Reporters Press Tony Snow on the Woodward Book -- He Denies White House in Denial Published: September 29, 2006 3:20 PM ET updated 4:30 PM
NEW YORK At his briefing this afternoon, Tony Snow, White House press secretary, faced probing questions from reporters fueled by numerous tidbits and charges already emerging from Bob Woodward's new "State of Denial" book.
Snow tried to counter some allegations and put off others. One high point came when a reporter asked about Woodward's depiction of very strong and ongoing disputes between Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld -- leading to Rumsfeld refusing to take her calls. Snow replied that he had asked Rice about this specifically and she said, "That is ridiculous and I told that to Woodward."
Snow repeated that denial a few minutes later.
Asked about Woodward claiming that Gen. John Abizaid had stated that Rumsfeld had lost all credibility, Snow simply said the reporters should ask Abizaid about that.
When a reporter pointed out that former top aide Andrew Card had confirmed today the charge in Woodward's book that Card had once sought Rumsfeld's exit, Snow said he had tried to reach Card himself today, unsuccessfully so far. He said he had not asked the president about this. He said it was traditional for the resignations of everyone to be on the table when the White House mulls a shakeup.
Snow ignored a question from one reporter who asked why the White House had hailed Woodward's two previous books on Bush and the war as accurate but now they say the new one has many errors.
He denied the White House was in "denial" about the war, saying that it was indeed a "war" and that people focus too much on Baghdad when there is progress elsewhere.
Snow also hit the Woodward book, and any such book, for being partly based on interviews with "smart" people who did not get their way. He said just about any Washington memoir could have been subtitled, "If Only They'd Listened To Me."
