Posted on 09/30/2006 9:09:30 PM PDT by bobsunshine
Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. "Andy” Card, Jr. has denied Bob Woodward’s claim that he and first lady Laura Bush tried to get Donald Rumsfeld fired as defense secretary.
Card told NewsMax’s chief Washington correspondent Ronald Kessler that the assertion in Woodward’s book "State of Denial" that he thought Rumsfeld should have been the one to leave the administration instead of himself was also "not true.” Card left as chief of staff in April.
According to an excerpt to be published in the Washington Post on Sunday, "State of Denial" says, "He [Card] was leaving. And the man most responsible for the postwar troubles, the one who should have gone, Rumsfeld, was staying.”
But Card told NewsMax, "I never felt that someone should have left ‘instead’ of me.”
Card said any implication that he was bitter about leaving was also "not true at all.”
News accounts about the Woodward book led with Andy Card trying to oust Rumsfeld with the support of Laura Bush. But White House spokesman Tony Snow quoted Laura Bush’s office as saying Woodward’s claim relating to her was "flatly not true.” In addition, Card told the Associated Press that Laura Bush never encouraged an effort to oust Rumsfeld.
"Mrs. Bush and I never discussed it,” Card said.
Only two major news outlets ran Laura Bush’s denial — the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.
In his book, Woodward wrote that Card urged Bush to replace Rumsfeld with former Secretary of State James Baker following the 2004 election. According to the book, Bush decided not to do so after Vice President Dick Cheney and chief political adviser Karl Rove convinced him it would be seen as an expression of doubt about the direction of the war and expose Bush to criticism.
Woodward claimed that Card, with the backing of first lady Laura Bush, tried a second time to persuade Bush to fire Rumsfeld around Thanksgiving 2005. But according to Woodward, the president again refused to replace him.
But according to Card, he never pushed for Rumsfeld’s resignation. He said he kept a list of potential Cabinet and staff changes for Bush to consider after the 2004 election, as he did after other important dates.
"To say that it was a campaign or an orchestrated effort would be wrong,”' Card said. "But were there times that we talked about potential changes in the Cabinet? Yes. Did they center around Rumsfeld? Not necessarily. They were in a broader context.”
Tony Snow, besieged by questions about it at his daily briefing, said the book was similar to others critical of the war effort and that much of it was less than meets the eye.
"In a lot of ways, the books are like cotton candy. They kind of melt on contact,'” he said.
In a story that ran July 31, Card told NewsMax that his own resignation arose after he had been thinking for some time that "the president needed something that would allow external observers to see that he had new momentum.” Card said he already had a lot of changes in the works, but nobody would have seen them as change.
"So it was time for new personalities to help give definition to the word change,” Card said. "I first went to the president more than a month and a half before I left. I said, ‘You know, I think it’s probably time to think about it.’”
"Nah!” the president replied at Camp David. "I’m not going to do anything.”
Card suggested he give it some thought.
"We talked a handful of other times about it, and finally it was the right time,” Card said.
That confirms what I've figured all along. Woodward is a cretin, selling a book.
Everything Woodward says must be true. A dying source whispered it all into his ear - - then abruptly died.
Not good enough. Andy Card and the others will have to appear on TV shows to refute him.
Hey, if the truth doesn't suit, then lie well.
Is the First Lady calling woodward a liar? /snicker.
I just hope that he appears on Special Report with Brit on Monday. Put this nonsense to bed quickly. I have no faith in the networks. All they'll do is cause more trouble.
Larry liberal King is going to wear his kneepads on Monday night. I won't watch.
WOODWARD LIAR BUMP!
Of course ole Larry wear kneepads he is old he is kissa***
LOL
Andy Card should of ran this year for either the U.S. Senate against Senator Kennedy or for Massachusetts Governor against Deval Patrick. He would of made either race at least more interesting-win or lose.
I wonder if Woodward got that info from interviewing Casey?
Andy Card may be a whistle-d*ck but this hoo-rah does not pass the smell test. RUM-ME, RUM-ME!
They just make up whatever they think will sell books, further an agenda or win an election.
They aren't even very good at it. That didn't even sound like something Laura Bush would say.
Andy Card earned his bones .Did a fine job
Woodward ain't but kindlin' for hell
Clarification - I meant, what I had read she was alleged to have said in another thread.
Thanks for the warning. Won't watch it either.
I despise Larry King and only watch him when I'm bored and happen to like the guest. I usually regret watching, because he's snarky to the guests I like.
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