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Jewish World Review Oct. 9, 2006 / 17 Tishrei, 5767 I'm in a state of skepticism: There's reason to question Bob Woodward's reporting techniques By Jack Kelly
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
In his 1987 book, "Veil," Bob Woodward's bombshell was a deathbed confession from legendary CIA Director William Casey that he had known all along about the Iran-Contra affair (the secret sale of weapons to Iran to raise funds for the rebels fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua).
Skeptics noted:
One of the skeptics, Michael Ledeen, was contacted by Ted Koppel, who was going to have Mr. Woodward on ABC's "Nightline" program, and was soliciting suggestions for questions he should ask.
"Ask him to describe the room," Mr. Ledeen said he told Mr. Koppel. "What was Casey wearing? Were there lots of flowers? What color were his pajamas?"
Mr. Koppel did ask those questions, and, Mr. Ledeen said, "Woodward froze, deer-in-headlights. Then he said he couldn't discuss it because it would 'reveal sources.' "
The "revelations" in Mr. Woodward's most recent book, "State of Denial," are sure to put him back in the good graces of those in the Washington establishment who were miffed with him for pouring cold water on the Valerie Plame nonscandal. But they are unlikely to resolve doubts about his veracity.
The "revelation" that has gotten the most attention is Mr. Woodward's claim that then-CIA Director George Tenet and his counterterrorism chief, Cofer Black, met with then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on July 10, 2001, to warn of an imminent al-Qaida attack, but that Ms. Rice brushed them off.
"Officials," however, "including allies of Mr. Tenet, denied that Ms. Rice ignored them," The New York Times reported. In fact, Ms. Rice asked Mr. Tenet to give the same briefing to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Mr. Woodward grossly exaggerated the significance of the July 10 briefing, which rated barely a footnote in the report of the 9/11 commission. This is because Mr. Tenet and Mr. Black could offer no information — at that meeting or any other — about where the attack would be; how it would be carried out; who would conduct it, or when it would happen.
Mr. Woodward claims that then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, with the support of First Lady Laura Bush, schemed to have Mr. Rumsfeld fired. This has been denied by both Mr. Card and the First Lady.
Mr. Woodward also claimed that relations between Ms. Rice and Mr. Rumsfeld were so strained that Mr. Rumsfeld stopped accepting her telephone calls. This also was denied by both principals — Ms. Rice said she talked to Mr. Rumsfeld almost every day — and a foolish gilding of the lily on Mr. Woodward's part, since telephone logs are kept.
Mr. Woodward's broad thesis — that the situation in Iraq is getting worse and President Bush has been concealing the relevant facts from the American people — stands up no better to factual examination.
"According to Woodward, insurgent attacks against coalition troops occur, on average, every 15 minutes, a shocking fact the administration has kept secret," said a CBS story based on Mr. Woodward's interview with Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes" last Sunday.
Secret? That datum (and many others) is publicly available on the Iraq Index published by The Brookings Institution, which is based primarily on data provided by the Department of Defense.
And although the number of attacks has been going up, their effectiveness has been declining. Fewer U.S. troops and fewer Iraqi security forces are being killed each month, on average, than in 2004 and 2005.
Thomas Edsall recently retired as senior political writer for The Washington Post. On Hugh Hewitt's radio program Monday, he said: "I think there are significant problems in Bob's reporting techniques, and the product that he produces, that every reader of his work should be aware of."
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JWR contributor Jack Kelly, a former Marine and Green Beret, was a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan administration. Comment by clicking here.
© 2006, Jack Kelly |
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That Mr. Casey had suffered a stroke which deprived him of the power of speech.