All the President's Men

Book Description

THIS IS THE BOOK THAT

CHANGED AMERICA

Beginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing with headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward kept the tale of conspiracy and the trail of dirty tricks coming -- delivering the stunning revelations and pieces in the Watergate puzzle that brought about Nixon's scandalous downfall. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post and toppled the President.

THESE ARE THE AUTHORS WHO INTRODUCED US TO THE WORDS "DEEP THROAT."

Customer Reviews:

IT COULD NOT HAPPEN NOW!!!!.......2007-09-29

"All The President's Men" (2 DISC) is a classic film and book about an important period in American Political History. The Reporters, The Director and his Actors should feel proud. Two intrepid reports expose the rampant corruption within the Whitehouse and bring down a criminal president.

What is shocking on seeing this film again is that in the present political climate in America the actions of these iconic reporters would not be possible.

Under this present administration these reporters would be subpoenaed and made to reveal their sources. So quite possibly if Woodward and Bernstein revealed nothing as would be expected, they could, before the night is out, be stuck in some flea infested jail without the basic right of seeing their lawyer AND before the story had a chance to make any political waves.

What is happening in America is the rapid corrosion of Civil Liberties and a grand exercise in consolidation of power. No reporters today could do what those reporters did.

The American media as a whole has been eroding it's own power by following the party line and cowering to it's public. On the DVD extras there is a very interesting documentary about the American Media and it tells us that only six papers can invest in Investigative Journalism today.

People want traditional propaganda news like the O'Rielly Factor, which is basically irresponsible journalism in a nutshell. Watching shows like these you can see, only too clearly, the backward strides American Journalism is constantly taking and in the possess harming itself irrevocably.

Bush Jr. it seems has bigger balls than Nixon by signing his own get-out clauses. (See the provisions to the "Terrorist Tribunal" Act). The press never ask why?

I would like to ask why you can't speak?

The Media calmly follow and spout the shallow rhetoric. The press wouldn't have a chance at bringing this baby down. Not even Robert Redford could do it.

Hip-Hop is not dead. I would hate to think the media is.

How the Washington Post Lucked into Watergate.......2007-07-26

In this book Bob Woodard and Carl Bernstein, two Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporters, chronicle their investigation of the Watergate scandal, which began as a burglary of the Democratic National Committee Headquarters on June 17, 1972. They explain the events that precipitated their first suspicions and led them to ascertain the truth. There is some strong language. A must read for all interested in seeing Watergate from a reporters view.

The Longest Newspaper article I have ever read .......2007-06-29

This book was written like a newspaper article. Straight to the point with no explanations and no emotional feel. It gave me no background and therefore only those who lived during Watergate could understand. I don't care if you talked to so-and-so's secretary and didn't get any good leads. I agreed to read this book with the thought that I would gain more information about what Watergate was really about. Well I know a little more but now I care less. Sad but true.

Should be read by all classes in twentieth century American history.......2007-06-24

I read this book when it first came out in 1974 and the one aspect of the entire Watergate scandal that astounded me was how stupid the principals were. It frightened me to think that this collection of men occupied the highest positions in the United States and were capable of committing such idiotic acts.
First and foremost there was Richard Nixon. His re-election campaign in 1972 was against George McGovern and there was no doubt at any time that Nixon would emerge victorious. Nevertheless, the paranoia in his administration was so deep that they felt the need to break into the national Democratic headquarters at the Watergate hotel in an attempt to plant bugs. This action was carried out so incompetently that the burglars were easily caught, which started the entire affair now referred to as Watergate.
Bernstein and Woodward were meticulous in documenting the snowballing difficulties and actions of the members of the Nixon administration. The actions of Nixon's men ultimately led to the collapse of his administration and even thirty years after the fact the account of their investigation is riveting.
When reading this book again I was reminded of two quotes related to that era. The first is by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger that was said after Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford became president. He looked to someone and said something like, "The system worked, by God the system worked." The second was by long-time newspaper columnist Jack Germond. While appearing on a TV news talk show, he said," When Watergate first started to become public, none of us believed that Nixon could be that stupid. It turned out we were wrong." Finally, I would like to commend W. Mark Feldt, the man who was the infamous source "Deep Throat." Without his patriotic actions taken at great personal risk, it is possible that Nixon could have gotten away with it.

Top detective work.......2007-04-01

It is really surprising the amount of work the two authors put into the investigation. Reading through this fast-paced book, I was struck by the amount of informants and under-handed activities that go in politics, and what the journalists needed to do to get information.

From secret late night meetings with Deep Throat, to interviews with FBI and White House officials, Woodward and Bernstein search for the truth.

Very impressive.

The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat

Average customer rating:

Mark Felt and his secret life.
Bland at Best
Surprisingly Good
Everything explained once and for all
History's loss, not fully explained

The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat
Bob Woodward
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743287150
Release Date: 2005-07-06

Amazon.com

Bob Woodward's secret man is no longer a secret, now that former FBI assistant director W. Mark Felt and his family have revealed that he was Deep Throat, Woodward's legendary anonymous source for his Watergate reporting. Soon after Felt made his identity known, Woodward, who "is prone to complete his homework before it is due or even assigned," according to the afterword by his reporting partner Carl Bernstein, himself revealed that he had been working on a manuscript in preparation for that moment, one that would after 30 years tell the inside story of their mysterious, and history-changing, relationship.

