Jim Mattis is telling an untruth, Bob Woodward claims

It's wonderful when two men of distinction in their own individual fields claim each is lying against the other. Bob Woodward hasn't actually said Defence Secretary Jim Mattis is a liar. He just delicately pointed out that he wasn't telling the truth. The same thing but in more gentlemanly language. Mattis on the other hand made it clear that he never said what Woodward said he said and that the quotes attributed to him were fiction. We're talking of course about the Woodward book "Fear" and his claim that Mattis had described Trump as a fifth-sixth grader. With Trump describing the book as all made up and other important people quoted in the book, such as John Kelly, chief of staff, denying he called the president an idiot, there has been pressure on Woodward to stand up for his reporting. Judging by his previous books, the Watergate reporter is a meticulous gatherer of information from multiple interviewees. He must have spoken to someone who said he was present when Mattis made the derogatory remark about Trump. I assume he didn't get the juicy quote from Mattis himself, otherwise the defence secretary's adamant denial of saying any such thing would be a bit brazen especially if Woodward had a tape recorder with him. When asked on one of the interminable Sunday chat shows whether Mattis was lying, he replied that he was not telling the truth but understood why he had denied the quote because he had to try and save his job. That sort of comment puts Mattis in a very difficult situation. Woodward has built a reputation as a trusted chronicler of political dramas. No one will believe Trump's accusation that the Washington Post journalist made it all up. But Mattis, saving his job or not, must have been confident enough to put out a denial. Perhaps he had no recollection of making such a remark, or perhaps one of his officials said it, and then decided to claim it was his boss who spoke the words. Either way, Woodward is sticking to his guns. So Mattis and John Kelly and others quoted indirectly in the book must be hoping it all just goes away. A rirade of Tomahawk cruise missiles launched against Syrian regime targets might help.