Rating: 
Summary: All the President's Men
Review: All the President's Men is a well written and enjoyable book. Though their is a serious plot underlying the book, it is light-hearted and witty at times too. This book shows the ups and downs of taking on "the man" and everything that comes with it. Woodward and Berstein show what persistance and taking a few risks can do. They took a simple burglary story and discovered a whole different story behind it. Creating the story that has never been equalled since. Also, Woodward and Bernstein are the perfect foils for each other. They are so different that their differences play off of one another making the story more interesting and adding some wit. Without their competiveness with each other this story may never had broken. This story is like all about the American hero. The reporters found out something that needed to be brought to light and did just that, no matter what. They fought of doubters and liars and brought charges all the way up the line to the President of the Unided States. Theses are the kinds of people we look up to and this book did a good job of showing what the rode is like leading up to the top. Giving us a personal view of what it is like.
Rating:
Summary: A cautionary tale
Review: Bernstein and Woodward, with the backing of their newspaper, The Washington Post, investigated and exposed the greatest constitutional crisis of my generation, the Watergate burglary and its aftermath.
Yes, the president was a crook. But worse, he, and his cronies, spit on and sneered at the Constitution and the rule of law.
Fortunately, there were those who would not let our country be trampled on by those whose job it was to protect it. Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee at the Post, Sam Ervin in the Senate, Barbara Jordan in the House, Judge John Sirica, are names that will always be honored for their part in saving the country.
Sadly, there are those today again in the White House who rate their own personal and political fortunes above what is right for the country, and who again reject the rule of law. Where are the media now? Where the voices raised against them? There is too much silence now. Didn't we learn?
"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminuation, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution."
-- Barbara Jordan
Rating:
Summary: How journalism ought to be...
Review: Even after repeat viewings of the film "All the President's Men" on DVD, and really appreciating what a classic it is, it cannot beat the original book. In fact, along with "The Final Days," the film is even *better* when read in tandem with the book. Students should be reading it in either high school or college - it is not only compulsively readable, but manages to help those of us born after Watergate understand what really happened. And it's also a great introduction to life inside the (Washington D.C.) Beltway.The reputation of journalism as a profession, and the ideal of truth and accuracy in reporting, has taken a beating. In the last few years, between the Jayson Blair scandal at the New York Times and the New Republic embarassment with Stephen Glass, it's refreshing to read this book and see what journalism is meant to be. For one thing, Woodward and Bernstein endeavored to be objective even when describing themselves, and their own actions - being honest about their own weaknesses and habits as reporters. There is no bombast or ego here, or in "Final Days", about what brilliant reporting they did, or how they broke this white-hot story when they were both quite young. It makes Blair and Glass's arrogance much harder to stomach.
Rating: 
Summary: Disgraceful Work of Fiction
Review: If you want to see real investigative reporting, try reading "Silent Coup", according to which, the evidence is that Woodward and Bernstein used this piece of yellow journalism to make a name for themselves by telling a bunch of lies. Maybe one can read G Gordon Liddy's "Will" for an insider's view of Watergate. Of course, the Nixon haters represented by this book, and the self-promoting, self-protecting liars like John Dean (at whose feet both "Silent Coup" and "Will" lay the genesis of the breaking) will never read either. It would destroy their cherished historical revisionism and their cherished Hate-A-Republican-Forget-The-Facts attitude.
