Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to speak at OU

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to speak at OU
By ASHLEY WOODS Special to The Oakland Press


“I’ve spent a portion of my life — all of my working life since Sept. 11 — trying to understand Bush’s White House,” said reporter Bob Woodward.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist will appear Tuesday at Oakland University to deliver the Fourth Annual Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities. The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m.
Woodward, who co-wrote the “Watergate” stories with Carl Bernstein in 1972, will comment on his 2006 book “State of Denial,” the third book in his “Bush at War” trilogy.
“My main effort right now is doing these books,” Woodward said.
The book series examines the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq through in-depth interviews with current and former White House staffers and Washington insiders.
The first two, “Bush at War” and “Plan of Attack,” were both No. 1 national bestsellers. However, they received lackluster critical support for their sympathetic portraits of President Bush and his staff.
“State of Denial” marked a change of tone for Woodward’s series. Though he maintained, “I’ve interviewed President Bush more than any other reporter,” both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney declined to be interviewed for “State of Denial.”
As a reporter, Woodward said he is “too old to be shocked.”
Nevertheless, he said the two and a half years he spent investigating “State of Denial” were full of unpredictable instances. “The most unexpected moment was seeing the secret charts showing that violence was escalating,” he remembered.
The charts showed 800-900 terrorist attacks were occurring weekly in Iraq, a rate of four terrorist attacks every hour.
“Meanwhile, the White House is telling people that we’ve turned the corner.”
“State of Denial” offers more insider information. Colin Powell is asked to resign as secretary of state. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is characterized as controlling and egomaniacal. The Bush administration is portrayed as incompetent at rebuilding Iraq.
But Woodward said he doesn’t have a political agenda.
“I’m not taking a political position to support — I’m reporting a story,” he said. The journalist also said he believes “State of Denial” was validated by recent history.
“Rumsfeld was relieved of his duties,” he said. “The White House admitted mistakes were made, and they changed the strategy by beginning the surge.”
He said the lecture will detail current issues regarding the war in Iraq.
“We have to figure out, how did we get into this situation, and how is this going to end?”
Woodward, who also serves as the assistant managing editor for The Washington Post, twice contributed to journalistic efforts that were awarded the Pulitzer Prize. In 1973, he and Carl Bernstein were recognized for the “Watergate” stories, which resulted in the conviction of several White House aides, as well as the resignation of President Richard Nixon. He was also the lead reporter for the Post’s articles on the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which won the National Reporting Pulitzer in 2002. He has authored or co-authored 11 No. 1 national best-selling books.