WHEN Washington Post assistant managing editor Bob Woodward came to the University to speak last Thursday, I have to say I was in a bit of journalistic awe. I remember the first time I read "All The President's Men" in junior high and hoped that some day I could shape history like Woodward did in exposing the corruptness of the Nixon administration. A signed copy of the book sits very prominently on the bookshelf in my room.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to be offered the chance, along with a handful of other students, to talk with Woodward both before and after his presentation in Old Cabell Hall, on subjects ranging from his most recent book, "Plan of Attack," to the current presidential campaign.
I was impressed by his candor and found him extremely down-to-earth, given his lofty position in the journalistic pantheon. His answers to questions were backed by his own personal observations and conversations rather than talking points, something refreshing in this age of punditry.
But even given his vast experience in the field of journalism and his inside view on the inner workings of the Bush administration, Woodward is right alongside the rest of the American people: conflicted about the state of the nation and of President Bush.
With reports of CBS News's errors in verifying documents (to put it charitably) purporting to be related to President Bush's National Guard service as a topical backdrop, Woodward expressed concern about the state of the media and the perceived lack of public trust in the institution.
Though he didn't offer any solutions, he did outline how the desire for news organizations to have the "latest" news instead of the most accurate news is the source for a great deal of the Fourth Estate's weakness.
In terms of his opinion of President Bush, Woodward is a man who acknowledges that Bush's leadership style is one of strength, but isskeptical and occasionally fearful about the rest of the administration and its myopia in dealing with post-Saddam Iraq.
Where some mock Bush's intelligence, Woodward made a deliberate effort to emphasize that the president is not a dolt by any measure. I gathered a sense of admiration on Woodward's part for Bush's steadfastness, but concern about errors and setbacks made in foreign policy.
This sentiment is in line with the general sentiment of the country in this respect. The latest polling information from the Pew Center shows that only a very slight plurality approve of how President Bush has handled the Iraq situation. Yet the latest CNN/Gallup polling shows that the public strongly admires the President's traits of strength and decisiveness.
At the same time, he said that the thing he fears the most about the current administration is its secrecy. While the administration did give him a great deal of access in writing his recent book, it was largely due to the fact he was going to write the book regardless of the White House's cooperation.
Woodward is right to decry the secrecy of the administration, but it is still far better than that of Nixon's, the title of John Dean's recent book "Worse Than Watergate" aside. Nixon never would have given Woodward's level of access to any journalist.
With regard to the current campaign, Woodward expressed amazement at the Kerry campaign's ineptitude. Citing conversations he has had with past candidates for president, he said that candidates ultimately are defined by five descriptive words, and he believes Kerry has not been able to dictate these five words.
He laughed at my suggestion that "flip" and "flop" were probably the first of the five.
Woodward told me and the other students in the group huddled around him after his speech that he intends to vote, but has no idea for whom. Most likely, he said, he will decide in the way he has decided how to vote in the past several elections; by letting his daughter, who he takes into the polling booth, decide for him.
Let's hope that voters in swing states don't decide on this dubious decision-making process.
These are complicated times that we live in, and a complicated election we face, and no one has all the answers or solutions. Not even the most respected journalist in the country.
Jim Prosser's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at jprosser@cavalierdaily.com.
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