The real reason Bob Woodward's book is so damaging for Trump

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Bob Woodward's new book -- "Fear: Trump in the White House" -- exploded onto the political scene on Tuesday morning. It included anecdotes like: President Donald Trump's aides purposely keeping information from him in order to protect the country; a failed mock-interview in preparation for a potential sit-down with special counsel Robert Mueller over Russia; and Trump lashing out at aides, most notably Jeff Sessions, referring to his attorney general as "mentally retarded."

All of this is salacious. And makes for great headlines.

But what's truly worrisome for President Trump and his administration is that the portrait Woodward paints of a chaotic, dysfunctional, ill-prepared White House is all strangely familiar. It's the same vision of the White House that Michael Wolff wrote way back in January in "Fire and Fury." It's the same picture that Omarosa Manigault-Newman constructed in her memoir of her year in the White House. It's the same story that White House reporters at CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and virtually every other mainstream media outlet has told of the Trump White House.

Sure, Omarosa could be a disgruntled former aide trying to make money while exacting revenge on her enemies. Sure, Michael Wolff could have been misled by a few sources with scores to settle with Trump. Sure, reporters could get a detail or two wrong. Sure, Woodward could have cast a scene or two in ways that are less than favorable to Trump.

But how could all -- and I mean all -- of the reporting on this White House reach a striking similar conclusion? The portraits of Trump drawn by Wolff, Omarosa and Woodward are all eerily similar to one another -- a man hopelessly out of his depth in the job, but entirely incapable of understanding how desperately out of depth he actually is. A man motivated almost entirely by personal grievance. A man willing to humiliate people who work for him, to play staffers against one another, to scapegoat underlings to keep blame off of himself. Someone who has so much self-belief that he rarely adequately prepares for situations involving international diplomacy and national security. Top aides who view that their jobs are primarily keeping Trump from causing serious harm, and grousing every step of the way about the man.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-real-reason-bob-woodwards-book-is-so-damaging-for-trump/ar-BBMSN4T?li=BBnb7Kz

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Really, and how many people have to say something in order for the cabinet and/or Congress ...

to remove a unfit man from duty? How many?

[DFW]

14. Just the right 67 people

But 18 of them won't under any circumstances, not even if he shoots someone dead on live TV on Fifth Avenue.

[FakeNoose]

2. Great editorial by Chris Cillizza at CNN

Thanks for posting this!

[dlk]

3. It's the Dysfunctional/Criminal GOP That's the Real Problem

Along with their billionaire overlords.

[diane in sf]

8. Exactly.

[alwaysinasnit]

11. Agree 100%

[uponit7771]

16. +1

[brush]

4. And Woodward has tapes of every interview. The denials by Kelly and Mattis are just more repug lies.

I was watching Don Lemon on CNN last night and a couple of repugs were on and just absolutely claiming that Woodward lied and made things up in the book.

Woodward, who along with Bernstein helped bring down Nixon with their investigative reporting, and has done books on eight presidents doesn't have to make things up and lie, especially since he has the tapes.

[Garrett78]

6. Unless he makes those tapes public, which he probably won't do in order to protect sources...

...then Kelly, Mattis and the rest can go on denying Woodward's claims.

I would love it if audio of them bashing Trump were to be broadcast, but I'm not holding my breath.

[brush]

9. Woodward's credibility will win out over their lies. It may come to him releasing the tapes.

Btw, here's an audio of Woodward's taped with permission phone conversation with trump yesterday about why he wasn't interviewed for the book.

Kelly Ann Conway is caught in a lie in a way as she pops into trump's office during the conversation.

[NewJeffCT]

7. The Trump base will mostly believe

that the tapes are doctored/fake or not the people quoted.

[salin]

5. and it is consistent with his public words (twitter and rally rants)

chaotic, insulting, self-centered, self-righteous (about how smart he is and every decision he makes). At least a few more 'heads in the sand' voters might find it so recognizable that they can begin to shake the sand out of their ears and break the valence of the bond of the cult.

[LandOfHopeAndDreams]

10. I've Read The Same Thing Every Time A Book Gets Released

What makes anyone think this book will be different.

Sure, it's Woodward, but I doubt there is going to be anything to change minds of the Drumpf Deplorables.

[ouija]

12. Chris Hedges

Has it right, Trump is the symptom of the disease.

[jalan48]

13. Anr this will matter how in the present? Historically it will be damaging but Trump and the

Republicans are only worried about now.

[UTUSN]

15. K&R