Certainly you get in The Secret Man the cloak-and-dagger details you'd expect--and are likely already familiar with from both the book and the superb movie of All the President's Men: the late-night garage meetings, the red flag in the flower pot, the whispered warning that lives were in danger. Woodward retells the still-riveting story of his and Bernstein's unearthing of the scandal with efficiency and with the last puzzle piece in place. And he is able both to explain some of Felt's motivations, as an FBI loyalist disgusted by Nixon staffers trying to run roughshod over his agency, and to trace some of his remarkable bureaucratic tactics, including commissioning an FBI leak inquiry and deflecting it away from himself. Most fascinatingly, he gives a warts-and-all account of his shameless youthful cultivation of Felt, beginning with their first encounter when Woodward was a bored Navy lieutenant on the make, just three years before being assigned to cover the arraignment of five men in business suits arrested in the offices of the Democratic National Committee. But in a crucial way this doesn't seem to be the book that Woodward had wanted to write, for Felt remains a mystery. A shadowy father figure during the Watergate period, Felt soon distanced himself from Woodward after running into legal trouble of his own, and they fell out of touch in the intervening years. When Woodward finally reestablished contact in 2000, Felt had lost most of his memory, and any understanding with his former source, with whom he was so closely tied in both his private and public lives, remained poignantly but frustratingly unreachable. --Tom Nissley

Book Description

In Washington, D.C., where little stays secret for long, the identity of Deep Throat -- the mysterious source who helped Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein break open the Watergate scandal in 1972 -- remained hidden for 33 years. Now, Woodward tells the story of his long, complex relationship with W. Mark Felt, the enigmatic former No. 2 man in the Federal Bureau of Investigation who helped end the presidency of Richard Nixon.

The Secret Man chronicles the story in intimate detail, from Woodward's first, chance encounter with Felt in the Nixon White House, to their covert, middle-of-the-night meetings in an underground parking garage, to the aftermath of Watergate and decades beyond, until Felt finally stepped forward at age 91 to unmask himself as Deep Throat.

The Secret Man reveals the struggles of a patriotic career FBI man, an admirer of J. Edgar Hoover, the Bureau's legendary director. After Hoover's death, Mark Felt found himself in the cross fire of one of Washington's historic contests, as Nixon and his men tried to dominate the Bureau and cover up the crimes of the administration. This book illuminates the ongoing clash between temporary political power and the permanent bureaucracy of government. Woodward explores Felt's conflicts and motives as he became Deep Throat, not only secretly confirming Woodward and Bernstein's findings from dozens of other sources, but giving a sense of the staggering sweep of Nixon's criminal abuses.

In this volume, part memoir, part morality tale, part political and journalistic history, Woodward provides context and detail about The Washington Post's expose of Watergate. He examines his later, tense relationship with Felt, when the FBI man stood charged with authorizing FBI burglaries. (Not knowing Felt's secret role in the demise of his own presidency, Nixon testified at Felt's trial, and Ronald Reagan later pardoned him.) Woodward lays bare his own personal struggles as he tries to define his relationship, his obligations, and his gratitude to this extraordinary confidential source.

The Secret Man is an intense, 33-year journey, providing a one-of-a-kind study of trust, deception, pressures, alliances, doubts and a lifetime of secrets. Woodward has spent more than three decades asking himself why Mark Felt became Deep Throat. Now the world can see what happened and why, bringing to a close one of the last chapters of Watergate.

Customer Reviews:

Mark Felt and his secret life........2007-09-17

So Woodward and Berstein used Felt's advice and guidance to unmask the Watergate cover up in the White House. Since this book was written by Woodward, I often wonder what portion of the feelings/viewpoints can truly be attributed to Mark Felt and what can be attributed to Bob Woodward. Felt had a ax to grind with Nixon for politicizing the FBI and being jumped over twice for FBI Director. Felt is also praiseworthy of Hoover's efforts at the FBI. That in a nutshell tells that Felt has his own agenda for the agency. The tapes reveal that Nixon also probably knows Felt is feeding information to Woodward and Berstein. Yet despite that, former President Nixon testifies in defense of Felt/Miller at their felony trials in the eighties. Nixon sure did turn the other cheek for Felt when the going got tough.

There is a lot of information in this book. I am not sure all of it is praiseworthy of W. Mark Felt. It does show the atmosphere this country was in following the sixties, and the breakdown in trust of the political leadership of the country. I find it unusual that Felt could justify his own authorization of illegal breakins on Weathermen families, when this was what got Nixon in trouble.

Bland at Best.......2007-09-01

It's hard to believe that this book was spawned by a "book length draft of the Deep Throat story" that Woodward had prepared in advance. It reads like a Memorandum of Findings, with scattered episodes thrown in that contribute incidents of minimal revelation or all too lengthy confirmations of Felt's later senility.

One would expect more of a co-author of "All The President's Men." Woodward seems bored, writing obligatorily so as to rush something out at the time of the announcement. While he tries to force in some emotion, he fails to convey it to the reader. Woodward would have done history a favor by taking some time with this to reveal the real intensity and drama that took place, rather than rushing and doing it so superficially.

Surprisingly Good.......2007-06-27

This is a surprisingly good book. Woodward is honest and reflective about whether he met the high standards Deep Throat set for him, and that he set for himself. And he grapples with whether Deep Throat was a hero or villain or a little of both -- and concludes, convincingly, that Deep Throat was more hero than villain.

Deep Throat's identity sheds entirely new light on the Watergate scandal. That he was the number 2 man in the FBI whose motive was to protect the agency from Nixon's politicization and subversion of law enforcement goes a long way in explaining Nixon's downfall. Yet, Woodward does not shy away from the sordid doings of Hoover and others, including Deep Throat himself. There is a curious resonance between the FBI and the White House plumbers. Is Deep Throat protecting some idealized view of his agency or just his beloved turf?

Woodward is reflective and self-critical. This is the best book he has written and is quite moving.

