Fleischer: McClellan Sounds Far-Left

Fox News ^ | 5/29/2008

[Utah Girl]

You called Scott McClellan last night. What did you ask him?

ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER W.H. PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I did. Actually it was before the story broke about the book. So, it was a social call and Scott brought up the book. We talked about it and he told me he thought it was going to be an honest, brutal, I mean honest, blunt book — he didn't say brutal. And I'm not sure I thought it was going to be as bad as it sounds like it is.

HEMMER: What do you mean?

FLEISCHER: From what I'm hearing from reporters are telling me, this is a very tough book on President Bush. And that's what leaves me really just kind of heartbroken that Scott could do this, because Scott never once, Bill, ever came to me privately and expressed any misgivings or doubts about what we were doing, the lead up to the war in Iraq. And certainly, when he took the podium, he himself seemed to have his heart in it. He never said anything at the time that would make someone think he had doubts.

So, how now does Scott come to these conclusions? I don't know. It's a different Scott from the Scott I knew.

HEMMER: Seven hours ago, we spoke about this, Ari, and you said you were stumped. Do you still think that now?

FLEISCHER: I am stumped. I'm still stumped. I really don't know how and why Scott has come to this. And you know, especially, I was even thinking — after Scott left the White House, he continued to support the president and the war and defend the president. That was about a year ago, I remember watching him on TV doing that. So, I don't know what has changed for Scott.

[SuziQ]

"after Scott left the White House, he continued to support the president and the war and defend the president. That was about a year ago, I remember watching him on TV doing that. So, I don't know what has changed for Scott. I wish I did know.

What changed for Scott was that he kept getting turned down by publishers until PublicAffairs came along, and told him they'd publish it, and help him 'get to the truth', along the way. He even stated that they helped him find 'his own truth', after he'd 'challenged his percepetions and assumptions'. In other words, they got him believing something he didn't believe before, but was willing to accept in order to get the book published.

[SuziQ]

According to the interview, McClellan was asked to leave the White House earlier than he had planned.

Press Secretaries serve at the pleasure of the President. What Scott might have had planned is irrelevant. It was clear that Scott was horrible as the Press Secretary. Everyone was comparing him to Ari, and he was falling short in that match-up. But then, after Scott left, along comes Dana, and she's just as good as Ari was, in my opinion, so Ari wasn't an out-lier, it's clear that Scott was just that bad.