Quotes from Bob Woodward

Those who are in the orbit, but nonetheless on the edges, can often be the real discoverers. It was why at times, the journalist, the historian and even the novelist paints the fullest picture of an era

The fact he has some kind of bond with you is quite extraordinary, she [Deep Throat's daughter] said. He doesn't remember Ed Miller and other FBI guys. He remembers J. Edgar Hoover. Well, I thought, Hoover and me.

Trump is the perfect foil," he summarized. "He's the bad father, the terrible first husband, the boyfriend that fucked you over and wasted all those years, and [you] gave up your youth for, and then dumped you. And the terrible boss that grabbed you by the pussy all the time and demeaned you.

But then, of course, there are always unanswered questions. Those questions lead to more questions, with the circularity of the endless inquest, keeping people like me in business. We can and should always poke at the questions of motivation. And we will. There never is a final draft of history.

Reporters may believe they control the story, but the story always controls the reporters.

Do you want this job?" the president asked McMaster. "Yes, sir." "You got it," Trump said and shook McMaster's hand. "Get the media. Get the cameras in here." He wanted a picture with his latest general who looked out of Central Casting.

Bob and I [Carl Bernstein]embraced and held each other briefly. There was a whole lifetime of emotions and journalism in this moment.

The reporter had to set his or her own course, had to push back against editors at times, to roam and be free to explore, to defy the conventional wisdom if necessary. It meant the reporters, whatever they covered, had to find the bookkeepers and the Deep Throats if possible. At the same time, as we had just been reminded, reporters need editors. In the end we are collaborators and they make the final calls.

The machines were reliable and safe, he repeated to others as questions mounted. "They're not connected on the internet and they tabulate the votes by taking a thumb drive, encoded to a specific machine in a specific precinct, and taking that to a central location to transfer the votes and count them.

Cohn had witnessed this for over a year—denial when needed or useful or more convenient. "He's a professional liar," Cohn told an associate.

Today's internet bloggers and television's talking heads don't have that [a partnership]. No safety net. No brakes. No one there to question, doubt or inspire. No editor. [Carl Bernstein's A reporter's assessment]

Finally, I will forever be grateful to W. Mark Felt. It was a tug-of-war at times, but he came through, providing the kind of guidance, information and understanding that were essential to the Watergate story.

Senator John McCain called Charlottesville "a confrontation between our better angels and our worst demons. White supremacists and neo-Nazis are, by definition, opposed to American patriotism and the ideals

Trump's obsessive and unfiltered venting had brought him to the edge once again.

Recusing himself made the attorney general a "traitor," Trump said to Porter. The president made fun of his Southern accent. "This guy is mentally retarded. He's this dumb Southerner.

Don't lecture Trump. He doesn't like professors. He doesn't like intellectuals. Trump was a guy who "never went to class. Never got the syllabus. Never took a note. Never went to a lecture. The night before the final, he comes in at midnight from the fraternity house, puts on a pot of coffee, takes your notes, memorizes as much as he can, walks in at 8 in the morning and gets a C. And that's good enough. He's going to be a billionaire.

For Carter, it was as if the ghosts of Watergate stalked the halls of the White House. As with most ghosts, he wasn't sure they existed, where they were or how to exorcise them.

Trump arrived and sat down. Hot dogs and hamburgers were laid out. The fantasy diet of an 11-year-old kid, Bannon thought, as Trump wolfed down two hot dogs.

You need to remember we're a nuclear power. As powerful as you. You Americans think you won the Cold War. You did not win the Cold War. We never fought that war. We could have, but we didn't.' And that put chills up my spine.

Several passengers also mentioned "6MWE." Smith did not know what they were talking about. He was horrified to learn, listening as some passengers explained and discussed openly that it meant "6 million weren't enough," a reference to the 6 million Jews exterminated in Nazi concentration camps.

President Trump is a good listener, Mattis said, as long as you don't hit one of his third rails—immigration and the press are the two big ones. If you hit one, he is liable to go off on a tangent and not come back for a long time. "Secretaries of Defense don't always get to choose the president they work for." Everyone laughed.

Melania Trump had come down and wandered behind the sofa where Conway was proposing they sit. It was clear she was seething. "Not doing that," Melania said in her Slovenian accent, dismissively waving her hand. "No way. No, no, no." Bannon believed she had the most influence with Trump of anyone, that she could discern who was sucking up and who was telling the truth. "Behind the scenes she's a hammer.

His attention span is like a minus number," Fauci said privately.

Cohn concluded that Trump just loved to pit people against each other.