(2003-12-11) Greenberg Watergate Books

David Greenberg reviews a couple books on Richard Nixon, Water Gate, Bill Clinton, and Journalism. "A major scandal was largely ignored and an election was held under false pretenses," Louis Liebovich concludes. "BobWoodward and Carl Bernstein kept the story alive--that is the significance of this time period, and that is what ensured their places in history." Although less explicitly focused on the press, Keith Olson too gives journalists considerable credit. In his telling, journalists didn't topple Nixon so much as keep public attention fixed on damaging information at critical junctures... Nonetheless, to credit "the press" for investigative tenacity in Watergate is too generous. (Trent Lott WebLog parallel?) (By coincidence, Dave Winer is talking about Richard Nixon today...)