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McClellan's Mess
IBD ^ | May 28, 2008

Posted on 05/28/2008 4:58:05 PM PDT by Kaslin

The Presidency: We're no longer surprised when a longtime confidant of a president comes out with a tell-all book. It's almost de rigueur. What's sad, however, is when so much of what the book tells is, in fact, false.


That's certainly the case with President Bush's former spokesman Scott McClellan's book, which delivers all sorts of dirt about how Bush sold the war, the Valerie Plame scandal, and other events of the past 7 1/2 years.

Even the title — "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" — suggests meretricious, tawdry behavior on the part of the White House.

McClellan, recall, was let go in 2006 after working seven years for Bush. He was fired because, to be blunt, he was one of the least effective press aides in recent White House history. In McClellan's defense, it didn't help that he succeeded Ari Fleischer and preceded Tony Snow, two of the best to have ever plied that trade.

One doesn't need to be a fan of President Bush to understand this book is little more than a settling of scores by McClellan, who quite obviously felt abused by the White House.

Nor do you need to support the war on terror to reject this book's central claim — that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Karl Rove and a host of others — intentionally misled the nation into fighting an "unnecessary" war. It just ain't so.

(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bookreview; bush; mcclellan; scottmcclellan
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To: Kaslin
Why didn't the WH legal team demand everyone sign a confidentiality clause like most major companies demand ?
Scott was the worst press secretaries in my lifetime. He looked scared and intimidated at all times like a rabbit . He was fool and in over his head . This WH has let alot of Texas morons work in the WH who were incompetent . Bush has a real weakness for fellow Texans to a fault even traitors like Scott. I would not hire Scott to pick up dog crap in my yard after his WH work .
21 posted on 05/28/2008 5:56:08 PM PDT by ncalburt
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To: Gator113

>> I own a backhoe and 5 acres....er, I mean if it were legal.

If it were legal (instead of merely just and right :-) ) I was thinking of feeding the remains to animals.

But we could grind the bones up and fertilize your acreage. If it were legal, that is.


22 posted on 05/28/2008 5:57:04 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (La Raza hates white folks. And John McCain loves La Raza!)
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To: Nervous Tick
I was thinking of feeding the remains to animals.

Feed him to Mr. Wu's pigs (circa HBO Deadwood series)

23 posted on 05/28/2008 6:02:55 PM PDT by webschooner
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To: doug from upland
Wouldn’t it be interesting if he lied in the book and the plan was to get him in front of Congress to nail the RATS?

If ONLY he was so clever he'd still have the damn JOB!! He's a DOLT....he reminds me of a David Brock....SOMEONE has FLIPPED him!!

24 posted on 05/28/2008 6:03:21 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion.....The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: SE Mom

UGH. This just makes me sick.

What a total LOSER. He just sold his soul, as far as I’m concerned.


25 posted on 05/28/2008 6:04:13 PM PDT by Shelayne
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To: ncalburt

Scott IS the dog crap in your yard.


26 posted on 05/28/2008 6:05:58 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion.....The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: hugorand

Hey Wexler—bring it on!


27 posted on 05/28/2008 6:08:54 PM PDT by TribalPrincess2U
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To: webschooner

>> Feed him to Mr. Wu’s pigs (circa HBO Deadwood series)

Not being plugged in to the “culture”, I had to google this up and educate myself.

I think you’re on the right track.


28 posted on 05/28/2008 6:09:45 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (La Raza hates white folks. And John McCain loves La Raza!)
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To: Kaslin

The rest is my favorite, and going on Olbermann just takes the cake!

McClellan writes: “History appears poised to confirm what most Americans today have decided — that the decision to invade Iraq was a serious strategic blunder.”

In fact, “history” is poised to do no such thing. Al-Qaida is on the run, and the U.S. is on the cusp of victory in Iraq (for another view of our success in the War on Terror, see “Verbatim,” page A11). Years from now we think Americans will see this as a turning point in history, a time when an American leader stood up to protect Western Civilization following the barbarous attacks of 9/11.

We don’t have space here to refute everything. But one charge in McClellan’s 341-page tome stands out, so we’ll focus on that: The Bush White House conducted a dishonest “political propaganda campaign” to sell the war to the American people.

Start with the obvious: Wasn’t it McClellan’s job to resign in protest if he thought the American people were being misled? If so, this was his own failing, not Bush’s.

Moreover, contrary to the common wisdom, Bush’s rationale for taking out Saddam Hussein was about many things — not just one.

Yes, he expressed concern Saddam would get a nuclear weapon with which to blackmail both his neighbors and the West.

