Bob Woodward's new book

[southernhybrid]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/04/politics/bob-woodward-book-donald-trump-fear/index.html

The book opens with a dramatic scene. Former chief economic adviser Gary Cohn saw a draft letter he considered dangerous to national security on the Oval Office desk.
The letter would have withdrawn the US from a critical trade agreement with South Korea. Trump's aides feared the fallout could jeopardize a top-secret national security program: the ability to detect a North Korean missile launch within just seven seconds.
Woodward reports Cohn was "appalled" that Trump might sign the letter. "I stole it off his desk," Cohn told an associate. "I wouldn't let him see it. He's never going to see that document. Got to protect the country."
Bob Woodward's bizarre phone call with Trump
Bob Woodward's bizarre phone call with Trump
Cohn was not alone. Former staff secretary Rob Porter worked with Cohn and used the same tactic on multiple occasions, Woodward writes. In addition to literally stealing or hiding documents from Trump's desk, they sought to stall and delay decisions or distract Trump from orders they thought would endanger national security.
"A third of my job was trying to react to some of the really dangerous ideas that he had and try to give him reasons to believe that maybe they weren't such good ideas," said Porter, who as staff secretary handled the flow of presidential papers until he quit amid domestic violence allegations. He and others acted with the acquiescence of former chief of staff Reince Priebus, Woodward reports.

I wanted to use WaPo's review of the book because it was more detailed than this, but I know that a lot of you are unable to read WaPo unless you are a subscriber.

 

[southernhybrid]

For those who can read it, here's the piece from WaPo.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bob-woodwards-new-book-reveals-a-nervous-breakdown-of-trumps-presidency/2018/09/04/b27a389e-ac60-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?utm_term=.2a638afbae3d

John Dowd was convinced that President Trump would commit perjury if he talked to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. So, on Jan. 27, the president’s then-personal attorney staged a practice session to try to make his point.

In the White House residence, Dowd peppered Trump with questions about the Russia investigation, provoking stumbles, contradictions and lies until the president eventually lost his cool.

“This thing’s a goddamn hoax,” Trump erupted at the start of a 30-minute rant that finished with him saying, “I don’t really want to testify.”

The dramatic and previously untold scene is recounted in “Fear,” a forthcoming book by Bob Woodward that paints a harrowing portrait of the Trump presidency, based on in-depth interviews with administration officials and other principals.

Woodward writes that his book is drawn from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand participants and witnesses that were conducted on “deep background,” meaning the information could be used but he would not reveal who provided it. His account is also drawn from meeting notes, personal diaries and government documents.

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Woodward describes “an administrative couEp’s national security team was shaken by his lack of curiosity and knowledge about world affairs and his contempt for the mainstream perspectives of military and intelligence leaders.

At a National Security Council meeting on Jan. 19, Trump disregarded the significance of the massive U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula, including a special intelligence operation that allows the United States to detect a North Korean missile launch in seven seconds vs. 15 minutes from Alaska, according to Woodward. Trump questioned why the government was spending resources in the region at all.

It gets a lot crazier, but most of us probably aren't surprised by any of this. Will the book have any impact on voters or will this simply be accepted as truth by those who already suspected that Trump was this unhinged, and rejected by those who don't want to believe the truth? How many tweet storms will there be from Trump about the book in the next few days? Woodward did ask Trump to be interviewed for the book but apparently he turned him down or put him off. This is already being discussed on MSNBC during the SCOTUS hearing break.

 

[EvoUK]

It's the same 'nameless sources' defence. The people quoted are anonymous, therefore aren't to be trusted and he's essentially making the whole thing up. Same as every other book/quote of disarray within the Whitehouse release thus far, unfortunately.

 

[RavenSky]

It's the same 'nameless sources' defence. The people quoted are anonymous, therefore aren't to be trusted and he's essentially making the whole thing up. Same as every other book/quote of disarray within the Whitehouse release thus far, unfortunately.

Uh huh...

Just like he was "making the whole thing up" during Watergate... until it was proven that he wasn't.

 

[starwater]

I love how staff just took stuff off Trump's desk to hide it from him and keep him from signing inappropriate shit. Apparently, if staffers did that Trump forgot all about it.

 

[Trausti]

It's the same 'nameless sources' defence. The people quoted are anonymous, therefore aren't to be trusted and he's essentially making the whole thing up. Same as every other book/quote of disarray within the Whitehouse release thus far, unfortunately.

But it will sell a few million copies before being tossed in the trash bin of crap. The publisher is counting on it. Won't make any difference.

 

[Elixir]

Won't make any difference.

No shit, Sherlock.
Trumpanzees are impervious to evidence. Cheato is an un-indicted co-conspirator in a felony indictment, and that hasn't made any difference to them. He abased himself in front of a tyrannical leader of America's biggest enemy on an international stage, and that didn't make any difference to them. And besides - most of them can't read, even if they wanted to.
Sleep easy, Trausti - Bobby's book isn't going to cost Cheato one single Russian-driven vote.

 

[Trausti]

Won't make any difference.

No shit, Sherlock.

Keep digging, Watson.

Trumpanzees are impervious to evidence. Cheato is an un-indicted co-conspirator in a felony indictment, and that hasn't made any difference to them. He abased himself in front of a tyrannical leader of America's biggest enemy, and that didn't make any difference to them. And most of them can't read, even if they wanted to.
Sleep easy, Trausti - Bobby's book isn't going to cost Cheato one single Russian-driven vote.

