In 2004, Bob Woodward wrote a book, Plan of Attack, that was largely positive about the Bush administration. White House Counselor Dan Bartlett and other top officials were singing Bob Woodward’s praises:

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: He is terrific. He’s a great journalist, and I look forward to reading it. He’s talking about a pretty complex set of discussions about military issues and diplomatic issues, and I’m sure it will be — be fantastic. [CNN, 4/25/04]

DAN BARTLETT: I think Bob Woodward has done a pretty — particularly good job of describing how complicated of a process it is for a commander in chief to do two real important but sometimes conflicting responsibilities. [CNN, 4/25/04]

BARTLETT: We’re urging people to buy the book. What this book does is show a president who was asking the right questions and showing prudence as well as resolve during very difficult times. This book undermines a lot of the critics’ charges. [Washington Post, 4/21/04]

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: But what is most striking is that, here at the White House, they say read the book. They believe it shows — it paints the picture of a president who asks the right questions, the tough questions, before going to war and then decided that he was right in launching that war. [CNN, 4/19/04]

Woodward has a new book, State of Denial, that is critical of the Bush administration. In particular, it alleges that President Bush and other top officials are misleading the public about Iraq. Now, Bartlett claims that Woodward had “formulated some conclusions before the interviewing began.” Watch it:

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two senior national security officials pressed the administration to get congressional approval for its terrorist detention policies. But their memo was rejected and “so angered Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that his aides gathered up copies of the document and had at least some of them shredded.”