just finished Woodward's Fear

[GetRidOfThem]

Thought it was slow to get started, had a couple of real zingers, but in the end did not take Mueller's invesrugation as seriously as I do. He is basically portraying a crazy, disjointed liar, but not thevreal crook I think he may be... Other views?

[hlthe2b]

1. Well, it was a little less "gossipy" and surely better "documented" than the Michael Wolff book

Of course, regulars here who likewise have followed news closely the past two years, already knew most of what was in the book.

It underscored (well) how deeply unqualified Trump is, how temperamentally unfit and how vulnerable he has left us all, both economically and security-wise. For that, I'm grateful if even a small number of former Trump supporters or agnostics read it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. That wasn't the purpose of the book -

It wasn't to examine the Russia investigation but to reveal the dysfunction within the White House because of Trump's behavior. Most of Woodward's sources were not involved in it substantively at all; the lawyer, Dowd, might or might not know a lot about it (but Trump is the sort of guy who even lies to his lawyers), but the important point about Dowd is that he didn't want Trump to talk to Mueller because he knew he would lie.

There will be many books about the investigation. It wasn't the focus of this one.

[marylandblue]

3. Maybe that's why they didn't want Woodward to talk to Trump

Everybody knows not to admit crimes to a reporter, but who knows what Trump would have said.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. And Woodward is a very, very good interviewer.

He knows when to just let the interviewee talk - "Let the silence suck out the truth," he says. Trump wouldn't be able to stop bragging about his self-perceived awesomeness, and god knows what he'd blurt out. Remember how he told Lester Holt on national TV that he'd fired Comey because of the Russia investigation?

[Jarqui]

5. I agree

Dershowitz (who I am no longer a fan of) talks about the only impeachable offenses would be ones that occurred while Trump was president.

Woodward's focus is on Trump's time as president. Woodward doesn't get into Russia directly but he provides a lot of evidence, timeline and who was in the room for Mueller to look for corroboration of potential crimes while Trump was president.

so the book is a resource for Mueller and others looking into Trump

[FakeNoose]

6. I think Woodward knows stuff, or at least heard things from the staffers he interviewed

...but he's carefully keeping away from it while Mueller is still investigating.

No need to go into the stuff about Russia now, that can wait until later for the NEXT book. If there's an impeachment, then Woodward will write two more books.

[YessirAtsaFact]

7. I'm almost done with the book

The only surprise to me was Dowd telling Mueller that there was no crime and he (Mueller) had no case.

I wonder if Dowd actually believed that at the time.

It’s amazing that so much of the book is kind of “blah” to me, due to Trump fatigue. The lying didn’t surprise me and neither did the people around him calling him an idiot, etc.

It did confirm how ignorant he is and how unconcerned he is with learning.

[GetRidOfThem]

8. I agree with you reaction and assessment

It could be Trump fatigue. I thought house of Trump house of Putin was more fascinating and an eye opener..