Everything explained once and for all.......2007-03-28

The Secret Man is the final unveiling of the identity of Deep Throat, the invaluable inside source during the Watergate Scandal. W. Mark Felt, the Number 2 man at the FBI during the Nixon Administration, is now revealed as the confidential source for so much of the information that the famous reporters, Woodward and Bernstein, wrote on for the Washington Post. Years of speculation surrounded the mysterious identity, but here Woodward chronicles the path that led to his confirmation of Felt's identity.

At first the book makes an effort to summarize the on goings of the Watergate investigation. While somewhat necessary, it initially gave the impression that Woodward was simply trying to relive the heyday of his career. The reader was left hoping that he would "hurry up and get to the juicy stuff." But then he does. He describes the events that led up to the Felt disclosure as well as the turmoil he went through in agonizing over when disclosure was appropriate. Should he let Felt, now suffering from bouts of dementia, decide? Should he wait until Felt's death? Should the confidentiality of a source remain that way even after death?

This book also makes clear how much of an impact Felt had on exposing the underpinnings of the Nixon administration and how much of a personal impact Felt made on Woodward. It is obvious from the narration how deeply Woodward admires Felt and how, above all, he protected him from anything that might tarnish his reputation and career.

The Secret Man is fascinating in its historical viewpoint as its human perspective. It seems a bit self promoting at times as Woodward never fails to mention the names of the many books he has written, but overall is the icing on one of history's most intriguing cakes.

History's loss, not fully explained.......2006-11-25

Woodward has written a moderately interesting book about Mark Felt, aka Deep Throat. No doubt the book is indispensable for providing Woodward's side of this two-person-only relationship. But Woodward spends a lot of time trying to excuse himself. Why didn't he press Felt earlier to write down his reasons for being Deep Throat? That is the story we all want to know--why did Mark Felt, 2nd in power at the FBI, risk potential treason charges in an effort that eventually took down a president. The bottom line is that Woodward waited too long, and allowed the story to be lost in old age and memory loss. People that want to know more about Deep Throat, and more of the story behind All The President's Men and Watergate, will want to read this book. But don't expect great revelations or exciting storytelling. Woodward allowed the main story to pass to history untold.

Shadow : Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate

Average customer rating:

Inside of the White House
The effect the Independent Counsel had on the Presidency
Interesting, disturbing look at the presidency
An important bridging of common sense psychology & politics
Overall good, but too soft on Clinton

Shadow : Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate
Bob Woodward
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684852632

Amazon.com

There are two ways to look at this bestseller by Watergate scoopmeister Woodward. First, it's an original take on Clinton's sex scandal, framing it as the latest consequence of Nixon's assault on the U.S. political system. Woodward sketches each president's tussles with scandal managing after Watergate permanently turned up the press heat on the White House. Ford lies about a meeting concerning a potential deal to pardon Nixon, but remains convinced he did nothing wrong. Carter's pious advocacy of truth telling backfires when he's confronted with conundrums involving his pal Bert Lance, the fallout from CIA-provided hookers, and cash for King Hussein. Reagan's men try to make him understand the lies and shocking wrongness of the Iran-Contra debacle, but he simply, stubbornly doesn't get it. And by the time prosecutors interview Reagan in 1992, he's so ill he can't remember his own oldest friends and advisers.

All provocative stuff, some of it new. But most readers will flip to the book's second half, a fly-on-the-wall account of the backroom mud-wrestling in both the Clinton and Starr camps in the Monicagate morass. It's a trove of racy facts (mostly from anonymous sources). We read that Clinton called Nixon a "war criminal," yet tried to minimize Watergate in his Nixon eulogy, that he disgusted Ford and Jack Nicklaus by cheating while golfing with them, and that he kept falsely assuring aides, "I'm retired! [as an adulterer]." We hear Hillary's alleged words of agony and see the pain on Bill's face after Chelsea reads The Starr Report on the Internet. Starr comes off like RoboCop without the human side. Woodward calls him "pathetic and unwise" in rejecting his staff's urgent demand not to send the lurid details of presidential sex to Congress. "I love the narrative!" Starr weirdly exulted, according to Woodward's new Deep Throat (or Throats). Since Monica was interrogated at Starr's mother-in-law's apartment, which he called "Grandma's place," ethics expert Sam Dash suggested they call it "Operation Red Riding Hood." What sharp teeth everyone in this book has!

To tell the truth, Woodward doesn't really knit together 25 years' worth of scandals into a single strong narrative. But the Clinton part is the closest thing yet to what we all crave: a tale of Monicagate with some of the flavor of a John Grisham thriller. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Twenty-five years ago, after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, Gerald Ford promised a return to normalcy. "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over," President Ford declared.

But it was not. The Watergate scandal, and the remedies against future abuses of power, would have an enduring impact on presidents and the country. In Shadow, Bob Woodward takes us deep into the administrations of Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton to describe how each discovered that the presidency was forever altered. With special emphasis on the human toll, Woodward shows the consequences of the new ethics laws, and the emboldened Congress and media. Powerful investigations increasingly stripped away the privacy and protections once expected by the nation's chief executive.

Shadow is an authoritative, unsettling narrative of the modern, beleaguered presidency.

Download Description

Twenty-five years after Nixon's resignation, the reporter who helped break the story explains how Watergate--the premier scandal of our time--has indelibly altered American politics, culture, and the presidency.

