Reply #6: From the link in the OP... [View All]

[babylonsister]

“The White House doors swung wide for the world’s most successful non-fiction writer. … ‘Obama’s Wars,’ Bob Woodward’s 16th book—the previous 15 have all been best-sellers and often dominated the news upon release—comes out Monday . … Woodward surprised top defense and intelligence officials by coming in for interviews armed with classified maps, in some cases labeled with code names for clandestine operations. … Part of Woodward’s magic comes from his long relationships after more than 30 years as Washington’s most famous reporter. Woodward has known Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the war in Afghanistan, since he was a major. He has known the White House national security adviser, Gen. James Jones, since he was a colonel.

“In addition to White House insiders, there are the less obvious sources: diplomats posted to Washington from other countries (the Pakistani embassy seems to be a big source), and less-heralded officials in the military (including retired general and senior Defense Department civilians), State Department and intelligence bureaucracies. … Woodward ‘takes that information and reads it back to the White House, and they decide to play ball with him,’ an aide said. Another administration official explained: ‘He sequences his interviews in a way that he can impress the higher-ups with what he knows already. Then it’s harder not to talk.’ … Instead of thinking, ‘I’m talking to Bob Woodward: I’d better be careful,’ sources tend to think, ‘I’m talking to Bob Woodward. I’d better tell him something good.’ This effect is said to be especially vivid when he invites sources into his Georgetown dining room.”