Journalist Bob Woodward At Ohio University: I Blew It On Iraq War

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Washington Post's big gun and journalism guru Bob Woodward tells a crowd at Ohio University that he originally was a supporter and promoter of the Iraq War. He seems to think that was a mistake. He also is described by the the student newspaper saying he should have personally gone to Iraq to search for weapons of mass destruction before the invasion.

First up, Richard Heck in The Athens Messenger, who reports:

"Early in his speech, Woodward acknowledged that journalists sometimes make mistakes. He admitted that initially, he wrote stories and opinion pieces supportive of the war in Iraq, but has since realized that his viewpoints may have been in error."

Also:

"Woodward told the OU audience that various insiders in the current administration admitted to him that the reasons for the Iraq war were doubtful. As in the Nixon presidency, which conducted various practices in secret, Woodward hinted that the current administration is doing the same. In researching his books, Woodward said, several senior-level administrators in the White House would not confirm various reasons for the current administration's reasons for going to war."

Next, in the student newspaper, The Post, Woodward says he should have gone to Iraq with a team of reporters to hunt for the weapons of mass destruction that the Bush administration claimed were present.

"'Stakes are high, particularly in time of war. Accountability is the issue.' Even at 64-years-old, Woodward said he's still learning. He wishes he would have been 'more aggressive' in his investigation on Iraq and in retrospect would have led a team to the Middle East before the Iraq invasion to look for weapons of mass destruction.'"

And in Ohio University's JSchool Bloggers journalism school blog Woodward says he wakes up each morning worried about government secrecy.

"When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing you worry about? I'll tell you what I wake up worrying about: the secrecy of government. I'm concerned about the difference between what a person says he is and what he really is."

He said:

"We need to shine a light when democracy is dying in the dark."

Doubts About 'Ohio' Blog Affiliated With Akron Newspaper: Is It Really In Ohio?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- So as not to be complicit or supportive of either trademark theft or intentional sowing of confusion, no identity of the suspected guilty party will be mentioned or linked. Why help create traffic?

[UPDATE: 6:34 PM -- At the end of a long post about Akron area bloggers, Pho'sNorkaPages has fresh and deserved unflattering things to say about the new MSM-supported blog appearing on a newspaper Website in that city. Pho has created a word that begins with the diminutive for Richard and ends with "ishness." A perfect, descriptive and pointed use of English by Pho, who adds that he will be like The Bellwether and no longer mention the knave who has demonstrated a baseness of nature and intention.]

But there is now a defensive move by the mystery blogger who operates Oz-like behind a Christian clerical title (probably fictitious). This undoubtedly ersatz clergyperson is the author of a site that recently appeared in the Ohiosphere with a nameplate exceedingly similar to Matt Hurley's Weapons of Mass Discussion, which originates in Cincinnati's suburbs. The non-Matt now is contending there should be no confusion at all because the nameplates are completely dissimilar. Why? Because only dopes or the deranged could suspect otherwise .

He says mass destruction just cannot be mistaken for "mass discussion" -- but omits noting that Matt's nameplate is a clever play on words derived from the common phrase "weapons of mass destruction." Here's some of the defense:

"The word 'Destruction' compared to the word "Discussion.' Extremely sharp readers will be able to see that both these words start with a 'D' but so do the two words Dumb and Dumbbell, but they aren't the same words now are they? The reaction by a handful of Ohio blog writers to these two dissimilar blog names would be similar to storming about ABC ripping off PBS because they both contain the letter "B'? Just illustrating . . . please no panty bunching.

"Now I realize with 71 million blogsites out there that I should have, somehow, been aware of this one specific site in Ohio whose blog name is dissimilar from mine but alas, there it is, I wasn't."

That looks to be an admission, a damaging admission. First, the blogger affiliated with a newspaper Website that has the word "Ohio" in its name appears to be saying that he doesn't know much about the Ohiosphere, Ohio politics, and the people who debate, discuss and shape the state's public policy in forums online and offline. Matt Hurley's blog has been active, respected and widely known as an aggressive voice for the right. He's a repository and distributor of information from the state's Republican elected officials, who serve in Ohio and national offices.

But the blogger affiliated with the newspaper whose Website has "Ohio" in its name was totally in the dark, which is a strong indication that he's also in the dark about many other Ohio-centric matters. One possibility: The blogger may not even be located in the state, he is an outsourced information source.

In other words -- he could be in India, or Oz for that matter, and playing to an audience in Ohio.

He also says:

"If one types into his address bar weaponsofmassdestruction.com, there are no sites found. Upon further investigation the actual blogsite name allegedly being 'ripped off' is officially addressed, massdiscussion.blogspot.com."

There you have it: He didn't know. It is Google's fault, or the address bar's fault. Do you think he knows more about blogs in India? Or the Emerald City?

Looks Like MSM Rips Off Ohio Blog's Title: Did Sticky Fingers Appear In Akron?

AKRON (TDB) -- Perhaps the Beacon Journal is controlled by thieves in the Knight these days. And all the good citizens of Akron should watch out. They could be getting news, information and opinion online from brain dead, corrupt, dishonest and vile people who think nothing of filching the ideas of others.

Once upon a time, wasn't even a whiff of plagiarism unacceptable? Now it looks like copying or imitating the language, ideas, and thoughts of another, and passing off the same as one's original work, is just fine and dandy. At least, in Akron.

What has happened is that Ohio.com (Ohionotcom) has started a new political blog, the Blog of Mass Destruction. It leans left. Of course, Ohio already has a blog called Weapons of Mass Discussion by Matt Hurley, who is from Southwest Ohio and happens to lean right. The mirror-effect is absolutely amazing -- so amazing that it looks like the MSM has created a counterfeit blog.

News of this possible scam came from Pho's Norka Pages, who first noticed that the formerly respectable MSM outlet in Akron had tiptoed uncomfortably close to Hurley's blog title. Pho had this to say about the apparent crime in the Ohiosphere:

"As of now each blog reads like a caricature of a blog. The lefty is all anger and out there: the righty brims with smug condescension. On the left we have blog of Mass Destruction (If I were Matt Hurley I'd sue the bastard) written by The Reverend. On the Right is the Political Guru by a blogger going by the same nom de blog."

My plan: I won't read, mention again, or support in any way what looks like a blog-o-crime -- the MSM's mass desmucktion. I am going to click Matt's site at least 10 times a day. I would hope every blogger in Ohio rallies to Matt's side, whether right, left or down the middle. I would hope every blogger in the world rallies to Matt's side. As for The Reverend -- he's a . . . Well, there's an epithet that can be prefixed, and it is not characterized by deep respect or reverence.

Again, here is the link to Matt's site and please visit it often. Another point: If the MSM is resorting to filching blog titles to stay alive, then it is indeed a dying and hopeless industry without a smidgen of creativity or talent, and utterly not deserving of further respect. Outside critics have suspected this for years.