Customer Reviews:

Inside of the White House.......2005-06-15

Another Bob Woodward book, another masterpiece. I am getting great pleasure from his books. Detailed research, witnesses, and main character interviews are combined to revealed truth with every respect. In Shadows, he discovers the last five presidents scandals and events around them. Book starts with Ford, Nixon and Watergate, This is the most interesting chapter of the book, and it is explained with every detail. Secondly, Carter and payment made to Jordan King and Iran Hostage crisis. You can feel Carter's pain in this chapter. After that, of course Reagan and Iran-Contra weapon sale and Oliver North incident. This chapter is also very interesting. The role Regan and Senior Bush is much different than public knows. Senior Bush's role is very controversial. There are always something learn from his books. When Senior Bush was at the White House, subject is the war again. First gulf war and Saddam stories given. There is also little bit information about Bush-Saudi relations in that time. Inevitable, Mr. Bandar's name is also here. Finally, Clinton era, Whitewater and Monica. This is also very big chapter. In Whitewater investigation is explained very well. Also Monica scandal is the fun part of the book. Star and Clinton have not a bad relation as we know.

This is the best book for near presidential history. I give all the credits to Mr. Woodward for this great book. Buy it and read it!

The effect the Independent Counsel had on the Presidency.......2003-12-26

I think this is a pretty good book on the Presidency of the United States since Watergate. Of course, Mr. Woodward played a significant role in reporting Watergate and has written extensively about the Presidency since then.

This book examines the various difficulties and scandals the Presidents since Nixon have had and the shadow the legacy of Watergate fell on those events and affected how they were handled and perceived. The most significant event in the way these things played out was the creation of the Independent Counsel. While I was never wild about the Independent Counsels before I read this book, I have come to the conclusion that it was an awful idea and an abuse of our Constitution. While the office was designed to not be accountable to the President to afford a credible ability to investigate the Executive Branch, it has no reasonable boundaries or limits and is not subject to any of the checks or balances that enable our government to function as reasonably as it does.

Freed from any limits of time, budget, or public accountability it is not surprising that many, but not all, of these Independent Counsels end up pursuing all kinds of things apart from what they were originally charged to pursue. My chief conclusion from reading this book is that this was a bad law with worse execution and should never be revived. Good riddance!

Half of the book is devoted to the Clinton scandals. The other large section is Iran-Contra. How you perceive Woodward's balance and objectivity will be colored by your personal politics. I have to admit that I found my own reading of the book varied at different points because of my own view of these scandals and whether or not I agreed with Woodward or felt that his own political biases were creeping in (which is impossible to avoid). But all-in-all there is a lot of good reporting here and is written in way that is easy to read. There are lots of endnotes to document the sources for the various statements, meetings, and conclusions drawn.

I recommend the book highly.

Interesting, disturbing look at the presidency.......2003-02-03

Heard the taped version of SHADOW: FIVE PRESIDENTS
AND THE LEGACY OF WATERGATE by Bob Woodward . . . it
is a very interesting, as well as disturbing, look at what it takes to be president in this country.

Because of Watergate, the press no longer takes a "hands off"
approach to what is being done in the White House . . . consequently, Woodward points out that all presidents--from Nixon through Clinton--seem to have had lapses in judgment, during which they either did not tell the truth or had others help cover it up for them.

I got a fresh perspective on Ford's pardon of Nixon, and though
I had thought I had known a lot about the Monicagate morass,
I now know even more (including a lot of dirt not uncovered
elsewhere).

Fortunately, Woodward is only heard at the beginning and
the end . . . he does not have a great speaking voice, that's
for sure . . . the rest was narrated by James Naughton . . . his
impressive baritone voice made for easy listening . . . moreover, he actually sounds like many of the characters he portrays, such as James Carville, Ronald Raegan and Jimmy Carter.

An important bridging of common sense psychology & politics.......2003-01-18

The first line in Micahel Lind's deeply provocative treatise on the modern American conservative movement UP FROM CONSERVATISM kicks you in the stomach, regardless of your political beliefs:"American Conservatism is dead." Like the political Nietzsche he is, Bob Woodward, in SHADOW: FIVE PRESIDENTS AND THE LEGACY OF WATERGATE, finishes that statement in this 500-plus page tome by saying, essentially, "...and Nixon has killed it."

None other than Gore Vidal has nicknamed America the *United States of Amnesia* so often that the trueness of it stops it from being funny. Yet any psychologist worth their salt will tell you the many reasons why memory, in a person or culture, is often the first thing to be EXORCISED. It isn't always something that leaves willingly. Bob Woodward brings common sense psychology--memory--back into the discussion of what has happened to the presidency, and America's relationship to it, since the quasi-psychotic Nixon disgraced it in the early 1970's. He reveals this with SHADOW, not by calling out and judging the Nixonians from the perspective of opinion, but via showing and analysing actual history. The degree to which the entire concept and institution of the American Presidency has been almost irrevocably debilitated by Watergate is the subject of this book, and it cannot be ignored in our time after reading it. In revealing the new cynically invasive psychic architecture of American politics, built on the destroyed remnants of the trusted Tao of FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, LBJ and Kennedy, he offers a glimpse of what Watergate symbolized about Nixon's soul. And what that tortured soul has meant for American culture today, in the 21st century.

Doing this not only puts Monica Lewinsky into a less mythological perspective. It also puts all of the machinations that now go into politicking for your right to actually BE President long after you have been elected--Republican or Democrat--into a new, important, and ultimately saddening perspective. (The degree to which her very existence in the public mind is shown to be part of a desire of Clinton's powerful enemies to erase Nixon's legacy from the annals of history with the impeachment of a Democratic President is brilliant. That omen is ironically overshadowed, however, by the way he explains the uncontrollable political Frankenstein that was the Office of Independent Counsel. This evil genie, with its granted near absolute power, is what Clinton let out of the bottle; a bottle that, after Watergate, was thought never to be opened again. Without it, the reincarnation of the Salem witch trials with Kenneth Starr and the pornography of his reports would never have occurred.)

