Woodward has been shown to be a proven, bald-faced liar on other occassions. Why would this be any different?
I might have some disagreements with Colin Powell, but to attribute such tortured useage of the English language to him is ridiculous.
This has all the appearance of a blowhard writer, still living off of a reputation that is overblown, while trying to impress the "ordinary people" with his erudition. At this point, Woodward is the Al Bundy of journalism, trying to maintain his relevance based on something he was involved in 30 years ago. Yep, I surely remember those 4 touchdown, I mean, Watergate, and it makes me stand up and take notice of Bob "Al Bundy" Woodward whenever he speaks.