Woodward throws shade on cover-ups

In Shadows, journalist Bob Woodward delves into the influence of Watergate on the Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. The bottom line: when the media is committed, cover-ups are impossible, and each administration found that out the hard way.

Leaks, egos, lies, power struggles, naivete, stupidity, and a host of other human frailties are painstakingly detailed by Woodward. It's sometimes difficult to keep up with the who's who of advisors and staff members, but it's fascinating to view how D.C. minds work. As one can imagine, there's not much common sense. For example, Ford thought he could pardon Nixon, and everyone would be okay with that because it was putting "the national nightmare" behind us.

Examples include Reagan's Iran-Contra arms sale scandal, Bush's savings and loan crisis, and Clinton's Lewinsky affair. Interestingly, these seem tame compared to the situations facing Trump and Biden. However, the latter two face a divided media.

The sections on Ford, Carter, Bush, and Reagan are short compared to the time Woodward spends on Clinton and Lewinsky. For that reason, the book doesn't feel balanced.

Shadows is an excellent book for political history enthusiasts; however, the abundance of detail might weary some readers. No doubt that Watergate put the U.S. Presidency under the microscope forever. A story fittingly told by one of the reporters there at the start.