Woodward Says Bush is No Liar

Let me preface this by saying that this isn't a political statement. I have dished out criticism of President Bush's use of faith in Christ as a political weapon, which I regard as inappropriate. I said that I wasn't in love with his plans for New Orleans.

But is the guy a liar? It's become an article of faith among some Dems and his blogging opponents to say that he is, especially relative to the invasion of Iraq.

Bob Woodward, investigative reporter and assistant managing editor of the Washington Post, who, along with Carl Bernstein, helped bring down Richard Nixon, spoke at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio last night. An account from a Cincinnati Enquirer article discusses some of what he said about Bush and his credibility:

Even amid accusations that the federal government is becoming increasingly secretive, Woodward doesn't agree that President Bush's administration parallels the Nixon years.

After eight hours of private interviews with the president for his most recent best sellers, Bush at War and Plan of Attack, Woodward said he hasn't "found a lie yet."

"Is there any president who likes the press? I don't think so - that pretty much goes with the territory," he said. "It was extraordinary that (Bush) would let someone come in and interview him like that."...

The government and the media have changed, but Woodward said all administrations can't be covered with the same cynical assumptions.

"You can't consider all presidents criminals, but you can presume they may not be telling the whole story," he said. "(President Bush's) agenda is long-term, ambitious and high-purpose. It may look one way now, and look vastly different in the future."

An interesting take.