I happened to have picked up this book to read after reading Conason and Lyons' THE HUNTING OF THE PRESIDENT--something which truly must be read in tandem with this if one is to really understand the social forces that also took center stage in the Clinton drama, despite their desire to still remain hidden. As such I found the Clinton chapters of SHADOW a rehash of previously digested material. SHADOW nonetheless, with its detailed meticulous analyses of the weaknesses and foibles of Ford, Carter, Regan, Bush and Clinton, and how these weaknesses became debilitating through the sins of their Watergate predecessor Nixon, cuts to the quick of our social consciousness today.

It is so important, it seems, for the American public not to have a historical perspective on anything that happens in politics. As if the pretense that all of it has no precedence somehow makes it more real or important--or worse, justifies an often hypocritically manufactured moral outrage. (I'll never forget the rage Clinton-haters would express at the mere mentioning of Sally Hemmings [Thomas Jefferson's slave mistress], Judith Exner [one of Kennedy's mistresses] or the broken first marriages of Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich, seemingly defending their right to believe Bill and Monica had ushered in the seventh sign of the Book of Revelations with their original sin.) Woodward's SHADOW destroys any validity that way of thinking had, and redefines the desire to be willfully politically/historically ignorant (as if ignorance buys someone moral virtue) as anything but sane. The book has a way of revalidating the entire concept and discipline of psychology, and its ability to explain the source of today's events, as it gives new strength to the battle weary line of Santayana: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Anyone interested in a deeper perspective on the Clinton presidency, the presidency of both Bushes, and modern American culture would highly benefit from this powerful trinity: Michael Lind's UP FROM CONSERVATISM, Conason and Lyons' THE HUNTING OF THE PRESIDENT, and this book. Woodward's SHADOW is extraordinarily well written, tremendously informative, and, even with its inevitable biases both in favor of journalism as it is presently practiced (Consaon and Lyons are fortunately not so kind--particularly to the Washington Post) and against the possibility of a president after Nixon inspiring the kind of faith and hope that those like FDR and Kennedy did (though he is almost right, Conason, Lyons and Lind will explain clearly why it could have happened but would not be allowed in Clinton's case), Woodward's masterful writing and storytelling skills hide a multitude of sins. Highly recommended.

Overall good, but too soft on Clinton.......2002-04-29

Woodward does an exceptional job of covering the impact of Watergate on the Nixon-Bush administrations. However, he is far too easy on the Clinton administration.

If we are to believe the Woodward account, every Clinton scandal was one big misunderstanding after another. Travelgate...Filegate...Fostergate...Paulagate...WhiteWatergate...Monicagate. The Clintons were being up front, but poor Starr and the Republicans just kept misinterpreting everything.

Nice try, Bob. But it just don't add up.

If this had happened just once or twice, that would be explainable. (After all, every administration has some bad apples. That's just a fact of life.)

However, the plethora of scandals reflects a systemic problem in the Clinton White House. A fundamental rule of leadership (to quote John Maxwell) is that WHO YOU ARE is WHAT YOU ATTRACT.

If Clinton had that many people in his inner circle who were so dishonest, then that reflects his own ineptitude as a leader.

Book Description

At the moment when the long-concealed identity of the Watergate scandal's most famous source, Deep Throat, has finally been revealed as former FBI deputy director Mark Felt, it is only appropriate that the historic Senate Select Committee report that helped trigger the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in 1974 should be made available to a new generation. Here it all is: the break-in and cover-up, the wire taps, the dirty campaign tricks, the attempts to improperly influence government agencies, and the ensuing trail of lies and deceptions all laid out in painstaking detail.

Customer Reviews:

Ervin Committee Report.......2005-10-16

The Senate Watergate Report is a unique record of the biggest political scandal in American history. It was released while `the Watergate drama is still unfolding,' before President Nixon's resignation and during the time the House of Representatives was drawing up articles of impeachment. It's a record of events learned by the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, more popularly known as the Ervin Committee, named for its chairman, North Carolina Democrat Senator Sam Ervin. Senate Resolution 60 created the Ervin Committee, which sat from February to August of 1973, and whose mandate was to conduct a complete investigation of illegal, improper, and unethical activities during the 1972 presidential campaign. Excluding statements by the committee Senators and the introduction, the book is divided into four sections.

The first section deals with the Watergate break-in and coverup (`Coverup' is sometimes a single word in this report, although my spellchecker seems to disagree.) This section deals with the background and planning, break-in itself, and the subsequent cover-up. As is true throughout the Report, personalities aren't drawn beyond that found in testimony, conclusions are reached with corroborating testimony. This tends to make the reading somewhat dry and a little droning, and those looking for a breathless narrative history will find this book lacking. While it doesn't follow a strict chronology, this section begins with the hiring of G. Gordon Liddy as General Counsel to the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP, or, if you're into retro-design, CREEP.) The Report finds that Watergate began with Liddy's formulation of the `Gemstone Plan,' an elaborate, clandestine and extra-legal blueprint for domestic spying which led to the creation of the Plumbers. The Plumbers first crime was the break-in of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist. Ellsberg was the individual who `leaked' the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. The Plumbers were created to plug such leaks. The other crime investigated by the Committee was the break-in of the DNC headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. The rest of this section details the early knowledge of break-in by Nixon Administration officials and their attempts to cover-up the investigation, most significantly by trying to convince CIA to interfere with the FBI's investigation.

Campaign practices is the topic of the second section. This report "focuses on the presidential campaign practices that raise substantial questions of legality, propriety, or ethics." And so this section reports on the creation of the infamous Nixon Enemies List, the improper use of the FBI, Secret Service, the FCC, the Justice Department, and other government agencies that the Administration used to attack and harass its `enemies.' This chapter also takes a long, detailed look at the short, unhappy CRP-career of political prankster Donald Segretti.

