It Depends on What Your Definition of Bombshell is.

A commenter who signed as "p lukasiak" posted this comment on this thread at yglesias.tpmcafe.com on Nov 16, 2005 -- 03:23:07 PM EST

"Could we please put a lid on the "Woodward is a liar" crap?

Woodward spins, and he spins for continued access to the corriders of power. One can question his motives, and parse his statements in an effort to figure out what is really going on...

But the "I think Woodward is lying through his teeth" attitude is a bid much, and doesn't forward the discussion. "

I will assume that the commenter is P. Lukasiak and take the comment seriously out of respect for P Lukasiak. (also see the comment by Shaggydabbydo who wrote "Apparently, Woodwards source is Hadley:" and links to www.rawstory.com.)

Now I don't know whether the claim that Woodward is a liar forwards the discussion, but I think it is demonstrably true. The reason, of course, is the transcript from

Larry King on CNN on October 27, [snip]

"ISIKOFF: [snip]

"I talked to a source at the White House late this afternoon who told me that Bob is going to have a bombshell in tomorrow's paper identifying the Mr. X source who is behind the whole thing. So, I don't know, maybe this is Bob's opportunity.

"KING: Come clean.

"WOODWARD: I wish I did have a bombshell. I don't even have a firecracker. I'm sorry. In fact, I mean this tells you something about the atmosphere here. I got a call from somebody in the CIA saying he got a call from the best 'New York Times' reporter on this saying exactly that I supposedly had a bombshell. . . .

"Finally, this went around that I was going to do it tonight or in the paper. Finally, Len Downie, who is the editor of the 'Washington Post' called me and said, 'I hear you have a bombshell. Would you let me in on it.'

"KING: So now the rumors are about you.

"WOODWARD: And I said I'm sorry to disappoint you but I don't.

Woodward said this soon after Woodward told Downie that he had been told that Plame worked for the CIA before Libby told Miller. Downie told Wolf Blitzer that he knew before Libby was indicted (October 28). [see update]

I have trouble seeing how you can characterise Woodward's statements as anything but lies.

I will try. The only way I can think of is to debate the exact meaning of "bombshell". In this context, to me means explosive information. Woodward didn't just say he hadn't written a bombshell article or that he wasn't working on the case. He claimed that he didn't have one and that he told Downie so.

Now it is possible that among journalists "bombshell" means explosive information which you can use, that it is always an abbreviation of "bombshell article". If so, Woodward's claims become true, since he was (and is) unwilling to reveal more of the information than he has to.

I'm not convinced, but I recognise that the claim depends on the interpretation of slang which can be tricky.

Also notice that Woodward's statement is crazy. At that point, the truth was already coming out. I still think he lied and I think he liead at a time when it was clear that he was going to be caught soon and, in response to a qestion which he could have dodged easily by using the word "article" in place of the word "bombshell," that is by just saying that the rumored article was not being printed nor being written nor being researched.

Weird.

update: Woodward's claim on 10/27/05 that he told Downie he had nothing is inconsistent with Downie's recent acceptance of Wolf Blitzer's claim that that Woodward had told Downie"a few days" before 10/28/05.

BLITZER: There were some days, though, that you could have. You're saying that this happened before October 28th, the day the grand jury expired. That was the day that Scooter Libby was indicted. He came to you a few days earlier. It wasn't until November 3rd that this source came to the prosecutor, to Patrick Fitzgerald and said, "I did have a conversation with Bob Woodward." So there was a period of a week, at least, I'm guessing, that this information could have been disclosed.

DOWNIE: During which time we were still under the confidentiality pledge, as we are as I sit here talking to you right now. [snipped blah blah blah which doesn't challenge Blitzer's assertion].

I think it is clear that Woodward's characterisation of what he had recently told Downie as being roughly sorry I don't have a bombshell was simply a lie, and note, he brought up his conversation with Downie without being asked. I think Woodward is not only a liar but also a shameless liar who lies when silence would serve his purpose just as well.