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WOODWARDGATE

Watergate Hero Bob Woodward: I Was 'Threatened' by Obama White House

'You'll live to regret this,' an senior official told him

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t +

Image: Politix

Conservative sites are hailing Bob Woodward as a hero for pinning the sequester blame on Obama, and in response the White House has gone all Cosa Nostra on the famed political reporter.

On Tuesday evening Woodward revealed that a "very senior person" at the White House warned him that he would "you're going to regret this" – "this" being Woodward's continued condemnation of Obama's handling of the sequester.

Why exactly would the White House be so unnerved by Woodward? It might be because on Tuesday morning, the reporter told Morning Joe viewers that Obama was displaying a "kind of madness I haven't seen in a long time."

By "madness," Woodward meant the Defense Dept's decision not to send an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf because of the budget cuts. "Can you imagine Ronald Reagan sitting there and saying, 'Oh, by the way, I can't do this because of some budget document?'" said Woodward. "Or George W. Bush saying, 'You know, I'm not going to invade Iraq because I can't get the aircraft carriers I need?'"

Liberals and conservatives naturally have very different takes on the Woodward-White House War. It's "an incredible case of the White House attempting to bully the most iconic reporter of the 20th century" according to Breitbart. Daily Kos users are more succinct: "F*ck you Bob Woodward," screams the headline on the most-recommended blog post at the site.

Other political reporters say Woodward was wrong to take the "threat" as a threat, because "officials often threaten reporters that they will 'regret' printing something that is untrue," in the words of Buzzfeed's Ben Smith.

Via Politico and Business Insider.
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166 Comments (view in Forum)

  • SmedleyButler
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    @PoliticalSpice Who's going to do anything about it? This, and the last administration was caught so dirty, people dying under mysterious circumstances, Violations of human rights, international rights and no one is in jail or impeached. I see no other way we will return to sanity and our constitution restated without a violent uprising. Just saying.

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  • aerobatty
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    The GOP continues it's crusade of screwing the middle class, making their buddies and themselves rich, and making Obama fail. Try reality some time. It's not so bad.
  • methinks
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    @Jack-Black Oh, don't forget someone will come out with some name calling at some point! Attack, belittle, deflect, and name call when the argument isn't going your way... Rule #1 from the Liberal playbook.

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  • BossTweed
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    Press manipulation is vital to mind control. It worked. The lack of jounalistic integrity in today's America got POTUS re-elected. " Politico" spoke Truth to Power last week and got slammed into submission for stating the fact that Obama NEVER takes questions which are not preapproved by the White House..
    Watch NBC dance around for the first 15 minutes of Morning Joe last tuesday.
    defining the indefensible like they did by attacking "the messenger" without concern for the validity of the "message" over Press Access. It was chilling
  • Realthinker
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    @BossTweed Dr. Carson is saying the White House asked for an advance copy of his Prayer breakfast speech three times! Why would the White think for a nano second it was entitled to peruse his speech? The way this president is micro managing everything, it is absurd for him to expect us to believe there are people in his administration acting outside his knowledge.
  • Kellso
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    You know what! The american public voted Obama back in for another 4 years after his first 4 had almost destroyed the USA and now some are finally recognizing that Obama is silently and methodically accomplishing the destruction. FOR GOSH SAKES, EVERYBODY,,,,,,,,, PUT THE HALT ON OBAMA'S IGNORANT ACTIONS!!!!!!!!
  • Kellso
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    @PayThatCEO You can not give away money that you dont have! If we were already in dept, how could Obama give away money? Doesnt matter why or who he gave it too, the fact of the matter is he is spending and giving and WE DONT HAVE IT TO GIVE!!!!!
    Friend, I'm not sure where you live or what your life is but I would certainly hope that if you take walks that you dont only look down at your feet while you are walking. It is smart to view the path ahead!!!!! If you dont see the downfalls on your horizon, then you are in REAL TROUBLE...
  • PayThatCEO
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    @Kellso

    When was the last time we were giving away money we DID have? How old are YOU? We've been printing our own fake money for decades. We've been buying on credit since our country's inception. We've been in debt since the days of George Washington.

