Former Washington Post reporter Thomas Edsall appeared on Hugh Hewitt’s radio program yesterday, and Hewitt brought up the subject of Bob Woodward:

HH: Have you read State of Denial yet?
TE: Not in its entirety. I’ve only read the excerpts.
HH: Okay. Do you believe everything Bob Woodward writes?
TE: No.
HH: Do you believe he saw Bill Casey at the hospital bed scene in Veil?
TE: I have real problems with that.
HH: What’s that mean, real problems? You don’t believe him?
TE: I know the doctor who was treating Bill Casey, and the doctor who is someone who I think is very credible told me that Bill Casey was dead by all standards, except burial. And for him to have said anything cognizant at that time just was incredible to him. And this doctor is a liberal Democrat.
HH: Have you ever published that?
TE: No.
HH: Does that not go to undermine Woodward’s credibility, far beyond that one account?
TE: To some extent. You know, I have a theory of what happened in Veil.
HH: But I’m going to the fact that you obviously don’t believe that Woodward thing, as do a lot of people just think it’s crap, including Michael Ledeen, who published a reason why. A lot of people know that. Doesn’t that go to Woodward’s credibility in everything that he does?
TE: Yeah, but I’ll tell you what I think may have happened, because I’ve talked to people…
HH: Yeah, but let me be a reporter, though, Thomas Edsall. Does it go to his credibility?
TE: Yeah, but let me explain…say something. I think Bob Woodward may well have gone into the hotel room. He leans over the bed to try to say something to this body that’s there. He leans on the chest as he asked this question of whatever it was. And when a body is like that, out comes air. and he goes (groan). And when Woodward hears that, because that’s what he wants to hear, as the quote that he puts into Casey’s mouth, and he may well be convinced that what he wrote is true.
HH: Do you think that’s plausible, Thomas Edsall?
TE: That’s my theory.
HH: That’s your theory. It’s a lot better theory than he just makes stuff up, given The Final Days, isn’t it?
TE: That’s another theory.
HH: Yeah. And so…
TE: I’m not sure that Bob Woodward makes things up. That’s…I’m…
HH: Is it possible for people to infer that, based upon both the Final Days and Veil?
TE: Well, you can always infer.
HH: Is it a reasonable inference?
TE: It’s a possible inference. I wouldn’t say…
HH: But you know…
TE: But certainly, it’s not something that a jury would conclude as conclusive evidence.