NBC’s Chris Matthews Show (10/30/11):
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Welcome back. Bob, tell me something I don’t know.
BOB WOODWARD: That the White House has a secret plan to win the election and it’s complex and it’s secret, but it–look, Barack Obama wants to win so badly, as I understand it, everything in the White House is driven by the election and that level of commitment will take them to a point where he’s going to show some leg in a way that people are going to say, wow, he really wants the job and this emotional connection could take place.
MATTHEWS: Wow. I do–I am impressed by that.
Bush at War: a flattering portrait of a government of the political underworld
“This is the latest in a series of behind-the-scenes books by the Washington Post journalist of Watergate fame. Over the past 16 years Woodward has cranked out a half dozen such volumes on the major institutions of official Washington. The CIA, the Pentagon, the Supreme Court, the Clinton White House and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan have all received this largely adulatory treatment, and now it is the turn of the Bush administration, in a retelling of the 100 days which followed the September 11 terrorist attacks.”
“First, a few words on method and style. Woodward produces what one critic has termed â┚¬Ã…“journalistic fiction,â┚¬Ã‚ a novelized version of current events in which he cites innumerable conversationsâ┚¬”Âthere are an estimated 15,000 words directly quoted in the bookâ┚¬”Âas well as the thoughts and interior monologues of various White House personalities. Bush, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, Tenet, Rove and many others agreed to interviews. Woodward blends these self-serving accounts, in which his subjects profess to recall the exact words they and others spoke at various meetings over a three-month period, into what purports to be a verbatim narrative.”
“Bush at War accepts the entire framework of the official Bush administration version of September 11: the terrorist attacks came as a bolt from the blue, with no warning; the US government quickly identified Osama bin Laden as the likely instigator; the refusal of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to hand over bin Laden left the US no choice but to invade Afghanistan and overthrow the regime, using the opposition Northern Alliance. There is not a word of serious analysis or criticism in the entire volume.”
“Key episodes are glossed over in the book, as several reviewers and critics have noted: Woodward avoids serious examination of Bush’s own movements on September 11, which strongly suggest panic or loss of control; he is silent on the decision to evacuate all members of the bin Laden family living in the United States (among the heirs to the Saudi construction fortune are close business associates of the Bush family); he does not discuss such events as the anthrax attacks on Senate Democratic leaders, which facilitated passage of the USA Patriot Act, and the mass arrests of Arab and South Asian immigrants.”
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/mar2003/bush-m07.shtml
Lipstuck-up $O$ ($old Out $hill); I’LL stick with Bernstein, ANY Day!
bush is an idiot,so far the GOP nominee’s are too. Not much has changed. sad.
Woodward”s beltway pot boilers are al,l total and complete shams.
Despite his involvement in Watergate, he is an Establishment Republican, neoconservative shill.
Based on what I have seen so far out of the Obama campaign in 2008 and since then in the white house, I wouldn’t doubt that Obama will try for one last “Hail Mary” to rescue his rapidly declining base. NOTHING would surprise me.
I’m 52 and Bob Woodward is not my generation’s “greatest reporter.” I hope most of us know that.
There are many who have, and continue to do, absolutely stellar, unbiased, non ego-driven, full perspective reporting. Because they didn’t “sell out” to big publishing/media money, fame, or in the name of appeasing & retaining sources, they aren’t household names. No movies have been made about them.
In addition, they didn’t enjoy the luck Woodward had in landing on a story that proved to shock the nation & world out of it’s naivete. Since that initial shock, this nation has become acclimated to, and apathetic about, governmental & white collar criminality.
Woodward writes self-serving tomes now. He became “great” long, long ago by (then) unadulterated hard work and circumstance. That’s all. He’s far, far overrated. Take what he says and writes with a HUGE grain of salt.
Ya’ll had me going for a minute. I thought there was something relevant actually being reported.
Oh well, back to work.
I’d just like to know why one man’s job is worth gutting Social Security & Medicare, as well as keeping on Tim Geithner, whom Wall Streeters for good reason call “Our Man in Washington.”
It boggles the mind how enormous a disappointment Barack Obama has been. I no longer think in terms of Democrats and Republicans, only the corrupt and the good. Though I must admit, the only good politicians I can think of at the moment are Al Franken, my Rep Keith Ellison, and Socialist Bernie Sanders. Plus probably Dennis Kucinich.
What president hasn’t wanted to be re-elected, had secret plans to try to facilitate that, and was willing to put a “leg out” to get the win. That’s like being shocked that a jockey at a horse race actually tried to win.
Besides, Obama isn’t doing any real serious campaigning, despite the delusional ranting of the conservatives. It’s a slam dunk for him â┚¬” none of the clowns in the Republican Clown College are a credible threat to him, and for all his failings, the American people aren’t stupid enough to vote Republicans back in after the anti-American stunt they pulled this summer, taking the nation’s economy hostage to their selfish, childish demands.
