UPDATES ADDED: Jackass of the Week: Scott McClellan UPDATE: McAuliffe doesn’t like McClellan book, either UPDATE II: Trent Duffy: Scott McClellan lied UPDATE III: Scott McClellan Originally Planned to Attack Media, Defend Bush
My first reaction when hearing about McClellan’s book was what a backstabber, a turncoat, a Judas Iscariot! McClellan was happy to enjoy all the privileges and advantages of his White House gig. Bush had even invited McClellan to his Texas ranch. Now McClellan turns on Bush.
I have also heard the theory McClellan has a plan; by ingratiating himself with the anti-Bush crowd and establishing his credibility with this book, he’s positioning himself for a job on some Leftist MSM outlet, or some similar Leftist gig.
Here’s what I speculate happened: McClellan wrote the book to cash in on his White House experience. His manuscript was probably factual, contained a few insights that might be deemed interesting, but overall was boring. The publisher told him to juice it up; it would end up at the Dollar Store if he didn’t. He probably revised it, it still wasn’t good enough. The publisher may have even hired someone to “help” McClellan, or sent the manuscript elsewhere to be “fixed”. Ultimately, McClellan’s name is on it; for better or worse.
In any case, what resulted makes McClellan look like a greedy, disloyal, backstabbing ass. It is a gamble; apparently he is wagering that he can establish himself with the hate-Bush crowd and parlay that into a career with the nutroots.
I think he’s made a mistake. He’s gambled with the odds heavily against him. My prediction is this won’t even stay in the news long. There are so many more important events and stories; any one of them will quickly push this book out of the consciousness of the media. Bush will be out of office in six months and the market for drivel like this will dry up quickly. The hate-Bush crowd will gloat for a week or so then move on. They don’t need McClellan; they have plenty of weasels and propagandists already. They’ll use it for whatever they can get out of it now then toss McClellan and his book aside like a used kleenex.
McClellan has sold his political and ethical soul, and I think he has made a huge mistake. He won’t get rich from this and he is finished in Washington.
UPDATE I: McAuliffe doesn’t like McClellan book, either
I would also say, and I gotta add a personal thing, I never like it when someone works for someone and then comes out and writes a book trashing them. I just think that is, I don’t care if it is politics or life, if he was that upset about everything, he should have quit. Remember Gerald Ford’s press secretary quit when he disagreed with pardoning, Ford pardoning Nixon. If you don’t agree, then get out. And I just, I find it abhorrent the way these people come out and write books about their boss. It made ‘em money, it made ‘em prestige, it gave them all this power and then they turn around and slap ‘em. I just, I gotta tell you, I just uh, I don’t care who it is ” Democrat, Republican ” it’s wrong.
Related post:
The Soros Loving Ghostwriter Behind McClellan’s Book
Ari Fleischer related that “Scott told me that his editor did ‘tweak,’ in Scott’s word, a lot of the writing, especially in the last few months.”
UPDATE II: Trent Duffy: Scott McClellan lied
· Was it the truth or a lie when you told me, during a series of personal discussions in your West Wing office in late 2005 and early 2006 (at the apex of what you now call your period of “disillusionment” and “dismay”), that you were happy in your job and proud to serve President Bush and that you had no intention of leaving soon? What about in April 2006, when rumors swirled about a change at the podium, and you again told me you wanted to stay?
· Was it the truth or a lie when you told me around Christmas that the excerpts released by your publisher were being “taken out of context” and that your book wasn’t going to be a hatchet job?
· Was it the truth or a lie when you assured your former deputies that you wanted our “full participation” in the book?
· Was it the truth or a lie when, after countless briefings, you complained that the White House press corps was too tough, unfair, over the top and didn’t get it? :.
When the first “teaser” excerpts of your book hit the press in December, my phone lighted up with calls from reporters. Before responding, I called you; you said the publisher had taken liberties, you didn’t mean to attack the president and to point reporters to your 2006 interview with Larry King as your genuine take on things. You told me that your book was still about the poisonous partisan atmosphere in Washington and didn’t breathe a hint about Iraq or Hurricane Katrina. This was long after you were outside the White House bubble, amigo.
You also assured me, when we’ve talked the past two years, that you wanted your deputies to review the book and share our thoughts. Thinking you actually meant what you said, I reached out to you two months ago to take you up on your offer. Radio silence. Why didn’t you keep your promise to me and the other professionals who gave years of their lives working for you?
