE ANY NEGATIBE BUSH STORY LEGS....can you believe that the Bush WH put a hit on a CIA agent (Valerie Plame) and gets away with it politically thanks to the media....DISGUSTING!

Clinton lied, no one died, Bush lied....well you know.....