TOMPAINE.com - The Perils Of Court Reporting

TOMPAINE.com - The Perils Of Court Reporting But access is not an end in itself. To say that nobody has access like Bob Woodward is only a promotional tool for Woodward’s publisher. What matters is what a reporter does with that access. For Woodward, however, the situation is reversed. His aura of having an all-access pass is so commercially valuable that he can’t afford to lose it; Woodward’s access keeps him from writing the truth. And his ego -- even I was waking up at night -- compels him to insist that he is not bound by the rules that the vast majority of reporters swear by. In his own mind, Woodward stands alone.

You have to give George Bush credit for one thing. He was smart enough to figure out how to play Bob Woodward like a maestro, and now he has the hagiography to show for it.