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Two of my very favorite books ever have similar titles:

All The King's Men
and
All The President's Men.

All The President's Men is the one about Watergate. nonfiction
All The King's Men is a novel.
(However, it's based on the story of a real guy, Huey Long, who was governor of Louisiana in 1930s. He is "Willie Stark" in the book.)

In King's Men, Willie Stark gets asked by the party to run for gov. They only ask him in order to "split the hick vote" -- between Willie and the other candidate who is popular with rural voters, so that the OTHER guy can win.

Willie's the only one who doesn't know it; even his campaign employees know.

(excerpt, from Chapter 2):
Willie knew what was happening, but he didn't know why....

...He hadn't pulled out of the sickness he had. He had galloping political anemia.

He couldn't figure out what was wrong. He was like a man with a chill who simply reckons that the climate is changing all of a sudden, and wonders why everybody else isn't shivering too. Perhaps it was a desire for just a little human warmth that got him in the habit of dropping into my room late at night, after the speaking and the handshaking were over.
...

(from All The King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren, Copyright 1946. Publisher: Harcourt, Inc. Orlando Austin New York San Diego Toronto London)
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Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the Washington Post journalists who broke the Watergate story, were borrowing from (and honoring) Warren's novel when they titled their account All The President's Men. On my copy the title is in black letters except for the word "president's" which is in red.
Like: "All The PRESIDENT'S Men". Clearly a nod to the earlier book.

(excerpt, Woodward / Bernstein book)
Chapter 1.
June 17, 1972. Nine o'clock Saturday morning. Early for the telephone. Woodward fumbled for the receiver and snapped awake. The city editor of the Washington Post was on the line. Five men had been arrested earlier that morning in a burglary at Democratic headquarters, carrying photographic equipmennt and electronic gear. Could he come in?

Woodward had worked for the Post for only nine months and was always looking for a good Saturday assignment, but this didn't sound like one.


...Woodward left his one-room apartment in downtown Washington and walked the six blocks to the Post.
--------------------------------
The films.
All The King's Men has been made three times, I think. Once recently, Sean Penn--didn't see it. Once in 1949 approx. Broderick Crawford, lead. Very good -- fun to see it dramatized, but the book is just -- a phenomenon. It's hard to translate onto film. And once it was on TV with John Goodman in lead role (I think).

All The Pres. Men -- film excellent. Stand-out. Classic. If a person is interested, then BOTH book and movie, because -- well, I don't know why. But it's worth it.
book -- a private experience, letting your mind engage with it and make your own picture.
movie -- brings the story to life -- you're right IN the 1970s; and while actors play the roles of the main characters, news film footage is the real stuff.

Jason Robards about steals the show, as Bradlee, ed. Wash. Post.
In one scene, he sits on a desk in the news-room and tells Woodward & Bernstein a story that ends with the line, "Then Lyndon Johnson turned to the reporter and said, 'And tell Ben Bradlee fuck you.'"
And the three of them sit there on the desks, laughing.
And the big newsroom behind them is dark.

Recommended.

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