Bob Woodward is a liar, a liar on behalf of his powerful friends

The Washington Post's Bob Woodward is the most recent example of a reporter who has turned out to be nothing more than a Bush spokesman. Woodward made a name for himself on the Watergate story more than 30 years ago. His reputation as the crusading, hard-hitting journalist may have been deserved in the 1970s but Woodward profited from that image years later than he should have. Despite years of being a Washington insider who long ago lost his journalistic truth seeking inclinations, Woodward's name still gave him credibility.

Now we know that Woodward is a liar, a liar on behalf of his powerful friends. Woodward is one of the journalists who were given the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame in an effort to discredit her husband, a critic of Bush administration policy. He never said so until he was deposed under oath by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.

Patrick Fitzgerald has done the public a great service as he looks under rocks and puts the likes of Miller and Woodward on the hot seat. On the previously mentioned segment of Larry King Live, Woodward was asked about a rumor that he had a "bombshell" to report on the Plame case. He responded, "I wish I did have a bombshell. I don't even have a firecracker. I'm sorry." Woodward definitely had a bombshell and he saw it every time he looked in the mirror.

It isn't enough to say that the American corporate media are biased. Their first priority is staying in the good graces of the people running this country. Some act out of cynicism, while others, like Sulzburger, clearly feel an affinity with their policies and want to help promote them. It all means that the citizenry come last. If we get the truth it will be because of "junkyard dog" prosecutors, not because the media is doing its job.