Even the seasoned Watergate wonk will have problems wading through the third report, `Use of the Incumbency-Responsiveness Program.' This section examines the "utilization of federal resources to benefit the incumbent" and the improper injection of political considerations into the decision-making process. Basically this chapter looks at how the Nixon Administration tried to co-opt the black and the Spanish-speaking vote by either reward (give them a juicy federal grant,) or neutralization (tell them they're being considered for a grant and let them twist slowly in the wind waiting for it.) This stuff isn't usually included in the canon of Watergate high crimes and misdemeanors, and although the authors more or less convince me that the Nixon Administration did use incumbency improperly, they weren't able to convince me that this wasn't `politics as usual.' For one thing, S. Res. 60 mandated that the Committee look only at the 1972 campaign, so investigating other administrations' practices was beyond their scope. Something's fishy, but the Incumbency-Responsiveness Program doesn't seem unique to the Nixon Administration. I should add that the `high crimes and misdemeanors' remark is a little out of place, as well. The House handles impeachment trials. The Senate Committee was an investigative body whose purpose was to report and propose remedial legislation if problems were found.

The fourth report is entitled "The Hughes-Rebozo Investigation and Related Matters," and, as the title suggests, this section focuses on "the receipt, storage, concealment and expenditure of cash contributions by Charles G. Rebozo and related matters" and the "use of cash funds to the direct benefit of the president." The bulk of the chapter is devoted to a $100,000 contribution, in two $50,000 installments, made by representatives of Howard Hughes to `Bebe' Rebozo in 1969-1970. This is one of the more exhaustive and exhausting chapters in the book, with a good ninety pages devoted to a minute discussion of on what dates the two deliveries probably occurred. The report also asks what Rebozo did with the money. It was returned after the IRS expressed interest in the Hughes' contribution in 1973, and Rebozo claimed it remained untouched in a safe deposit box. Although the attention to detail is sometimes maddening, it turns out that the dates Rebozo received the money was very important indeed. This report also asks whether any of these monies was used to buy or improve President Nixon's homes in San Clemente and Key Biscayne.

I was rather surprised to see the reprinted The Senate Watergate Report on the shelf next to Bob Woodward's The Secret Man in late summer, 2005. I can understand the desire to offer a Watergate refresher next to a book about Deep Throat, but The Senate Watergate Report!? I mean, I recommend the book, but not for the uninitiated. It was one of the first mass-market books to deal with the Watergate break-in and coverup. But its early release and mandated mission make it far from a comprehensive history of Watergate. For one thing, there's nothing here about the 18-1/2 gap, Deep Throat, or the Saturday Night Massacre. The Committee had to use `unauthenticated' transcripts of the White House tapes - the Supreme Court battle over their release was still in the future when this book was published. My guess is that you don't have to pay author royalties when you reprint a government report.

The Watergate Crisis (Greenwood Press Guides to Historic Events of the Twentieth Century)

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Boring Book
its a good one folks

The Watergate Crisis (Greenwood Press Guides to Historic Events of the Twentieth Century)
Michael A. Genovese
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313298785

Book Description

The Watergate crisis marked the beginning of the age of cynicism in America. This readable and insightful account examines what happened in Watergate, who was involved, what it meant then, and what it means now. By analyzing the overall impact of Watergate on events that followed, this work will help students and other interested readers to better understand today's politics. In addition to a narrative overview and a series of topical essays about Watergate, this guide provides a timeline of events, biographical sketches of the key players, the text of important primary documents, a glossary of terms, and an annotated bibliography. Watergate refers to a series of crimes and abuses of power including obstruction of justice, conspiracy, criminal coverup, perjury, and destruction of evidence. As a result of the Watergate crisis, the press became more intrusive and personal, the public became more cynical and apathetic toward government, executive-congressional relations became soured and divisive, and partisan clashes became more bitter. Genovese, a noted presidential scholar, discusses Nixon's political personality, addresses the question of whether any president is above the law, and offers a contemporary view of presidential corruption in historical perspective, which is valuable in light of the Clinton impeachment hearings. This readable analysis and ready-reference guide provides valuable resources for students.

Customer Reviews:

Boring Book.......2004-03-16

This Book is an okay if your an adult but it is a little boring for aperson like me.

its a good one folks.......2001-03-22

i liked it because it gave good info about the crisis and the affects of watergate.

Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America

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Excellent history on Watergate fiasco
Pointless
Den of ...

Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America
Keith W. Olson
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0700612505

Book Description

Arguably the greatest political scandal of twentieth-century America, the Watergate affair rocked an already divided nation to its very core, severely challenged our cherished notions about democracy, and further eroded public trust in its political leaders.

The 1972 break-in at Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel--by five men acting under the direction of a Republican president's closest aides--created a constitutional crisis second only to the Civil War and ultimately toppled the Nixon presidency. With its sordid trail of illegal wiretapping, illicit fundraising, orchestrated cover-up, and destruction of evidence, it was the scandal that made every subsequent national political scandal a gate as well.

A disturbing tale made famous by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in All the President's Men, the Watergate scandal has been extensively dissected and vigorously debated. Keith Olson, however, offers for the first time a layman's guide to Watergate, a concise and readable one-volume history that highlights the key actors, events, and implications in this dark drama. John Dean, John Ehrlichman, H. R. Haldeman, G. Gordon Liddy, John Mitchell, Judge John Sirica, Senator Sam Ervin, Archibald Cox, and the ghostly Deep Throat reappear here--in a volume designed especially for a new generation of readers who know of Watergate only by name and for teachers looking for a straightforward summary for the classroom.

Olson first recaps the events and attitudes that precipitated the break-in itself. He then analyzes the unmasking of the cover-up from both the president's and the public's perspective, showing how the skepticism of politicians and media alike gradually intensified into a full-blown challenge to Nixon's increasingly suspicious actions and explanations.

