Here's a little question to ponder. Who's most likely tolie?
A) A presidential administration that's already under intensescrutiny on such issues as Iraq, pre-Sept. 11, 2001, anti-terrorismand a half-trillion dollar deficit.
B) One of the most respected investigative reporters in Americanhistory, who, for his second book on this administration, was givenaccess to the president and 75 of the top players behind thedecision to go to war.
If you answered B, then there is nothing anyone could possiblysay to make you change your mind about the divinity of George W.Bush and the Republican Party. Just save yourself a few minutes andstop reading now.
Bob Woodward, assistant managing editor for The Washington Post,has caused quite a stir with "Plan of Attack," his new book on thelead-up to the invasion of Iraq. The revelation that I found mostintriguing is the following, as reported by 60 Minutes: "PrinceBandar (the Saudi Arabian ambassador and member of the royalfamily) enjoys easy access to the Oval Office. His family and theBush family are close. And Woodward told 60 Minutes that Bandar haspromised the president that Saudi Arabia will lower oil prices inthe months before the election - to ensure the U.S. economy isstrong on election day."
Oops. That's not exactly something you want slipping out. Peopletend to get a little steamed when they realize that they're beingfooled and manipulated.
Just to establish credibility: "60 Minutes won't name thoseWoodward interviewed, but we've listened to the tapes and read thetranscripts of his key interviews to verify that his accounts arebased on recollections from people who took part in the meetings hedescribes..."
Let the denials begin. According to CNN, both the Saudis and theWhite House reject the claim. "There was no secret deal," WhiteHouse spokesman Dan Bartlett said.
The New York Times reports that Bandar said, "Oil prices andSaudi Arabia and American politics are intertwined. I wish we caninfluence the oil price situation, but we cannot."
Wait a second... Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. They can dowhatever they want. If they want to shut off the oil or upproduction, they can.
We, the American people, are not as stupid as our leaders wouldlike to think we are. Woodward is not some raging lefty out todestroy Bush. If Michael Moore had dug this up, then I'd have ahard time buying it. But Woodward is one of the giants ofjournalism.
Tell me, what's the motivation to make something like that up ifyou're a reporter? Woodward does not need sensationalism to have abestseller. Fabricating stories is the equivalent of journalistictreason. If you get caught, they hang you by a noose made from yourown entrails. Everything you've ever written immediately becomesgarbage. For someone like Woodward, who, along with Carl Bernstein,broke the Watergate story, that's unthinkable.
Politicians on the other hand - Democrat and Republican alike -are required to lie daily. It's actually in the job description. Infact, they have a daily quota of lies they have to meet.
Look, I'm a skeptical person - much more so than is healthy, infact. But this is something that's ridiculously obvious.
Write to David at swimminginbrokenglass@yahoo.com
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