    Do you really believe that we have a gold coin somewhere for every dollar floating around the country? That's not how the government works or ever has worked. We've borrowed against ourselves, we've borrowed from other countries, other countries borrow from us, we're in debt up to our eyeballs and always have been.

    You really think Obama did all this? Holy cow, where you been all these years? Do you think WW I and II were free? Or Vietnam? Or the Civil War? Or Iraq? Or any of the other wars and conflicts we've been in since the day we became a country? Do you think all the billions in foreign aid we've handed out over the years to buy friends has just been part of our balanced budget? What about our bloated military? Did you know auditors can't even tell where the money goes?

    Be realistic. America has always been in debt. It always will be. These economic "disasters" we see every 6 months or so are made-up dramatic crises to keep our country in emotional upheaval. Both parties are deadlocked because they don't give a rat's butt about the rest of us. They only want what THEY want, not what's best for the country. And as long as the people are arguing amongst themselves they aren't coming together to demand action from those in Congress.

    Don't blame Obama if you're not going to blame Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, and the whole kit and kaboodle who came before them.

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    BossTweed
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    Relax. Obama's supporters have concluded that the wild spending and borrowing, extinction grade debt and the massive deficit will have a far worst impact on our pathetic children than it will have on us. So who cares?
  • AceLuby
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    @BossTweed 15/16ths of our debt has incurred since 1981. That's when we started lowering taxes as 'stimulus' and spending like crazy on the war machine. Bush continued this policy, Clinton modified it slightly, but basically continued it, Bush II put it on steroids and now Obama is continuing it. Reagan's economic policy has infected our culture and is the catalyst for what you apparently hate, massive deficits and debt. If you truly care about this issue we have to stop looking at the symptoms and see the root cause, economic policy based on low taxes while spending WAY more than we take in. The system needs an overhaul which WILL raise taxes on a lot of people and WILL cut govt spending that a lot of people and companies depend on. Anything less is folly.

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  • Knightkore
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    How about Bob Woodward finally release the real birth certificate and the real truth of President HUSSEIN Obama's origin? Call it birthgate.....
  • BossTweed
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    Woodward is being fried by the Obama toadies at NBC and CNN. Both networds are terrified of Obama and his Handlers and will denigrate the Journalist who personally inspired a generation of journalists to pursue that career. Blind support of all things OBAMA is all that matters. Journalistic Cowardice in the face of POWER is mandatory as America deteriorates into nothing more than Obama Nation.

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  • seedtick
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    Well, well....If Barack Husssein Obama can't control it he will attack it and try to discredit it. The truth is the hardest thing for him and his liberal buddies to defend against.
  • Dan_Tien
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    "By 'madness,' Woodward meant the Defense Dept's decision not to send an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf because of the budget cuts."

    So how is the US supposed to maintain the current deployment of military assets while simultaneously cutting the defense budget? No, I can't imagine Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush doing that, which might be why the national debt grew so quickly during their administrations. I've seen an estimated cost close to $1,450,000 per day to operate a Nimitz class aircraft carrier, and that does not include the cost of operating the screening ships that travel with it.

    If we want to cut spending without changing how the US does business then we better elect a wizard as President next time.
  • BossTweed
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    @Zazziness Of Course, both are on Politico's website. I'm not stupid enough to believe anything but "black and white". But, the 30 minute screaming match the White House Hack bombarded Woodward in an attempt to intimidate and shut him up has not ben publicized as main stream meida doesn't have the journalistic integrity to pursue it.
  • Zazziness
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    @BossTweed So your big complaint is that the White House spokesman raised his voice during a heated discussion? Wouldn't you say that's a pretty far cry from a reporter "being threatened?" I would.