But Bush also wanted to halt the spread of terror, deny a possible haven for al-Qaida, and promote democracy in the Mideast, among other things. As ex-Pentagon official Doug Feith recently noted, Bush delivered 24 major speeches on Iraq from Sept. 2002 to Sept. 2004. In them, he made a wide-ranging, nuanced case for getting rid of Saddam. It wasn’t only about WMD.

Yet, McClellan claims Bush was “shading the truth.” Well, what truth did he shade? WMD? In fact, the CIA assessment of Iraq that Bush used was made during President Clinton’s final year in office. It said that Saddam had a WMD program and, quite possibly, a nuclear weapon. Every major intelligence agency — Britain’s, France’s, Russia’s, Germany’s, Israel’s, even the U.N.’s — agreed.

Yes, as it turns out, some of that intelligence was wrong. Even so, reasons for getting rid of Saddam were too numerous to ignore. In October of 2002, Congress cited no fewer than 23 reasons when it overwhelmingly gave Bush the right to remove Saddam.

Bush was clear from the start, and dead honest: This was about defending our nation from the insane jihadists who had declared war on us from their safe-havens in the Mideast. McClellan, blinded by his anger, can’t see this. The American people someday will.


29 posted on 05/28/2008 6:11:32 PM PDT by roses of sharon ( (Who will be McCain's maverick?))
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To: Kaslin

bump


30 posted on 05/28/2008 6:12:48 PM PDT by Skooz (Any nation that would elect Hillary Clinton as its president has forfeited its right to exist.)
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To: Kaslin

Wexler is a rung smarter than Maxine Waters!! BRING IT ON!!! Hey Scotty......you will be under oath, but it won’t matter what you say as long as it’s ANTI-BUSH!! Lie with IMPUNITY if you want!


31 posted on 05/28/2008 6:15:32 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion.....The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: Kaslin
Publisher of McClellan's book: PublicAffairs (May 28, 2008)

About PublicAffairs

About the Perseus Book Group

32 posted on 05/28/2008 6:19:53 PM PDT by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: mewzilla

OSNOS, PETER
GREENWICH, CT 06831
PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLISHER

DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
09/17/2004 2000.00 24991276977


33 posted on 05/28/2008 6:26:37 PM PDT by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: Ann Archy

“Wexler is a rung smarter than Maxine Waters!!”

That would make most people suicidal.


34 posted on 05/28/2008 6:26:54 PM PDT by A Strict Constructionist (We have become an oligarchy not a Republic.)
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To: kaycee; Kaslin
"The timing of this is so obviously suspicious."

Just in time to attempt to derail any action on Iran in the last 6 mos. of the President's term.

The reason that the Repubs are losing at the ballot box is that they cower before the dems like ball-less wimps. If GW had slapped Plame, Wilson, Berger, the NYT and various demonrats in the brig as traitors early on we'd be far better off.

35 posted on 05/28/2008 6:27:10 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck)
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To: mewzilla
I don't frickin' believe it....

From this link...

Obama's Unique Appeasement Style

Peter Osnos, Obama's former publisher told the Times that Obama's meteoric rise to the pinnacle of politics is due in large part to his gift as a storyteller...

That I can believe....

36 posted on 05/28/2008 6:30:24 PM PDT by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: newconhere

I was dumbstruck. Going on OLBERMANN? No one -regardless of politics - can take Olbermann as a serious commentator.

I don’t even care at this point whether McClellan is telling the truth or flat out lying. That he would have the gall to publish this while our GI’s are STILL FIGHTING and DYING in Iraq is all I need to know about Scott McClellan. Those of us who have family members who have fought, been injured or died in Iraq could instruct Mr. McClellan about loyalty.

God forgive me, I hate him.


37 posted on 05/28/2008 6:32:37 PM PDT by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: SE Mom

Scotty picked an interesting publisher. Or maybe vice versa.


38 posted on 05/28/2008 6:34:14 PM PDT by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: Nervous Tick

Deadwood was a really funny and entertaining series. Evertime Al Swearengen (and he swore good), the proprietor of the local watering hole/whorehouse, and his thugs had a body to dispose of, they just threw it over a thug’s shoulder or put it in a cart, and hauled it over to Deadwood’s Chinatown and gave it to Mr. Wu’s pigs.

The series was a howling success and a hoot. Supposed to be a Deadwood movie — don’t know if they’ll ever get around to it.


39 posted on 05/28/2008 6:34:22 PM PDT by webschooner
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To: Kaslin

McClellan always seemed to me like a not quite on board, piss poor spokesman for the administration from the get go.


40 posted on 05/28/2008 6:35:46 PM PDT by nkycincinnatikid
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