Olson fully documents for the first time the key role played by Republicans in this unmasking, putting to rest charges that the liberal establishment drove Nixon from the White House. He also chronicles the snowballing public outcry (even among Nixon's supporters) for the president's removal. In a final chapter, Olson explores the Cold War contexts that encouraged an American president to convince himself that the pursuit of national security trumped even the Constitution.

As America approaches the thirtieth anniversary of the infamous Watergate hearings and the overreach of presidential power is again at issue, Olson's book offers a quick course on the scandal itself, a sobering reminder of the dangers of presidential arrogance, and a tribute to the ultimate triumph of government by the people.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent history on Watergate fiasco.......2007-08-01

Read this for graduate American history course.
Keith Olson's book "Watergate" describes the events that led up to the scandal that shook the American public like nothing it had ever experienced. When the public elects officials into office they do not anticipate such scandalous happenings as the one that tore our nation apart. The Watergate scandal left the American population feeling distrustful and pessimistic at one of the most vulnerable times in this nation's history. Everyone wondered how the nation would recover from something as tragic and polarizing as Watergate.

Nixon detested the media. He sought to control everything the press had to report about him and his administration. Nixon's turmoil began when he insisted that the Pentagon Papers stay out of the press. Despite his efforts, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment took precedence over what Nixon maintained was a compromise of national security. While the Pentagon Papers tainted some officials' reputations, there is no evidence to suggest the papers were a threat to national security (18).

Nixon's grave concern regarding re-election in 1972 was driven by three characteristics: his concern about public image, his desire for knowledge about the plans and activities of his opponents, and his heavy reliance on public opinion polls in order to gauge public reactions and to guide future decisions (23). He relied heavily on his White House staff to obtain the information he thought necessary to attain his goal of being re-elected.

Although Nixon's aides took great initiative in attempting to thwart any chance of the Democratic Party winning the election, they crossed the fine line which separates what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The Plumbers, who were initially formed to stop unauthorized leaks of government information, overstepped their bounds which led to the Watergate scandal (18).

Nixon was overwhelmingly reelected in 1972. This pushed Watergate out of the mind of the public. However, in January the defendants were on trial. Judge Sirica concluded that the defendants of the Watergate break in were withholding knowledge. He threatened stiff penalties if they did not cooperate. Resignations of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean and the acting director of the FBI were the result of James McCord (chief security for CREEP)disclosing information. (CREEP) was the Committee to Re-elect the President.) McCord testified against dean to receive a lesser sentence. Dean turned over names and as a result wanted immunity and continued to give information.

The Washington Post was the major paper that covered Watergate. Watergate played no role in the 1972 elections. People did not yet equate Nixon to Watergate. The journalists reported that CREEPfunds helped pay for Waterate.

The Watergate break-in was initiated by the Plumbers with G. Gordon Liddy, who had been hired by John Mitchell, at the helm. Although Nixon was unaware of the events at the time they occurred, he did learn of the burglary shortly thereafter. His reluctance to handle the scandal at the beginning resulted in the beginning of the end. President Nixon was so driven by secrecy that it clouded his judgment of right and wrong. When the major participants, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. Haldeman, John Mitchell, Charles Colson, Robert C. Mardian, and Gordon C. Strachan, had to share information with President Nixon he should have immediately done the right thing.

Instead, the cover-up began. President Nixon was in complete denial. He managed to encumber the Watergate investigation for two years with his refusal to cooperate and turn over the necessary information. By hindering the process, President Nixon only hurt the nation by not allowing the scandal to come to a close. Furthermore, the American population saw the President behave in such a manner which tarnished the image of the highest position in the nation.

Due to President Nixon's poor judgment, eighteen of his aides went to prison and he narrowly avoided impeachment. His reliance on advisors and his own poor judgment cost him the presidency. Had he cooperated initially with the judicial system the ramifications and embarrassment would have not been as damaging. The fact that President Nixon never believed he did anything wrong crippled the government. The American people lost faith in the government because no one would have suspected the nation to be susceptible to such a crime. Olson's interpretation appears unbiased and gives a complete account of the events that led to President Nixon's downfall. His inclusion of what the media believed enhanced the book by explaining to the reader what the public opinion was in regards to the Watergate scandal. He continued to include the media's reaction to the events as they progressed, which showed how the public's reaction changed as the scandal continued. I found this to be an important aspect of the book because it provides the reader with a complete view of every angle of the Watergate scandal and demonstrates how much it affected the nation.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I recommended this book for anyone interested in American history, and Watergate history.

Pointless.......2003-12-29

As someone who has read several books on Watergate, I have to ask: why was this published? It contains no new research, no new interviews, no revelations. The entire book is cobbled together from other books, which means that far too many important points and details are glossed over or ignored. What's worse is Olson's prose, so flat and lackluster that it reads like a description of a Senate Appropriations Bill, rather than as the story of the greatest constitutional crisis of the 20th century. Don't be fooled by the inexplicable raves on the cover-this is barely adequate at best. For a thorough and compelling read on Nixon's downfall, read Fred Emery's Watergate instead.

Den of ..........2003-09-23

Taut summary account of the Watergate tale. This era remains in memory as a series of journalistic fragments and television images half-remembered. It is useful to redo the tape to assemble a fully coherent image and this work is an excellent short history and analysis, from the Plumbers to Deep Throat to nervous breakdown and resignation, exeunt omnes, quite a few, save but one, with no get out of jail free card. The book brings in a theme by way of diagnosis in terms of the corrosive effect of the 'imperial presidency' and the covert perversions of 'presidential will' proceeding in Cold War prerogative as progressive Machiavellian disease to the Nixonesque fatal dosage. As a mere peon here not fooled for once, one is struck by the curious impudence of incompetent villainy, and the strange fortune that a picture of rank dishonesty starting as routine business as usual as if this were all presumed is what finally led to exposure. One gets the bad feeling the other smiling faces in the photo ops are less incompetent, no proof of virtue.

