Fox News Scoops 'Wash Post' On Bob Woodward's New Bush Book -- Then "Post' Responds!

As I reported here weeks ago, the new (and fourth) Bob Woodward book on President Bush would be published a week after Labor Day, under strict secrecy with his Washington Post promised first dibs. Late today, however, Fox News said it had obtained an advance copy, and quickly spilled some of the beans.

Within two hours, the Post had published a detailed look on its Web site at www.washingtonpost.com -- moving only after the Fox News news emerged. Their story even mentions the Fox scoop and promises its own four-part series starting on Sunday.

Bill Sammon, writing at FoxNews.com, had revealed that "The War Within" "renders a mixed verdict on Bush, lauding the president's surge of troops into Iraq, but saying 'too often he failed to lead.'"

One colorful extract: Woodward quotes John McCain expressing frustration with the Bush White House, clenching his fists in the West Wing and exclaiming to the author: "Everything is f---ing spin."

The Post account, by Steve Luxenberg, obviously in the can and ready for just this eventuality, reveals that Bush pushed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld out without telling Dick Cheney -- and that Cheney then told him he disagreed with that.

But the Post story leads with: "The Bush administration has conducted an extensive spying operation on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his staff and others in the Iraqi government, according to a new book by Bob Woodward."

The second main point: "The book also says that the U.S. troop surge' of 2007, in which President Bush sent nearly 30,000 additional U.S. combat forces and support troops to Iraq, was not the primary factor behind the steep drop in violence there during the past 16 months.

"Rather, Woodward reports, 'groundbreaking' new covert techniques, beginning in 2007, enabled U.S. military and intelligence officials to locate, target and kill insurgent leaders and key individuals in extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq."

More: "The book portrays an administration riven by dissension, either unwilling or slow to confront the deterioration of its strategy in Iraq during the summer and early fall of 2006."

Woodward reports that the the president did not "express much urgency for change during the months when sectarian killings and violent attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq began rising, reaching more than 1,400 incidents a week by October 2006 -- an average of more than eight an hour. 'This is nothing that you hurry,' he told Woodward during one of the interviews, when asked whether he had given his advisers a deadline for revising the war strategy."

What the Post calls "a critical epilogue assessing the president's performance as commander-in-chief" concludes that Bush "rarely was the voice of realism on the Iraq war" and "too often failed to lead."

Greg Mitchell's new book on Iraq and the media--with plenty of Woodward--is titled "So Wrong for So Long."

Comments

[dadw5boys]

EACH STEP FOX MAKES QUICKENS THE DAY WHEN NO ONE WILL EVEN TALK TO THEM AND THEY WILL DISAPPEAR AS A NEWS REPORTING MEDIA.

I BLOCKED FOX LONG AGO SO THEIR NEGATIVE EFFECT IN MY HOME NO LONGER EXIST.

[Vinca]

McCain was right to say everthing in the Bush admin was spin, it made me angry that they paid Armstrong Williams $250,00 to promote their spin, paid that man ,can't remember his name, to tell them what they needed to help them to invade Iraq, Also, I think, they paid Newspapers in Iraq to carry on the spin, gave church's money , basically to have them encourage votes for Repubs, many other such instantances

[irisda]

Bush "rarely was the voice of realism on the Iraq war" and "too often failed to lead."
Is anybody surprised? The republican party is the party of wishful thinking. The RNC convention showed that they're stuck in their own little bubble. Refusing to be aware of the reality and the truth. The USA doesn't need this now.

[Vinca]

On the Savage show, last night, he said GW BUSH gave a billion dollars to Heorgia, without an input from congress, or anyone, I think GW Bush wants to bankrupt America, he hates entitlements, what better way to get rid o0f them, I think Joe Connison, said something similar

[RepugsOut08]

Bankrupting America is EXACTLY what they have in mind. A few years back, Newsweek interviewed some of the insiders in the Republican party. I believe it was during the 2004 election. They discussed the Bush family, and how many Republicans are not happy with the Bush "dynasty."
The most stunning revelation, however, was that the Republicans have decided they will never be able to defeat social security, medicare or any other entitlements through legislation. It's just political suicide to try, so their plan is to litterally bankrupt the government. No money, no entitlements.
Why this report didn't make national headlines at the time astounds me, but, given the control of the MSM these days, surprises me not. Does anyone else out there remember this Newsweek report?

[Bluedog12]

The Savage show? A news resource?

[mari2JJ]

For far too many years we have all known of the colossal incompetence of this disastrous Cheney-Bush Administration. Now it all comes out in detail. And sorry Maverick John McCain, we all remember your whining support of Bush when others tried to inform you of the dire mess in Iraq. and now 8 years later, what do we have there. The surge had little to do with Anwar improvement and you know that is a fact. Sunni's had already gotten on board because of the Petreus initiatives.NOT MUCH even with your surge. I finally have a distant cousin over there so we are able to get facts. I can surely see why military support Obama in droves after the cannon fodder they have been used for in this insane unnecessary war. God help our country!!!!

[Happylib]

What a shocking development. Bush, a failed leader..tell me it isn't so. My bubble has officially been burst. (for any Republicans reading this...this is called sarcasm.) Later I will discuss hypocrisy and irony so all conservatives can finally learn the meaning of these relevant words.

[Jacksonian]

It's too bad Woodward didn't present a more realistic appraisal of Bush in his first book on this pathetic, incompetent, corrupt administration. Now he wants to inform us that Bush is a lousy Commander in Chief? Uh. Ya think?

[SamEllison]

Fox scooped WaPo this time, dang!
I bet the secret weapon was(is) fist fulls of money.