You people are cray cray.

 

[Elixir]

You people are cray cray.

That's really cute. And illustrative of the deepest level of rational argument of which trumpanzees are capable.

(HINT: You didn't address the fact that Individual-1 (Cheato) is an un-indicted co-conspirator in a felony indictment, or that he abased himself in front of a tyrannical leader of America's biggest enemy. One might almost have to assume that you have nothing relevant to say. "Cray cray" isn't much of a contribution, despite what you may have been told.)

 

[Trausti]

You people are cray cray.

That's really cute. And illustrative of the deepest level of rational argument of which trumpanzees are capable.

(HINT: You didn't address the fact that Individual-1 (Cheato) is an un-indicted co-conspirator in a felony indictment, or that he abased himself in front of a tyrannical leader of America's biggest enemy. One might almost have to assume that you have nothing relevant to say. "Cray cray" isn't much of a contribution, despite what you may have been told.)

America's biggest enemy? Nonsense. Don't you remember how silly Romney was to say Russia was the US's greatest geopolitical threat? Recall how the liberals and Democrats trashed him for that? Are you suggesting that liberals and Democrats are a bunch of idiots? Well, maybe.

 

[Elixir]

You people are cray cray.

That's really cute. And illustrative of the deepest level of rational argument of which trumpanzees are capable.

(HINT: You didn't address the fact that Individual-1 (Cheato) is an un-indicted co-conspirator in a felony indictment, or that he abased himself in front of a tyrannical leader of America's biggest enemy. One might almost have to assume that you have nothing relevant to say. "Cray cray" isn't much of a contribution, despite what you may have been told.)

America's biggest enemy? Nonsense.

Not nonsense. Russia is the only country in the world to have the means and the will, as well as a leader in their pocket, to subvert American democracy.
Show otherwise if you can. And the fact remains:

You still have not addressed the fact that Individual-1 (Cheato) is an un-indicted co-conspirator in a felony indictment, or that he abased himself in front of a tyrannical leader of America's biggest enemy one of America's biggest enemies. (modified in consideration of alt-white trigger sensitivity)

Don't you remember how silly Romney was

He still is - he's a republitard.

Are you suggesting that liberals and Democrats are a bunch of idiots?

Of course they are. They let a cheating half-wit beat them (with a lot of help from smart Russians).

 

[Trausti]

America's biggest enemy? Nonsense.

Not nonsense. Russia is the only country in the world to have the means and the will, as well as a leader in their pocket, to subvert American democracy.
Show otherwise if you can.

Don't mention China.

 

[Elixir]

America's biggest enemy? Nonsense.

Not nonsense. Russia is the only country in the world to have the means and the will, as well as a leader in their pocket, to subvert American democracy.
Show otherwise if you can.

Don't mention China.

China doesn't have Cheato in their pocket. Despite being cut from Trump's own despotic cloth, President Xi and his policies have in fact been criticized by the orange dufus. Putin, or HIS policies? Never.
Nice try. Next?

Reminder - you still have not addressed the fact that Individual-1 (Cheato) is an un-indicted co-conspirator in a felony indictment, or that he abased himself in front of a tyrannical leader <characterization deleted for snowflake's benefit>.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Don't mention China.

Where's the beef?

 

[Trausti]

Don't mention China.

China doesn't have Cheato in their pocket. Despite being cut from Trump's own despotic cloth, President Xi and his policies have in fact been criticized by the orange dufus. Putin, or HIS policies? Never.
Nice try. Next?

You don't think that China is a geopolitical threat to the US? Keep your head in the sand.

- - - Updated - - -

Don't mention China.

Where's the beef?

With gunshots to the back of the head, probably.

 

[whollygoats]

You don't think that China is a geopolitical threat to the US? Keep your head in the sand.

What a fuckwit. He didn't say that China isn't a geopolitical threat, he just said that shit-for-brains isn't in the pocket of the PRC. Are you too fucking stupid to suss that difference out?

Wait...of course you are. You are a Strumpet. You stood up and cheered when the Donald took it in the ass on global news.

- - - Updated - - -

Don't mention China.

Where's the beef?

With gunshots to the back of the head, probably.

LOL....The Russians don't have to shoot our agents, they control them....through the orange shitgibbon.

 

[Trausti]

LOL. So Russia was controlling our agents when Obama was president? Obama is a Putin stooge? Every time it seems that Trump Derangement Syndrome has reached its extreme, there’s always some looney who pushes it to further absurdity. Well done, whollygoats.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I love how staff just took stuff off Trump's desk to hide it from him and keep him from signing inappropriate shit. Apparently, if staffers did that Trump forgot all about it.

I don't love it. Such an idea is frightening.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It's the same 'nameless sources' defence.

Anonymous... but the White House is also saying disgruntled. So everyone is telling the same lie about Trump, and none of it is true.

Trump wanting to assassinate Assad, and Mattis saying 'On it' and then comes up with a more subtle plan.

Then Trump calling and trying to tell Woodward he never heard about it Woodward trying to get in contact with him... oh maybe from Graham... oh and Woodward told Conway, but you know... why didn't you call me... I have a secretary...

And people are still supporting this disgrace to Democracy.

 

[Ford]

I'm just gonna throw this out there...the movie sequel should be called "All The President's Men 2, Electric Boogaloo."