Bob Woodward Knocks Obama Nominees' Tax Troubles

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

It turns out that Washington Post biggie Bob Woodward is just like a lot of reporters in town: He doesn't know President Obama well and thinks the tax troubles of his nominees are very joke-able.

Attracting the largest audience to date at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Ark., Woodward touched on the new president when he asked the audience of 1,400 how many voted for Obama. Most raised their hands, reports our Suzi Parker, prompting him to say: "Now, some of those votes, those hands are suspect. Everybody likes to be with a winner." Then Woodward told a story of seeing a man, after Obama's election, put an Obama sticker on his car. "Maybe he'll get a cabinet appointment—if he paid his taxes," said Woodward, who later added that the president's next cabinet appointment will be "someone who fills out the short form."

Promoting his latest book, The War Within, Woodward said that he was like everyone else waiting to see if Obama can fix the slumping economy and end the war. "I don't know him well," he said. The two did meet in 2006, when Obama, even then showing he can do his homework, opened with: "You're from Wheaton, Ill." Woodward responded: "I am, which is the heart of the Bible Belt." Woodward gave credit to Obama for his knowledge of the state and his travels through it. "He knows where he has support and where he doesn't have support. That is a good thing because getting all of these things done and examined truly is going to entail not being deluded about people who support you. You gotta really have real support."

He also took a poke at Bill Clinton when discussing a recent long interview with former President Bush. He asked the audience how many questions they thought he was able to ask Bush. "One," said somebody. "That would be if it's Bill Clinton. Come on, you're from Arkansas. You know. I know what you're actually thinking, that would be high," he joked.