Bob Woodward: Not My Cup of Tea

Ten years ago last month, Joan Didion published a highly critical essay of journalist Bob Woodward in the New York Review of Books. It's a classic. You can read the article here. She was definitely going against the conventional wisdom at the time, but it did get people thinking.

I thought of this essay in light of all the media attention Woodward is getting for his new book. This time, he's critical of President Bush. This is in contrast to his earlier two books, including the one released just before the last presidential election, when the mood of the country was slightly different, and when Bush was more popular, and when Woodward didn't want to say anything to threaten his standing on the Washington cocktail party circuit, and at a time when Woodward didn't want to possibly threaten "sources" (like President Bush) who could give him "inside" information that could be used in his next lucrative book deal. (And these books, obviously, were also before Woodward got serious egg on his face for his connection with the Valerie Plame affair.)

So Woodward has a new book out, eh? Who cares. Let's take a step back to see how he operates: The man kisses political ass to get information -- the type of scoop he has based a career on -- but by the very act of this ass-kissing he becomes an unreliable source. He has become the Insider that he used to loath, and it creates a cycle where he wants his sources to be viewed in as positive a light as possible so that the politicans' tales keep wagging and their lips keep moving. (He's only more critical of Bush now, possibly, because he's still wounded for his part in the Plame-Fitzgerald scandal, and wants to preserve the perception of his independence.)

So although I tend to agree with the information in his new book, "State of Denial," Bob Woodward has absolutely no credibility left with me.

Zip.