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  • NTBFW
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    It's a little different when it comes from the White House. If you don't believe me try that same thing with the president and see how that turns out
  • lochlomond
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    I have no reason to doubt Woodward's veracity given his past achievements and established reputation. The Obama administration, however, has simply ignored Constitution, usurped the powers of Congress and the Supreme Court and is currently campaigning to gut the Bill of Rights. Woodward, as a representative of the Constitutionally guaranteed free press, is a likely target. If the Obama White House cannot neutralize him with threats there are other means of discrediting him. And another right bites the dust.
  • oldkicker
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    the press should wake up. they've been pushing very hard, printing half truths and enabling the anti gun white house to put fear in the lives of everyday Americans over gun control. if they succeed and start to take the guns.......their freedom of the press will fall along with the rest of our rights......btw, any official word on what the actual caliber of the bullets were in the Sandy Hook casualties??? maybe not so 'Assault Rifle'y ', and so , not so dramatic to report. the press is being manipulated. you tell it Mr. Woodward!!!!
  • lochlomond
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    One of PA's rural counties, Susquehanna, which is on the border of New York state passed a resolution last night stating that in effect, it will not recognize any federal law that infringes upon the rights granted by the second amendment. It cites the point that any such federal law is also in conflict with stated guarantees in the Pennsylvania constitution. There is a rally planned for the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord at Montrose, the county seat. Susquehanna County is known for choosing the high ground regardless of prevailing political thought. Montrose was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Some in the fugitive community lived openly among the residents and worked as farm laborers or servants for pay. As Scranton became a hub of the railroads, many moved there for jobs connected with them. The rural areas, unlike many urban centers, are populated by people whose families have owned their farms back to the Pennamite Wars in the 1700's. They are well versed in their rights and responsibilities and are political non- conformists. They have thrown down the gauntlet and I imagine the other rural counties will jump on the bandwagon.
  • oldkicker
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    @lochlomond unfortunately, New York's new laws are in conflict with their own constitution as well as the US's. apparently washington doesn't care. it remains to be seen if the senate votes down the gun control laws he's pushing, if he will enact 'executive powers' and have the now 'heavily armed' DHS seize weapons on his command in contradiction of the constitution.
  • lochlomond
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    @oldkicker The Lackawanna County Sherrod's office extended its hours from eight in the morning until eight at night to accommodate requests for renewal of gun permits or applications for new ones. I am not certain but it looks as if there are pockets of pro-constitutionalists who are not taking the gutting of the Bill of Rights lightly.
  • oldkicker
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    @lochlomond well, there is certainly no lack of patriotic Americans out there. I'm a vet, as is my son (active duty), and his Grandfather (3 wars). and no-one I know is too happy about how close to the edge the left is dancing. I never thought i'ld be pressed to act on threats to freedom from within, and I pray the courts will rule on the side of freedom. anything less is going to create a real problem.
  • lochlomond
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    @oldkicker Thank you sincerely for your family's service. The anti-gun ownership statistics are skewed by the demographics of the sample populations. Most politicians who are running for national office rarely campaign anywhere but Philadelphia and surrounding counties and the western counties around Pittsburgh. They generally can rely on the entitled class, students and liberal university associates to hand them the state. The views of those of us who live in the other 60 to 65% of the land area are grossly under-represented.

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  • CaryNickel
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    Hey, it's the Chicago way! Probably the only reason Barack Obama isn't sitting in the big house with Blago is because he got himself chosen to be Prez.
  • JimCO55
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    Perhaps if we heard the whole threat?

    In that email, the aide wrote:“I apologize for raising my voice in our conversation today.... You’re focusing on a few specific trees that give a very wrong impression of the forest. But perhaps we will just not see eye to eye here.… I think you will regret staking out that claim.”

    Ooooo ... that is quite the threat, obviously he's in the same boat with Nugent!
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