The Real Mystery Surrounding Bob Woodward: Why Len Downie Believes Him

“I testified that after the mid-June 2003 interview, I told Walter Pincus, a reporter at The Post, without naming my source, that I understood Wilson's wife worked at the CIA as a WMD analyst. Pincus does not recall that I passed this information on.” Public Statement of Bob Woodward, San Francisco Chronicle

Does not recall? Upon hearing such news, Pincus would have been stupid not to immediately pick up the phone and call Joseph Wilson. The obvious questions: What did Mrs. Wilson’s employment have to do with Joe Wilson’s trip? And, just as important, what could Mrs. Wilson tell Pincus about other WMD intelligence?

No way Walter Pincus would not have responded to Woodward’s supposed statement with “Oh, that’s interesting,” and stored it in his memory bank. Pincus was the anti-Judith Miller, hot on the trail of stories casting doubt on WMD intelligence. This was the guy who wrote, with Dana Milbank, a March 18, 2003 piece headlined “Bush Clings to Dubious Allegations About Iraq.”

Look at Pincus’ stories in the Post around the time of Woodward’s alleged statement:

June 9, 2003 “Officials Defend Iraq Intelligence: Rice, Powell Insist Threat Not Inflated”
June 12, 2003 "CIA Did Not Share Doubt on Iraq Data"
(Pincus interviewed Joseph Wilson as an unnamed source for this front page story)
June 13, 2003 “CIA Says It Cabled Key Data to White House”
June 22, 2003 “Report Cast Doubt on Iraq-Al Qaeda Connection”
June 25, 2003 “Secretary Expects Arms to Be Found; Sen. Byrd Attacks Prewar Intelligence”
June 27, 2003 “Democratic Moves to Widen Intelligence Probe Defeated”
July 4, 2003 “Old data used for Iraq arms claim Panel's head: Pre-1998 evidence was adequate to prove recent activity”
July 6, 2003 “Diplomat: White House exaggerated case for war HE SAYS BUSH ADMINISTRATION MISREPRESENTED FACTS”

The July 6, 2003 story, written with Richard Leiby, included an interview with Joe Wilson the day before Wilson’s op-ed piece came out in The New York Times. It was less than three weeks since Woodward “passed this information on” yet Pincus somehow forgot to mention it to Leiby or anyone else?

And there’s more. From Wilson’s book, The Politics of Truth:

“Almost as soon as the White House acknowledgement was announced [on July 7, 2003 that the “uranium from Africa” intelligence had not been sufficiently vetted], Walter Pincus told me he began to receive phone calls from members of the administration trying to take it back. One official told Walter that telling the truth ‘was the biggest mistake the administration had made.’”

Around that time Pincus also phoned Wilson to say, “They are coming after you.”

And then on July 14, 2003 Novak’s column appeared, outing Wilson's wife.

Pincus does not recall? Woodward’s claim fails the smell test.

And, almost as if by magic, Woodward’s last minute recollection became a Republican talking point.

"‘It definitely raises the plausibility of Karl Rove's simple and honest lapses of memory, because it shows that there were other people discussing the matter in what Mr. Woodward described as very offhanded, casual way,’" a source close to Rove said.” “Woodward Could Be a Boon to Libby”, By Carol D. Leonnig and Jim VandeHei Washington Post November 17, 2005

Yes, it fails the smell test big time.