I voted for Obama, and boy, am I sorry! I’m extremely disappointed in him and I’ve written to let him know it: Bailing out Wall Street instead of Main Street, just to start with, and really, acting (and voting) more like a Republican than a Democrat! I sure wish I’d voted for his female Dem. opponent instead of him, but, not really knowing what he would be like and what his policies were, and thinking she didn’t have a chance of winning, I voted for him. A big mistake! We have never yet had a woman president, and I think it’s about time! We democrats sure have surely been let down by Obama’s policies. He’s one of the most disappointing Democrats we’ve ever voted into office.
As far as 9/11 and invading Iraq, Bush’s goal there was, entirely, to get our hands on the oil!
OBAMA has earned the title ‘Most anti-environment President in 60 years’ – opened Artic to oil drilling; allowed BP to drill in re-opened two million square miies of Gulf of Mexico; refused to increase limites on smog to comply with European Union standards; favors Trans Canada-USA oil sand 1300 mile pipe line to pollute mid-America; favors Hydrauliuc Fracturing to pollute NYS and other locations; appointed Natural Gas Industry proponents to Advisory Panel. If it is bad for the environment – OBAMA is for it! Allowed inside track at State Departmetn for top industry lobbyist; same for his 2012 campaign manager. Collecting One Billllion to finance his buying the White House re-election in 2012. Turned the White House over to the Bankers’ sponsors Geithner, Bernanke, Summers.
Nothing on jobs in 2009, 2010 and 2011. OBAMA campaign is limited to anti-Republicans – no performance of his 2008 promises. Turned the Justice Dept. into his do-nothing to the Bankers who caused the recession, corrupt politicians, Health reform to get insurance companies 32,000,000 new premiums payments but no cost ceilings etc. etc.
Well spoken by all of you, and check the New Hampshire Democratic Party Primary ballots and urge your friends to vote for one of O’Bomber’s opponents. The NH Primary has been scheduled for January 10. Several of his opponents have some funds to contest him, at least symbolically and in that one state. We have to make a stand somewhere.
I’m voting for President Obama. I hope those who voted for him and then helped blow the last election because they didn’t all their miracles in 2 lousy years, realize what a mistake they made for the working-class. We are the majority aren’t we? We did vote for change, didn’t we? If you want to destroy the gains in justice and fairness we’ve gotten, Vote for a Republican – and instead of just shooting ourselves in the foot, this time it might be the heart. // Jean Clelland-Morin
A president wants to be re-elected. Now there is a story nobody saw coming.
To my mind, neither party is worthy of support, since they are both wholly owned by big business.The Dems are only slightly less worse than the repooplicans…..BUT!……
If we wanted change, we should not have stayed home and let the tea baggers create the “NO” congress we now have. Check your history folks! It takes an average of 7 years to come out of an economic downturn. What that means is that if Obama gets re-elected it will be the last year in his second term that things turn around. If we get another wreaking crew repooplican in in 2012, he or she can claim that it was them that fixed things when it will really just be time that did it.
Great blogs.Especially Liz and Karl.Now for Michael…….you are too believing of this 7 year turnaround idea.By all indication this will take far longer no matter who is at the till.But It only took Obama 18 months to make things massively worse than Bush.This is also his legacy.Nothing he has done or said then ,or now,or moving into the future has indicated that he has a clue about how to move this country forward.THAT is why a right leaning congress(with tea party support), and left leaning Senate(jobs bill) has shut him down.And yes you are correct that the tea party can find no middle ground with his administrations spend, and tax mantra.His healthcare bill looks soon to go down in unconstitutional flames after so much time and work.Really just one disaster after another.And now after experiencing a super majority he bleats that it is all the republicans fault he failed,when he could not sway his own people, or the American people to his designs.
He seems a nice man with a good family.Jean Clelland-morin can you not see it is time for him to go home and write his memoirs?My personal opinion is Hilary should enter the race .If you have a chance in hell to keep a Dem president that is.As a tea party member i hope she stays out ,and Obama tries to run on his record
Ps Woodwards shtick earns him a boatload.Today…he can always say “once i was great”.And did great things.
Without Obama, this country would be a tangled mess at the bottom of the cliff. Woodward is way too full of himself.
Woodward is pretty much a joke, to deal with the subject of this thread.
And to deal with the Obama supporters, I can only say that we must come to the realization that we have two corporate parties, one a bit better than the other, and a president who is center right in his politics.
At some point we must begin to see that this dance between the two parties is all just a show and precipitates the ever devolving slide to the right and to the serving of corporate interests. We must quit believing that either party has the interests of working people at heart. Neither do.
Just look at the deficit commission and the anti-democratic way it operates. Both parties are engaged in it, and the usual faux fight will happen, with a lousy compromise being the outcome, all of this debacle based upon false premises, and in the end the working class will be sold out once again, SS and Medicare will be cut, the military industrial complex will get a token, small trimming to give the appearance of a hit. If you think this little dance is the only possible dance, then you have bought into a mystery play that excludes the many other possible paradigms on how we should organize our world. The financial system and interests, of which Obama is a back, bought and sold, should not be at the center of how we organize society. If “WE” don’t change it, society is doomed. Help organize independent movements, and don’t let them get co-opted by the either Party–particularly the Democratic Party that has a rich history at taking the wind of the movement for change.
