February 27th, 2013
09:24 PM ET
8 years ago

Exchange between Bob Woodward and White House official in spotlight



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soundoff (1,002 Responses)
  1. Mike

    Think about it people, when the Obama administration begins threatening the liberal media, you KNOW there is a problem.

    February 28, 2013 07:01 am at 7:01 am |
  2. carl wiley

    Woodward has made a living being a drama queen. If Nixon didn't have him shot, I guess he is pretty safe.

  3. JustWho

    Woodward is just another word junkie with an ego. Ugh.

    February 28, 2013 07:06 am at 7:06 am |
  4. vp



    After Bush/Cheney?!

    February 28, 2013 07:07 am at 7:07 am |
  5. kellys

    Once again a sensational headline that amounts to very little really. The WH is entitled to an opinion and it sounds like they were saying he would regret it professionally and his journalistic reputation would be affected due to what the WH saw as inaccuracies in his reporting. Its a bold, matter of fact statement, but is that a threat? not in my opinion, I think Woodward is blowing this way out of proportion.

    February 28, 2013 07:08 am at 7:08 am |
  6. waheid

    The accuracy of this story relies on Woodward's credibility and that remains an open question. Whom is to be trusted more: the press or the politicians?

  7. Tony

    Is anyone really surprised by the threat? Both sides are to blame and the taxpayers are the ones who suffer!

    February 28, 2013 07:09 am at 7:09 am |
  8. Agenda

    Woodward should cite the source of the threat. It doesn't lend him any credibility to be granting anonymity to a person that threatened him.

    February 28, 2013 07:10 am at 7:10 am |
  9. ed perreault

    He could go down in history as the worst President ever. Will not negotiate, my way or down the highway.

    February 28, 2013 07:12 am at 7:12 am |
  10. Deb

    the White House should always be transparent. Woodward merely enforced this statement in appropriate ways. And he was threatened for it. For the white House official who cowardly refused to be named, stating "Mr. Woodward would regret the observation he made regarding the sequester because that observation was inaccurate", is a big, fat, ugly lie.
    Time will tell Mr. unknown name coward White House official.

  11. Admiral Ackbar

    Mr Woodward is the most respected man in Washington. I tend toward believing him.

  12. Chris

    People will one day hate this President for destroying a united U.S.!

  13. Opinion8iit

    A true journalist reports the news without taking sides. Woodward took a side and gave his own opinion. He will regret this, not because of a fictitious threat, but because he has just tarnished his reputation

    February 28, 2013 07:18 am at 7:18 am |
  14. ARob

    It's not surprising that Woodward would make a claim like this, since the only reason anyone knows he exists is because of his investigation of corruption in the White House. But his claims are one-sided and ignore the fact that both sides of the debate have made efforts to "move the goalposts" in order to serve their own interests and impair those of the other team. Republicans have tried to change the sequester to affect the military less and social projects more. Democrats have tried to water down the cuts with more taxes. Both are trying to defeat the original purpose of the sequester: to force cooperation despite selfish and biased partisan agendas.

    February 28, 2013 07:19 am at 7:19 am |
  15. The1calleddoc84@gmail.com

    I'm active duty navy and I cannot tell you how much this affects us and our DOD civilians! It's unreal! Thanks for voting for this guy! We have fought 12 plus years of this work and now are being kicked to the curb! Seriously are budgets are froze and we have not a single penny for anything! We are having to buy our own supplies! Thanks for serving the ones who have served you!

    February 28, 2013 07:20 am at 7:20 am |
  16. ATL Guy

    Seems to me that Mr. Woodward is trying to create a scandal to sell more of his books.

  17. J Lander

    Tragically it may be to late for this once great country to recover from the damages this administration has placed upon us.
    Realistically one should ask, if you are unhappy with our Consitution and values, depart,do not impose an ideology on constiutuents who do not believe in your preachings. Leave and set up in a land where your particular values can be instilled. Problem is where will money come from to support entitlements. In addition where would this President be had he not had the opportunity to utilize the privileges extended to him in this country? Talk about gratitude.

    February 28, 2013 07:21 am at 7:21 am |
  18. rudedog

    Somebody fact check it.

  19. Stephen Daugherty

    The sequester was never meant to be the actual approach, but rather a political penalty for failing to come to a compromise, which even in the days of the Supercommittee was expressed by the White House to include tax increases. And really, Obama always said he would do this. Where's the movement on the goalposts?

  20. Richard

    Bob Woodward jumped the shark a long time ago and sadly his quest to remain relevant causes him to continue with his sensationalist writing and comments. I am sure he will regret penning that since I would imagine his access to the President and the White House will now be limited. Something any rational person wopuld have known. If you bite the hand that feeds you–you don't get fed.

  21. William R. Hill

    Woodward apparently does not understand the democratic process, along with a lot of other people. The president can suggest. He can recommend. He can send proposals to Congress. He can use the "bully pulpit." John Boehner constantly saying "the president needs to lead" is an admission that the House of Representatives can't do its job unless the president tells us what to do. So the president tells them, and they don't do it, or anything else. Congress passes the legislation and is responsible for whatever happens as a result of that legislation. The president doesn't have a vote.

  22. franktoobkins

    Nothing shocking here with this White house

  23. Reader

    This is outrageous! A new over the top low for the White House. What next, an assignation of Woodward? Someone's head should roll over this and it ought to be whoever threatened Woodward.

    February 28, 2013 07:26 am at 7:26 am |
  24. Sam

    Ether side doesn't care what happens so long as the other looks bad. Oh how far President Obama has fallen- lashing out at moderate reporters.

    I have a crazy idea: how about instead of raising revenue we just cut spending. Maybe as a doctor I should start charging more when I run out of money notepad of spending less. That makes sense to everyone right?

  25. billybob

    I can't believe that CNN is actually running this story. They are usually pretty sparse with their criticism of the current administration. It is funny how Obama is touring all across the country to tell people how bad his own idea is, ha ha! Just goes to show that once again he is showing his true colors as a Chicago swindler of the first order who is much more concerned with political maneuvering than he is with actually solving problems. It is my own opinion that this is all a calculated step by the white house to put the squeeze on the economy in order to use it as a wedge issue in the 2014 elections. Furthermore, as he caravans around the country as if he were still running for office, giving speeches about ‘fairness’ and ‘millionaires & billionaires’, he fails to mention that he just got a tax increase on these despised rich people just a matter of weeks ago – something that no one thought possible. Such a tragedy that a man Americans put so much hope into turned out to be such a sleazy partisan. And just a note on the whole ‘fairness’ issue – I do not see the word ‘fair’ in our Constitution, nor our Declaration of Independence. The words I do see, and the ideals this country was founded upon and the ideals that made America the country that it is today, are Freedom and Liberty. The problem is that people now associate the words freedom and liberty with ‘fair’; in fact, nothing can be further from the truth. True freedom and liberty is raw and can be rather nasty at times, because you and you alone are responsible for your choices in life. The brilliance of America is that not only do we allow people to wildly succeed; we also allow them to fail. You cannot have amazing success without also having failure. If you limit failure, you limit success, and create a system of staggering mediocrity. There’s my two cents, now you liberals can start the name calling and personal badgering that is sure to ensue ha ha…

    February 28, 2013 07:27 am at 7:27 am |