David S. Broder dies; Pulitzer-winning Washington Post political columnist

David S. Broder, 81, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post and one of the most respected writers on national politics for four decades, died Wednesday at Capital Hospice in Arlington of complications from diabetes.

Mr. Broder was often called the dean of the Washington press corps - a nickname he earned in his late 30s in part for the clarity of his political analysis and the influence he wielded as a perceptive thinker on political trends in his books, articles and television appearances.


In 1973, Mr. Broder and The Post each won Pulitzers for coverage of the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard M. Nixon's resignation. Mr. Broder's citation was for explaining the importance of the Watergate fallout in a clear but compelling way.

As passionate about baseball as he was about politics, he likened Nixon's political career to an often-traded pitcher who had "bounced around his league."

He covered every presidential convention since 1956 and was widely regarded as the political journalist with the best-informed contacts, from the lowliest precinct to the highest rungs of government.

Former Post executive editor Benjamin C. Bradlee called Mr. Broder "the best political correspondent in America. David knew politics from the back room up - the mechanics of politics, the county and state chairmen - whereas most Washington reporters knew it at the Washington level."

Mr. Broder was praised at the highest echelons of political power. Former vice president Walter F. Mondale said Mr. Broder was the "preeminent political journalist and columnist in the country. He was the best. He was solid and careful. His sources and his understanding were so deep."

Attribution: By Adam Bernstein, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, March 9, 2011; 1:09 PM

Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/09/AR2011030902821.html?hpid=topnews