Rating:
Summary: Highly educating book on the real "democratic" process
Review: In reading this book, you will begin to see what really happens in a Presidential administration and how far some officials are willing to go to re-elect their commandeer and chief. Through the interconnecting leads and breakthroughs, Woodward and Bernstein lead you on an "edge of your seat" journalistic investigation. Their sources are numerous and evidence poignant. This book really shows you the ups and downs of journalistic investigations. This book shows the value of persistance and good reporting. I really enjoyed reading and reliving this historic event in the Nixon Administration. I gave it five stars for a high quality political mystery.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute must to any political library
Review: It has been 31 years since a small group of men entered the Watergate office building on the banks of the Potomac River for the purpose of gathering intelligence to be used against the Democrats in the 1972 election. There are many young adults who were not around then, and this is all the more reason to give a very high recommendation. This is the story of two young reporters at the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, whose reportage of the Watergate break-in and the subsequent cover up led to the resignation of President Nixon on August 9, 1974. These two journalists, so dissimilar in may ways, forged a trusting and cooperative relationship born out of initial competitiveness (and disrespect for each other). The book is written in the "third person" which, from a standpoint of style, was probably the best way to proceed instead of bouncing back and forth from one person to the other. We know quite a bit more about Watergate today than we knew three decades ago, but this is the book that really brought the main story into focus. The people who inhabit the book are all memorable: The two reporters; Hugh Sloan, a man whose integrity made him leave the Committee to Re-Elect the President rather than be a party to what was going on; the female accountant (whose name is not mentioned in the book but who has since gone public) who reluctantly helps Bernsetin while he drinks numerous cups of coffee; the men and women who were too frightened to help. And, of course, there is "Deep Throat," the mysterious source who helped keep Woodward on track and whose identity is speculated about even today, so many years after these events. If you haven't read this book, please do before you read any other book on the Watergate affair (the movie of the same name is also wonderful -- with the cinematographer choosing shots which emphasized the massive government buildings as a backdrop against the insignificant looking figures of Woodward and Bernstein -- played by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, respectively).
Rating:
Summary: A Political Detective Story
Review: On June 17, 1972 Bob Woodward received a telephone call and was asked to cover a burglary of Democratic headquarters; he had just finished some stories on the attempt to assassinate George Wallace. All five burglars stood out against the usual suspects in police court; all had CIA connections. Page 21 tells of the investigation into McCord's activities; he worked full-time for the Committee to Re-elect the President. McCord followed orders unquestioningly, did not act on his own initiative. Two of the burglars had the name and phone numbers of Howard Hunt. This number led to Charles Colson, then to the R. Mullen Company. Pages 24-25 tell how address books and telephone numbers were used in this investigation, with off-the-record reports. While this burglary was bungled, how many others succeeded (p.26)? The purpose of the break-in was for "scandal, gossip" (p.27). [To find someone vulnerable to bribery or blackmail who could be used as a spy or saboteur.] There were too many coincidences in this story (some of these burglars were around when offices of prominent Democratic lawyers were burglarized). While a burglary usually means taking something away, it could also be used to plant incriminating papers. Days later John Mitchell resigned as manager of the Nixon campaign (p.30). Bernstein went to Miami, and found out that a $25,000 check donated to President Nixon's campaign was deposited to the bank account of one of the Watergate burglars (p.44). Page 45 gives an example of how confidential medical records are used in politics. The GAO audit determined that over $500,000 in campaign funds was mishandled (p.40). They learned about money-laundering (p.54). Page 55 explains how this is raised for protection money. Bob Woodward had a secret source ("Deep Throat") who confirmed information that had been obtained elsewhere (p.71). These reporters had different styles (pp.49-51). The big news was that Attorney General John Mitchell authorized campaign funds for apparently illegal activities (p.98)! Page 104 explains a clever denial. Both reporters had sources in the Justice Department who could confirm details (p.111). An unfair accusation in the 'Washington Post' could ruin careers. The Watergate bugging made little sense by itself, but could indicate part of a broader campaign (pp.113-4); page 116 gives an example. Page 127 tells how a faked letter could derail a successful campaign! The Nixon take-over of the Federal agencies was presented (p.130), as if it were subjecting the government and nation his personal whims. There was subversion of the electoral process (p.135). This was unprecedented in scope and intensity (p.143). Page 147 tells of an imposter who imitated the voice of a McGovern campaign official. There were other horror stories from the Muskie staffers (p.148). Control of the operations was traced to Nixon's appointments secretary, who had daily access to the President. The rest of this book covers events from 1973 until early 1974. Page 273 summarizes the connections (Chapter 13). A "third rate burglary" led to White House personnel. Further investigations lead to wide-scale illegal fundraising, and political sabotage that involves misdemeanors and other crimes. Most of those involved had little experience in politics. The idol with feet of clay came crashing down. Most people under 40 missed these events; learn about it from this book.