Hillary is a part of the system as Obama is, so thinking she is an answer is delusional at best. Thinking that we can transform the Democratic Party is delusional too, though some at FAIR believe it to be the correct strategy.
The talk about Hillary challenging Obama or I should have voted for Hillary instead of Obama is really naive……..As the Republican Party is divided along class and organizational divides (Country club/Wall Street/made peace with the New Deal viz-a-viz traditionalists/values voters/small and medium size businesses and organizationally the Tea Party, the Democratic Party is also divide along class and organizational lines.
Hillary comes from the Wall Street wing of the Democratic Party (that is why she and Bill moved to New York) and organizationally they were known as the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) based in Chicago. The progressive wing is based in the working class unions and the middle-upper-middle class who are college educated working and living near major water ways.
When Obama won the election he appointed mostly DLC Democrats to his cabinet and sub-cabinet including Chicagoans Rahm Emanuel and Bill Daley as Chief of Staff (and both guys are tied to Hillary organizationally via the DLC). Obama also booted out the progressives in charge of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and restaffed the DNC with DLC apparatchiks Tim Kaine and later Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Last Winter the DLC voted itself out of existence because they now have total control of the DNC.
Will Obama win the election next year?….actually Wall Street will win the election next year……the guy in front of the cameras does not matter because the fix is already in.
On last idea I wish Fair would explore…..Instead of focusing in on who are the fat cats bankrolling the Tea Party, I would like to see an exploration of which Fat Cats on the Republican Party side are sitting on the sidelines ignoring both the Tea Party and the RNC…….
Lots of intelligent comment here. Yeah, I’ve come 180 on Obama too! He’s really full of it! Even his little “English public-school” stammer is fake. We need a full-on campaign to primary Obama everywhere its possible to do so. We really don’t have to put up with just whomever the DNC “selects” for us, and if we don’t get a choice at the convention we can put up “New Democrat” candidates in the election. Some of us still remember what democracy looks like, and if the Egyptians can do it we certainly should be able to do it too!
Oh, darn. I thought I was going to read something that Bill Moyers said. Now, there’s a (the) great (est) reporter.
AnnieR…Get real.He took a huge mess and turned it into a hugeamagantic ,disasteraphonic, gihugic shitstorm.He was not qualified to run a 7-11.He came in loaded with a boatload of liberal ideas hatched in academia.And surprise surprise nothing worked.He seems a nice man with a good family.Time to spend more family time at home.Far far from the white house.
Pete…..So far Egypt seems to be playing with some scary very undemocratic mixes.Lets see how that susses out before we congratulate them.I do agree with you though.If I were still a Dem I would want the ability to challenge him.I think if Hilary popped up it would be on.My guess is she will wait 4 more years.Who would you want as your candidate?
Well, Pete H., there isn’t going to be a primary on Obama. I would like to see that, but the party is too weak, too comprimised, and too focused on the Money to suddenly find within itself a glimmer of moral or sane reckoning about our disturbing future. Michael C.’s right, but I’m afraid we’ll have to deal with the Obama administration for four more years, assuming he beats the Republicon bonehead who ultimately gets selected. I expect that all the sudden fine talk the President’s giving us about the greedheads on Wall Street (very carefully couched in vague pieties) is just that, talk. He’s just saying what needs to be said; he’s got to get “the professional left” (a big part of which voted for him in ’08) back in his corner again. He’s already blown it with people like me*, but most folks who voted for him in ’08 will do it again in ’12. Remember, if Obama hadn’t have proved to the Money Power that he was “responsible,” he wouldn’t have been nominated in the first place. His Corporate and Wall Street bona fides were there all along of course, but his utter capitulation to Center/Right politics and his constant sucking up to the ‘Cons and his continuation of and amplification of the worst Cheney/Bush lawlessness were shocking still. We’ll see what happens. Obama’s walking towards the cliff; the ‘cons and the Right are running full speed at it. That’s the difference.
*The assassination of an American citizen(s) without due process, and the continuing drone murders of by now hundreds of innocent Pakistanis, was the deal-breaker for me. Very disappointing, and disturbing–the casual disregard for the rule of law, decency, and the Constitution, as well as the disregard for the decent opinions of mankind. What was criminally outrageous to so many under the Cheney/Bush regime is now the new normal under Obama.
Tim much of what you said I actually agree with.Of course I don’t believe the right would head for that cliff at anywhere near the speed the left is flying along at.AND……bonehead or not ,I don’t think Obama has a hope in hell.Again I ask you……who do you indorse?
Thanks everybody for your thoughts and opinions! I disagree with some but love them all.
FAIR!
Peter Hart,
WHF?
I used to think you guys were sharp and politically astute. “…generation’s greatest reporter?!!”
Maybe our lack of a sarcasm font is the problem.
You are just being sarcastic with the headline, right? Please.