By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Journalist and author Bob Woodward addressed a variety of issues at UB Wednesday night, ranging from President Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq to the recent presidential election. He addressed a large crowd at Alumni Arena on the North Campus as part of the university's Distinguished Speakers Series.
Bob Woodward spent most of his speech discussing his latest book, "Plan of Attack," a behind-the-scenes account of the President's motivation to go to war. Woodward said he was given unprecedented access to a US president. He said he asked more than 500 questions of Mr. Bush, and in none of them did the President express any doubt about his decision.
Prior to the speech, Woodward met with reporters about this month's presidential election. Going into the election, many political observers, Woodward among them, said John Kerry should win, but George W. Bush probably will. Last night, Woodward said he's sticking with that line. He said voters knew where Bush stood.
"Bush won the luke-warm vote, the persuadable voter who wasn't sure," Woodward said. "Bush won from the center, oddly enough."
Woodward made his mark in the early 1970s with his reporting on the Watergate scandal. He said back then, he and colleague Carl Bernstein were given two to three weeks to write a story. Today, he says that doesn't happen as much -- and that comes with a cost.
"If you get what looks like an advance on a story or something new, your editor wants to get it on the web site by 12noon," Woodward said. "So, we don't spend enough time on things to get to the bottom."
At the end of his address, a student asked Woodward if he would disclose the identity of Deep Throat, the person who provided background information to Woodward and Bernstein during their Watergate investigation. Woodward didn't take the bait and repeated what he's said all along -- we won't know who Deep Throat is until that person dies or changes his mind.