A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

It was a cinematic image that lured thousands of young people into journalism, Robert Redford coaxing information out of Hal Holbrook in a dimly lit parking garage.

And since, in real life, Bob Woodward fiercely protected Deep Throat's identity, what lingered was the mystique of a dogged journalist, plying his trade in the shadows.

Three decades older and millions of dollars richer, Woodward still has plenty of secret sources, but they work in the highest reaches of the Bush administration. They are molding history rather than revealing Watergate-style corruption. Some have even used the press to strike back against a critic of their war by revealing the identity of a CIA operative. And the public is no longer as enamored of reporters and their unnamed informants.

In the days since the Washington Post assistant managing editor apologized to his paper for failing to reveal his role in the CIA leak controversy, Woodward, 62, has found himself under fire not just over this incident but for his very approach to journalism. His unusual relationship with The Post, and whether he hoards newsworthy material for his books, have also come under fresh scrutiny.

Although he has spoken to CNN's Larry King and the Village Voice in the past week, Woodward declined several requests for an on-the-record interview with The Post, saying only that "I think the work speaks for itself."

In today's polarized political atmosphere, Woodward's journalistic methods have been assailed by those who view him as dependent on the Bush inner circle for the narratives that drive his bestsellers.

Still, his track record of consistently breaking news -- the New York Times ran two front-page pieces on his book "Plan of Attack," examining the prelude to the Iraq war -- is probably unmatched by any other journalist. In his 14 books since helping to unravel the Watergate scandal as a 29-year-old local reporter, Woodward has penetrated such varied institutions as the Supreme Court, the CIA and the Federal Reserve.

Most reporters -- whether they cover city hall, Hollywood studios or the local baseball team -- depend on access to the decision makers or celebrities who populate their beat. But they also publish or broadcast most of their stories as events unfold. Under Woodward's unusual relationship with The Post, he stays on the payroll while mainly writing books from his Georgetown home, with the paper carrying excerpts -- and providing a publicity boost -- upon publication. This has sparked some resentment among the staff.

Yeah, I can see how that would cause some resentment.

I have what might be called a love-hate relationship with Bob Woodward. As a political junkie, I do love the inside scoops he seems to have a preternatural gift for bringing to public attention. But I find myself in the strange position of agreeing with people like Robert Kuttner and David Gergen, who point out that Woodward is able to engender cooperation from sources by basically telling them that other sources will be cooperating with Woodward, and that if the target source in question does not cooperate, he/she runs the risk of looking very very bad in Woodward's next book. To that extent, a protection racket certainly is being run. Plus, the interesting information in Woodward's books notwithstanding, the man cannot write to save his life.

That having been said, I suspect that the Bush Administration will not be the last to want to cooperate so closely with Woodward. In a day and age where being in the White House means running the risk of endless litigation, it has become standard operating procedure for White House officials to not take notes, not preserve notes and to generally eschew the preservation of any kind of historical memory. Historical memory can be subpoenaed, after all. If memory serves--and I believe it does--the Clinton White House deleted all of the information from the hard drives of its computers before the transition to the Bush White House was complete. Given this new state of affairs, cooperation with journalists like Woodward will be one of the few safe ways for a White House to create and preserve anything resembling an institutional memory.

All of which means that Bob Woodward will still be in demand and that his cushy work arrangement will likely continue for some time. Being Bob Woodward--for all the slings and arrows the man has to suffer through currently--must be very fun indeed.