Helen Thomas, a columnist for Hearst newspapers, demurs when referred to as an American icon. But Thomas is indisputably a Washington institution: When Barack Obama is inaugurated in January, he will become the 10th president Thomas has covered in her storied career.

Despite her long tenure as a Washington journalist, Thomas admits she fractured some professional friendships in June 2006 with the publication of her book Watchdogs of Democracy?, which was highly critical of most of the White House press corps, especially for its coverage in the run-up to the Iraq War.

Thomas has received the National Press Club's 4th Estate Award and a Columbia University Journalism Award, among other honors, and this summer, HBO aired Rory Kennedy's documentary about Thomas, "Thank You, Mr. President."

The following are edited excerpts from a interview conducted during the presidential election with National Journal's Eugene Mulero. Visit the archives page for more Insider Interviews.

NJ: When did HBO approach you about the documentary?

Thomas: Last fall. And of course I said yes. And I've been very happy with the results. I think they were very kind to me. Some people think they were too kind to me, but I don't think there's any such thing.

NJ: What effect do you hope the documentary will have on journalists?

Thomas: I hope the documentary explains the role of a reporter covering the White House and the responsibility that we have to tell the truth, or to try to find out what is the truth, and how important it is for the government to tell the truth. The American people will accept almost anything but lies -- I hope.

NJ: And what is journalism today?

Thomas: I think, obviously, there's been a sea change in how we do things. I don't have to run three blocks to get to a telephone anymore. Every reporter has a cell phone and a tape recorder. They're all in high-tech. So it makes the job a lot easier. And more accountable in a sense, because you can play back to someone who protested a quote they said. You say, "Listen to this," and play it back. But I think the tragedy is that newspapers are losing a lot of ground, and I don't think there's anything like a newspaper to give you the story in-depth. You can't do it with a sound bite or a headline.

NJ: What about reporters finding a new home in the blogosphere and in new media?

Thomas: I think that's OK, because you never want to inhibit any communication. But I don't think it's the same thing. I think the fact that everyone with a laptop thinks they're a journalist -- there are no controls on them; they can say anything; they can ruin lives; they can ruin reputations; they can write anything and nobody can protect themselves. They have no editors and they can make any charge, oftentimes wrong. So I think it can be very dangerous and risky.

NJ: Do you see any hope for the future of journalism?

Thomas: Oh, there'll always be journalists, I think. There'll always be news -- there's never a day without news, no matter how it's repeated. But I think we need to have more responsibility and more accountability. And I think that reporters in this era have let the country down, especially concerning the invasion of Iraq.

NJ: What were key challenges you had reporting about the run-up to the [Iraq] war?

Thomas: I think it behooves every reporter to find out what's going on; what is the motivation; why do we go to war. Every day we were propagandized about the threat. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of State, said the smoking gun will turn into the mushroom cloud if we don't go in. On every Sunday talk show she was warning about that, and it was not true. And I have not heard any apologies from her yet. Too many people are dead -- too many people have paid the price for things they didn't do.

NJ: When Watchdogs of Democracy? came out, what was the reaction from your colleagues?

Thomas: Silence. I asked, why did we go to war. I asked, why do we torture people. Even a serial killer gets a fair trail. We have hundreds of prisoners in Guantanamo who've never been charged, never been tried, never been convicted, are unable to contact their families. They live in total limbo. Many have suicided. That's not America. That's not how Americans see themselves. Torture? Sending dogs in? Waterboarding, which is near-drowning? It's just incredible that we would have that kind of an albatross around us. And we will, forever, because of Bush's policies.

NJ: What change will an Obama presidency bring?

Thomas: It will transform our society. The whole view toward blacks and racism will be really toned down.... I think he will be a very good governor of the American people. I think he has a heart and truly is compassionate.

NJ: How do you think George W. Bush will be remembered?

Thomas: I don't think he'll have the halo that he thinks he's going to have of vindication. I don't think America ever wants to be saddled with starting a war against a country that did nothing to us; bombing innocent people for totally no reason that he can explain. And to this day he has not explained why we attacked Iraq, because every reason he gave us has proved to be not true: no weapons of mass destruction; no ties to al Qaeda; no threat from a Third World country against America, the superpower. Where are the American people? Why don't they call his hand on that?

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