“Obama’s Wars”: The Real Story Bob Woodward Won’t Tell

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http://whowhatwhy.com/2010/09/30/%E2%80%9Cobama%E2%80%99s-wars%E2%80%9D-the-real-story-bob-woodward-won%E2%80%99t-tell/


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Agent Woodward 

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In June of 2009, Woodward traveled to Afghanistan with General Jim Jones, President Obama’s National Security adviser, to meet with General Stanley McChrystal, then the commander of forces there. Why did Jones allow this journalist to accompany him? Because Jones knew that Woodward could be counted on to deliver the company line — the military line. In fact, Jones was essentially Woodward’s patron.

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…Jones was a guest of Woodward at his wife Elsa Walsh’s fiftieth birthday party held at Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee’s house. He and Elsa were glued to Jones at the cocktail party before the dinner started…

In September of last year, McChrystal (or someone close to him) leaked to Woodward a document that essentially forced President Obama’s hand. Obama wanted time to consider all options on what to do about Afghanistan. But the leak, publicizing the military’s “confidential” assertion that a troop increase was essential, cast the die, and Obama had to go along. Nobody was happier than the Pentagon — and, it should be said, its allies in the vast military contracting establishment.

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This episode highlights a crucial aspect of Bob Woodward’s career that has been ignored by most of the media. Simply put, Woodward is the military’s man, and always has been.

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But might there be more to Woodward and his oeuvre than just questionable work practices? Well, let’s see. Woodward granted former CIA director George H.W. Bush a pass by excluding him from accounts of Iran-Contra, which occurred while the notorious intriguer was vice president under the notoriously hands-off Ronald Reagan. (When I asked Woodward about this for my book Family of Secrets, he replied, “Bush was…What was it he said at the time? I was out of the loop?”) Later Woodward got exclusive access to H.W.’s son. He spent more time with George W. Bush than did any other journalist, writing several largely sympathetic books about his handling of Iraq and Afghanistan before playing catch-up with prevailing sentiment and essentially reversing course.
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Bob neo con Woodward
should not be trusted

[mix]

1. Who among the ruling classes should be trusted?

The rot starts at the top.

[jeanpalmer]

2. Why would a leak from the military

force him to go along with a troop increase?

Why doesn't opposition to that war within his own party force him to withdraw?

[Mimosa]

3. Ensho, Woodward IS CIA.

Jean Palmer, you ask:

"Why would a leak from the military

force him to go along with a troop increase?

Why doesn't opposition to that war within his own party force him to withdraw?"

Those are EXTREMELY intriguing questions. I'd love to know the answers.

[jeanpalmer]

4. Yep, me too

Maybe if we at DU had leaked that we were strongly opposed to escalation, he would have had to go along with us. Especially if we had leaked first. We gotta find a way to get into this leaking business so we can have an impact.

[BlueIris]

5. I think you mean ONI.

(Once ONI, always ONI.)

And Bob isn't the only one of "our" ilk who works not so covertly in intelligence, if you know what I mean.

[rug]

6. All true, but Woodward didn't order the escalation.

[mistertrickster]

7. When Woodward's first Bush book came out in which WPE was "barking commands"

in every crisis . . . I knew that a formerly good reporter had gone over to the dark side.

Granted, the second book was more critical, but that was when WPE approval was down to 30 percent.

Good reporters advance public opinion . . . Woodward just follows it.