It will be interesting to see how the next couple weeks of the Woodward-White House war of words plays out. Will we see Bob Woodward cave or see the White House realize its mistakes? Or will other reporters finally start becoming reporters again or will they also bend to the demands of the White House?
Whichever way it ends, there will be blood spilled. The opening round was the White House demanding that Woodward not release the article on sequester and telling him that there would be hell to pay if he went ahead (our words, not a quote.) As one of the Watergate reporters who broke the story that brought down Nixon, one would think that this would only encourage the investigator to dig deeper. Obviously, this was not a big story, but it is becoming one.
In that same vein, neither was Watergate. The break-in was something easily dismissed and could have been controlled by throwing a couple functionaries to the wolves. It grew into a real story as the President and his people tried to control an out of control situation. The cover-up is where the real story broke.
Now we have the same type of very private White House telling a well known and respected reporter to mind his own business and not to report what he knows. Could this be the beginning of the end of the Obama Administration or will the press throw Woodward to the wolves and dismiss him as a has-been?
Time will tell, however ff we were to predict (which we know is dangerous business), Obama will get away with this. There will be some fence mending and Woodward will admit to a memory slip. He will say something to the effect of "I did not really remember it the way the White House does and for any misunderstanding on my part, I apologize to the President." Will you be satisfied with this? Will other reporters get the message that you don't cross this White House? Or will some enterprising reporter find the real smoking gun?
We have told you what we think, now it is your turn.
Conservative Tom
Whichever way it ends, there will be blood spilled. The opening round was the White House demanding that Woodward not release the article on sequester and telling him that there would be hell to pay if he went ahead (our words, not a quote.) As one of the Watergate reporters who broke the story that brought down Nixon, one would think that this would only encourage the investigator to dig deeper. Obviously, this was not a big story, but it is becoming one.
In that same vein, neither was Watergate. The break-in was something easily dismissed and could have been controlled by throwing a couple functionaries to the wolves. It grew into a real story as the President and his people tried to control an out of control situation. The cover-up is where the real story broke.
Now we have the same type of very private White House telling a well known and respected reporter to mind his own business and not to report what he knows. Could this be the beginning of the end of the Obama Administration or will the press throw Woodward to the wolves and dismiss him as a has-been?
Time will tell, however ff we were to predict (which we know is dangerous business), Obama will get away with this. There will be some fence mending and Woodward will admit to a memory slip. He will say something to the effect of "I did not really remember it the way the White House does and for any misunderstanding on my part, I apologize to the President." Will you be satisfied with this? Will other reporters get the message that you don't cross this White House? Or will some enterprising reporter find the real smoking gun?
We have told you what we think, now it is your turn.
Conservative Tom
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