THURSDAY UPDATE: "Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said that Mr. McClellan told him Tuesday night that "his editor 'tweaked some things closely in the last couple months.' ... Many of the passages in it don't sound like Scott." Read it all.
Jay Nordlinger in the New York Post.
"Not so Mr. McClellan. He was far from being an administration big shot. He had no reputation to rescue nor did he necessarily have a political ax to grind. He wrote his vicious little pamphlet and nailed it to the wall because his publisher recognized a market for his scribblings, nothing more. There is doubtless some historical value in what we are told is a book all of 321 pages, although I doubt whether it would be anything much beyond footnote worthy. In essence, Mr. McClellan sold his memories — faulty or otherwise — for no other reason than he could." ---Rich Moran, on McClellan's book today at Pajamas.
Scott McClellan gets my dog award for the year, the decade, the century. He also gets the Judas Award.
It helps to remember that McClellan was fired by the White House in 2006.
He must be hard up for attention or money. Probably both. The main thing I say about this is---it says much, much more about Scott than it does about the Bush Administration. If this man was so convinced of these things at the time, why didn't he say something? Why is he just now speaking up through a book deal that he and his publishers stand to make money on? I smell a rat. Totally contemptible. Mark Levine smells it. And so does Investor Business Daily. American Thinker weighs in on payback time with more background.
Yeah, that's a hard one to understand. Who would ever hire him now? Does he really think the royalties from this unimportant book will carry him for very long?
ReplyDeleteLower than a dog!
ReplyDeleteWhat would be his motivation in publishing the book? Besides money, what else is there? He had to know that the Bush administration and all of their lackeys and hangers-on would immediately start calling him every name in the book, including but not limited to, a "traitor", a "Benedict Arnold", and the worst insult of all, a "liberal blogger." He'll never get hired again by a Republican worth his or her salt. His reputation will be torn shred by shred by shred until all that's left is his carcus that Republicans will kick over and over and over again. He will no doubt be branded a liberal, a terrorist sympathizer, and an Obama supporter. Why would he put himself through that? No way it's just for the money.
ReplyDeleteI mean, remember: we're talking about a guy with solid Republican / conservative bona fides. He comes from a long line of Republicans. His mother was Comptroller of Texas, and ran for Governor of Texas as an Independent in 2006, calling incumbent Governor Rick Perry a "a weak leadin', ethics ignorin', pointin' the finger at everyone blamin', special session callin', public school slashin', slush fund spendin', toll road buildin', special interest panderin', rainy day fund raidin', fee increasin', no property tax cuttin', promise breakin', do nothin' phony conservative." Scott's brother is a former member of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors, and was a Commissioner for the FDA and was also an administrator for HHS.
You might not like what he says. You might want to believe that he, like former Counter Terrorism Chief Richard Clarke, and former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, and former Campaign Chief Strategist Matthew Dowd, all of whom have come out and said some unflattering things about Bush and his administration, is a rotten excuse for a human being. You might believe that they're all lying.
My guess? There's probably some hyperbole in the book - that's what makes it sell. But the over-reaction from the right makes me think that "they doth protest too way, way too much" and the book is fairly accurate.
My second guess? The calls for his public hanging and/or assassination will begin by Friday on Fox News. And it won't be a joke.
I am absolutley astonished at this response. You are more concerned with the fact that McClellan 'betrayed' Bush rather than the substance of his claims which are corroborated by virtually every insider that has spoken out, not to mention a Pentagon propaganda program recently exposed. I am utterly at a loss to explain your behavior other than that you either are in denial of the truth, or are an authoritarian fascist that believes in an administration lying to the American people for 'the common good' is right and just. As Tucker Carlson said, McClellen knew Bush intimately. Did it ever cross your mind that this guy McClellan is a hero, that he is telling the truth? I am absolutely stunned at the level of denial that exists in your mind about this administration.
ReplyDeleteLaunch the swiftboats against McClellan, thats the Bush MO... the same way they did against Clarke, Dowd, and others who had the moral fortitude to speak up. I can't tell you how irrational your post reads.
actually I like the authoritarian fascist one best, and I think McClellan is a scumbag. His publisher is gleeful because people like you and Vienna are eating it like chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream. It's your First Amendment right to get hoodwinked by these old and unsubstantiated tidbits, but I prefer otherwise.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm allergic to chocolate, so none for me, thanks.
ReplyDelete"Old and unsubstantiated tidbits"? From a guy who worked with Bush for what, 8 years and knew him personally? It sure sounds to me like McClellan was personally betrayed by the President and the patriots around him more than anything else.
I'm not joining the thousands upon thousands of people buying the book (the wait list for the book is now up to 3 weeks on Amazon due to overwhelming demand). I'm taking the Communist route and will wait until the book shows up at the public library, unless the free speech activists get there first and have the book banned from the shelves...
You did what Republicans do best, called McClellan and his publisher scumbags but gave no substantive argument to refute his claims. That's exactly why you have no credibility and why your GOP is where it is, because of mindless authoritarians who don't even realize what is being taken from them, from us, from our constitution, the separation of powers, the rule of law and proper government oversight. It's more important to be loyal than be ethical. More important to give 'the appearance' of being moral and just while lying and manipulating. Worse than being unaware, it's truly entered the realm of a psychological disorder. Clinging to a corrupt, incompetent and failed leader in order to save face. Sad and pathetic.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find detestable is that he never showed any of this at the time. If what he said is true and he perpetrated it with his own voice at the time, while never questioning or mentioning it AT THE TIME, he is a scum bag. Why believe him now???
ReplyDeleteHe is selling his soul now.
McClellan provides no new revelations for those who are aware and not in denial. This book only adds another verifying article to the history books on what we already knew about the Bush Administration.
ReplyDeleteThe type of response here by this blog is fully expected by those few who still believe in Bush and in his integrity. Shocking to some, but not to me. Yes Ellen, authoritarians do exist.
Thanks for providing that video (for those of us who do not watch televison).
ReplyDelete