The Watergate Scandal in American History (In American History)

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The Watergate Scandal in American History (In American History)
David K. Fremon
Manufacturer: Enslow Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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In Search of Deep Throat : The Greatest Political Mystery of Our Time

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He didn't get it.
This book should give pause to curious readers
A footnote to history
he was wrong
Get Your Mind Out Of The Gutter

In Search of Deep Throat : The Greatest Political Mystery of Our Time
Leonard Garment
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0465026133
Release Date: 2000-08-01

Amazon.com

Ever since the Watergate scandal broke, people have speculated on the identity of Deep Throat, Woodward and Bernstein's secretive source. Nixon administration insider Leonard Garment went In Search of Deep Throat to solve the mystery. On page 2 of his book, Garment reveals his theory--and it's not who you might think.

Garment explains how he came to arrive at his conclusion, admitting that there's no "smoking gun"--and that his subject denies the charge vehemently (as do Woodward and Bernstein). He debunks other theories, and also somewhat laughingly describes the wrong turns he made during his investigation. For a time he was mistakenly convinced that Deep Throat was David Gergen, in part because of Gergen's height; in All the President's Men, Woodward describes how Deep Throat had arranged to leave a note on a ledge in the parking garage where the two men met. When Woodward arrived, he was too short to reach it. Gergen was 7 inches taller than Woodward and "could have comfortably placed the note on the ledge without giving a thought to his friend's height disadvantage. At the time, I thought this fact to be of momentous significance."

Unveiling aside, Garment provides an insider's look into the Nixon administration and the Watergate scandal. Garment may well be wrong in his identification of Deep Throat, but his assessment of the state of post-Watergate politics rings painfully true. Though today's federal government appears "cleaner," owing in part to the rise of investigative reporting à la Woodward and Bernstein, Garment feels that "the ironic aftermath of the changes that Watergate and Deep Throat set in train is that politics and government are in substance distinctly meaner and dirtier than they were when Deep Throat decried the 'switchblade mentality' in the White House." As Garment points out, somehow "the idea of politics as inherently corrupt has led to its becoming more so." And that's what's hard to swallow. --Sunny Delaney

Book Description

"A persuasive case...Watergate and Deep Throat's role in it still matter...This history lesson is quite timely." (New York Times Book Review 8-6-00)

Customer Reviews:

He didn't get it........2005-06-02

Don't buy this book. It wasn't John Sears.

We know now that it was W. Mark Felt, the No. 2 man at the FBI who was the source.

This book should give pause to curious readers.......2005-06-02

Obviously, this book is wrong. Mark Felt was identified as Deep Throat. However, I think there is a larger example to conisder here. The DT question was one of the biggest mysteries of our time. Many books were written on the subject, some with much investigation. From what I see, they were ALL wrong. Keep this in mind when you read other books that purport to hold an answer to a big modern mystery. This is commonsense, but it is easy to get wrapped up in a person's theory when they create a book and hype it. Think of how many other books are just as worthless as this one.

A footnote to history.......2005-06-01

Well, we finally know the identity of Deep Throat as W. Mark Felt came out of the closet yesterday and quelled the "Who Is He/She?", game. Therefore, this book is now completely outdated, irrelevant, and not worth the effort. This book was a wasted effort from the beginning, however, now it is not even worth the paper it is printed on.

he was wrong.......2005-06-01

Today, it came out that Felt was Deep Throat. Seems this guy's sleuthing ability isn't that good....

Get Your Mind Out Of The Gutter.......2004-06-17

I have always found something interesting and entertaining about the whole Watergate and Deep Throat story. How this one grumpy guy helped to bring down a President has always been fascinating, probably because his identity is still a mystery. In certain circles this mystery ranks up their with Bigfoot on the scale of true believers verses critics. Thus when I came across this book I thought I would pick it up if nothing more then to fuel my curiosity. The author provides a book that gives the reader a brief insight into the author, the roll he played in the Nixon administration and what he has done since. He provides a nice overview of what happened during Watergate and then he gets into who he thinks was Deep Throat. He also provides a nice Where Are They Now appendix at the end of the book, which is I found almost as entertaining as many parts of the book.

As you can imagine, the author did not jump right into who he assumes was Deep Throat. He takes us through a number of people that he suspected, but decided that they did not fit the bill. In this area I was disappointed. He tried to cover a good number of people (as the initial population of who it could be Deep Throat is always large before some investigation is done), but many times he dismisses people on almost no evidence, at least not provided in the text. There were any number of suspects that were tossed aside with simple comments about how the author could not see this person sneaking around a parking garage late at night. Although this type of reasoning may work with your wife or friends, for me it was a bit light and almost called into question his investigative process as a whole. One last minor criticism, the author should have included a few pictures of some of the people he was talking about, sure we all know what Nixon and the A team looked like, but this story was more about the players in the background and I would have liked to put a face with the names.

I think I found the most value in the details of the players / suspects that he did provide the readers. The strongest part of the book, in my opinion, was the personality traits and interactions of the key players that he detailed. Unlike books that focus on the administration or the key players, this book looked at what were some of the second tier players and gave the reader a very nice feel for what they were like and what it was like working with them. Overall the book was entertaining and well written. I did have some issues with the overall investigative process and I felt that once the author detailed who he felt was Deep Throat, his explanation why lacked an overwhelming amount of evidence to truly prove to me that he was correct. It just seemed to me like he rushed the last and most important chapter of the book. The details of the people involved saved the rating I gave the book, if it was not for this detail I would have rated the book lower.

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The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat
Bob Woodward
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000SOXDQG

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