Bob Woodward is an assistant managing editor at The Washington Post. "State of Denial" is his third book on President George W. Bush's administration.
Posted on 09/30/2006 11:22:53 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
In May, President Bush spoke in Chicago and gave a characteristically upbeat forecast: "Years from now, people will look back on the formation of a unity government in Iraq as a decisive moment in the story of liberty, a moment when freedom gained a firm foothold in the Middle East and the forces of terror began their long retreat."
Two days later, the intelligence division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff circulated a secret intelligence assessment to the White House that contradicted the president's forecast.
Instead of a "long retreat," the report predicted a more violent 2007: "Insurgents and terrorists retain the resources and capabilities to sustain and even increase current level of violence through the next year."
A graph included in the assessment measured attacks from May 2003 to May 2006. It showed some significant dips, but the current number of attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces and Iraqi authorities was as high as it had ever been -- exceeding 3,500 a month. (In July the number would be over 4,500.) The assessment also included a pessimistic report on crude oil production, the delivery of electricity and political progress.
On May 26, the Pentagon released an unclassified report to Congress, required by law, that contradicted the Joint Chiefs' secret assessment. The public report sent to Congress said the "appeal and motivation for continued violent action will begin to wane in early 2007."
There was a vast difference between what the White House and the Pentagon knew about the situation in Iraq and what they were saying publicly. But the discrepancy was not surprising. In memos, reports and internal debates, high-level officials of the Bush administration have voiced their concern about the United States' ability to bring peace and stability to Iraq since early in the occupation.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Here is all you need to know about this book:
From Howie Kurtz's article about this book:
The dominant theme of the new book -- that the administration was torn by internal divisions over Iraq and failed to recognize its blunders -- could prompt a reassessment of Woodward's work.
Bob Woodward is an assistant managing editor at The Washington Post. "State of Denial" is his third book on President George W. Bush's administration.
Bob Woodward is just another leftist pile of sh*t, making crap up out of whole cloth just like his butt buddy at the Washington Post, Tom Ricks.
The very title of "State of Denial" suggests a more sharp-edged approach than "Bush at War" or "Plan of Attack," although the latter, in particular, contained revelations about the administration that were seized upon by John Kerry's presidential campaign after its 2004 release. But the narrative pushed by Woodward's critics was that of a journalist who was an outsider while digging into the Nixon White House but had since become wealthy, famous and too cozy with those in the Bush White House.
The dominant theme of the new book -- that the administration was torn by internal divisions over Iraq and failed to recognize its blunders -- could prompt a reassessment of Woodward's work.
"In my view, his reputation had suffered from the first two books on the Bush administration, and I believe he's a very smart guy and he knows that," said Jay Rosen, a New York University journalism professor. "I think he was used to put out a narrative that was radically incomplete."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901655.html
And I hope nobody forgets that Woodward has let Scooter Libby twist in the wind, all the while knowing that Armitage was the person who leaked Plame's name.
As did that hack Novack.
As I said yesterday, this book is FILLED with people in full CYA mode, trying to reposition themselves for the next administration.
Including Woodward.
Just curious. Did he interview Bill Casey for this book, too?
Exactly! Bob Woodward is out to sell books... nothing else.
Have you read it?
Unnamed sources who are high government officials unwilling to be identified or singled out, claim that some heretofore military advisers to a senior Senator serving on a secret committee heard that the Moon is made of Green Cheese. Howard Dean, cornered on his way out of church, claimed that this was another attempt be the Republicans to keep America in the dark. His Holiness, former President Clinton angrily blamed Rush Limburger and the right wing wackos at Fox for the fact his administration may have failed to make this important discovery. "I tried,Lord knows I tried, but every time we got close to an answer, the golldang people who are out to get me stole, thats right,stole another can of strawberries from the White House! But, I always know it was the Republicans cause we proved they like strawberries and Fox told them on just what shelf we kept`m." Former VP ALGORE agreed with Clinton,he thought.
Probably because of our increased armor. The first time I was in Iraq, my humvee didn't even have doors, much less up-armored ones. The next time, even the GOV F150s had armor plating on them.
While the normal weapons are doing less damage, the attack rates are the same. Now you see a number of Iranian made shape charged IEDs that can punch through any Humvee armor we can make. Those are more rare, but quite deadly, and it shows that our defensive measures only work so well.
No, but the parts I've heard or read about sound full of CYA and misinformation.
Also, we're on track to take as many casualties, by years end, as we did in the previous two.
As Tony Snow said yesterday, "If everybody in Washington wrote a book, they would all be called 'They Should Have Listend to ME!'"
There was a lot of misinformation about his last book. Until we all were able to read it.
I think I will wait and read it myself.
We have enemies in this country working in the left-wing liberal media. They do not know what they are doing to this country. Aren't they worried about our future, out children?
Gee, it's funny how these books work. Remember Woodward's book on Casey? Which was based on... an exclusive interview Casey gave Woodward on his deathbed. Only problem, of course, was that Casey was attended 24/7 and Woodward came no where near the place.
No doubt this is based on Woodward's usual tactics... "out of body experience" reporting on interviews he got while his physical self was elsewhere... nameless sources, who are the voices in his head... and it will just coincidentally, by sheer happenstance, alighn tightly with DNC talking points.
I presume the only reason anyone in DC talks to him is that they know he's going to say you talked to him anyway. Woodward has infected the entire Post staff with his tendency to fabricate, to use nameless (and imaginary) sources, and to close the factual gap with fabrications. You wouldn't have had stories like Dana Priest's tale of the Amazon fight of Jessica Lynch (events which never happened, told to Priest by sources that apparently never existed) if Woodward hadn't established the principle.
Maybe half of what's in every day's post has some basis in fact. But nobody, including the hacks writing it, could tell you which half. This is Woodward's legacy.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
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