Rating:
Summary: Important book for young Americans
Review: Reading this book made me realize just how little most American people my age really know about such an important and devastating event in our history as Nixon's Watergate. Of course everyone has to take the same American history course, and they learn the important events like the Revolution, the Civil War, the World Wars, and the Cold War (though I'm sure most teenagers couldn't tell you what years each took place in). "All the President's Men" is basically an omniscent look at the reporting and journalism of the book's authors Woodward and Bernstein from June 1972 when the Watergate criminals were arrested to July 1973 when Butterfield revealed Nixon's private taping system to the Senate Committee. I think one of the most important aspects of the authors' research and reporting was that, contrary to the accusations of the White House, neither Woodward nor Bernsten had political desires to see Nixon implicated. Woodward was a Republican and Berstein was apathetic to the politics of the time and didn't vote in the '72 presidential elections. Though this book doesn't focus on the Congressional impeachment proceedings and eventual resignation of President Nixon (which is left to the sequel, "The Final Days"), the importance of Watergate is especially relevent to most young people who came coming into political fruition during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. While most teenagers (as I also did) formed opinions based on what we'd been taught by our parents (i.e. on lying, adultary, etc.), Watergate provided a historical base to the impeachment conditions that eventually surrounded the Clinton administration. The point is that this book is both an interesting, and the importance of the events that it describes is priceless to the American youth that strives to learn more about the political process and the standards that are applied to a sitting president.
Rating:
Summary: Important book for young Americans
Review: Reading this book made me realize just how little most American people my age really know about such an important and devastating event in our history as Nixon's Watergate. Of course everyone has to take the same American history course, and they learn the important events like the Revolution, the Civil War, the World Wars, and the Cold War (though I'm sure most teenagers couldn't tell you what years each took place in). "All the President's Men" is basically an omniscent look at the reporting and journalism of the book's authors Woodward and Bernstein from June 1972 when the Watergate criminals were arrested to July 1973 when Butterfield revealed Nixon's private taping system to the Senate Committee. I think one of the most important aspects of the authors' research and reporting was that, contrary to the accusations of the White House, neither Woodward nor Bernsten had political desires to see Nixon implicated. Woodward was a Republican and Berstein was apathetic to the politics of the time and didn't vote in the '72 presidential elections. Though this book doesn't focus on the Congressional impeachment proceedings and eventual resignation of President Nixon (which is left to the sequel, "The Final Days"), the importance of Watergate is especially relevent to most young people who came coming into political fruition during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. While most teenagers (as I also did) formed opinions based on what we'd been taught by our parents (i.e. on lying, adultary, etc.), Watergate provided a historical base to the impeachment conditions that eventually surrounded the Clinton administration. The point is that this book is both an interesting, and the importance of the events that it describes is priceless to the American youth that strives to learn more about the political process and the standards that are applied to a sitting president.
Rating: 
Summary: All the President's Men a presidential success
Review: The story of Watergate is certainly the political story of a lifetime. In All the President's Men, Woodward and Bernstein give the complete and definitive story of the who, what, when, where and why of the fall of the Nixon administration. This non-fiction book gives thought provoking insight as to the role and power of informational media the free press.
Woodward and Bernstein are two reporters for the Washington Post trying to scout out the facts of the National Democratic Headquarters break-in. What begins the story as a trivial robbery attempt by some Cubans, escalates to a scandal including of some of the government's highest authorities. Harassed and bullied by a desperate Republican administration, Woodward and Bernstein travel through the peaks and valleys that come from their investigation. The book is fast paced, giving insight to interviews with previously unnamed sources of those from the FBI, CIA, and other top government organizations, making it feel as if you yourself are searching for the answer to the question of Watergate. While the cast of characters is broad and occasionally confusing, the immense detail and care taken in the accuracy of content is astonishing and shows what painstaking work good journalism truly is.
A majority of the time, media is described as being primarily liberal in its writing. Bernstein and Woodward worked to print only bipartisan and factual reporting and kill the image of the typical news agency. By being able to print any and all of the dirt they can decipher about the cover up of Watergate, these two men are able to bring justice and change to the ethics of the White House. Not only had they delivered the truth to the American people, but they had also given light to the corruption that could take place when the government was left unchecked by a skeptical media.
All the President's Men should be on the reading list of every American. There is no true way to conceive of the strength and influence of mass media without following the exciting and nerve-racking story of these two average journalists who are simply out to find the truth and bring their story into the light. After reading this book informational media gains new perspective and appreciation.
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