Robert Novak doesn’t even think McClellan wrote the book:
In Scott McClellan’s purported tell-all memoir of his trials as President Bush’s press secretary, he virtually ignores Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage’s role leaking to me Valerie Plame’s identity as a CIA employee. That fits the partisan Democratic version of the Plame affair, in keeping with the overall tenor of the book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.” :.
In claiming he was misled about the Plame affair, McClellan mentions Armitage only twice. Armitage being the leaker undermines the Democratic theory, now accepted by McClellan, that Bush, Vice President Cheney and political adviser Karl Rove aimed to delegitimize Wilson as a war critic. The way that McClellan handles the leak leads former colleagues to suggest he could not have written this book by himself.
On Page 173, McClellan first mentions my Plame leak, but he does not identify Armitage as the leaker until Page 306 of the 323-page book ” and then only in passing. Armitage, who was antiwar and anti-Cheney, does not fit the conspiracy theory that McClellan now buys into. When, after two years, Armitage publicly admitted that he was my source, the life went out of Wilson’s campaign. In “What Happened,” McClellan dwells on Rove’s alleged deceptions as if the real leaker were still unknown.
Eli Lake reviews What Happened for the New York Sun:
“What Happened” offers no bombshells, and no genuine disclosures. It is a 368-page banality. And the man whose reputation suffers the most from its publication is Mr. McClellan himself, who comes off like another famous American victim of Stockholm Syndrome, Patty Hearst.
In this case, Mr. McClellan’s adopted political vocabulary is drawn from the left-wing base of the Democratic party and the journalists who took them seriously between 2003 and 2004. Like them, Mr. McClellan clings to the delusion that the White House’s handling of Joe Wilson’s allegations was a violation of public trust as destructive as Watergate. Mr. McClellan here adopts the lexicon of the activist left, referring at times to the White House’s “war on” Mr. Wilson, without ever quite disclosing the most important fact of the saga, that Mr. Wilson’s account of the episode was deeply misleading.
In light of what is now known about the entire Wilson affair ” that Mr. Wilson was recommended for the trip to Niger by his wife, that his debriefing to the CIA on Saddam’s pursuit of uranium was less categorical than he would later claim, and that it was the deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, who first leaked Ms. Plame’s name, not Karl Rove ” it is strange that the former press secretary still considers Mr. Wilson the victim and his old boss his tormenter.
Lake finishes with a good point about McClellan and his role in the Bush administration. Instead of opting for talent and intelligence, this administration has tended to value loyalty. That leaves them open for easy betrayal by people like McClellan, who lack the intelligence and talent to keep from being manipulated. That’s the biggest indictment of What Happened.
Matthew Sheffield: Scott McClellan Originally Planned to Attack Media, Defend Bush
Although today his book is being touted by left-wing reporters and pundits, his initial plans for the project show former White House press secretary Scott McClellan intended to take a much different approach, one that was more sympathetic to President Bush but also quite hard on the “liberal elites” of the Washington press corps and their “hostility” toward the administration.
Reading through McClellan’s original book proposal, obtained by Politico.com, it is clear that before his editor Peter Osnos took the book on a sharp leftward turn, McClellan wanted to turn the tables on foes in the press gallery including far-left columnist Helen Thomas and NBC correspondent David Gregory.
“I came to know and respect those who were assigned to the White House beat. They are solid professionals, but rarely scrutinized or put under the microscope. I will take a look at notable personalities in the White House Briefing Room, including David Gregory and Helen Thomas. I anticipate an entire chapter about the former,” McClellan writes in his proposal.
According to McClellan, America’s elite journalists have a dramatic problem with political diversity which in turn leads them to skew the political debate in a leftward direction. The media are in a “constant state of denial” when it comes to admitting this.
I will look at what is behind the media hostility toward the President and his Administration, and how much of it is rooted in a liberal bias.
The public holds the national media in low esteem. I think there are several reasons why, and I intend to write about them in some detail while discussing ways the media could improve their image. It is more than just the perceived arrogance, cynicism, gotcha-journalism, and lack of accountability. The establishment media does not tend to reflect Main Street America, or spend enough time focusing on the issues that matter most to the general public, and too often sacrifice substance for process. They tend to reflect the liberal elites of New York and Washington that are part of the social circles in which they run, and it shows in their reporting. Yet, they live in a constant state of denial when it comes to acknowledging such an obvious fact.
Fairness is defined by the establishment media within the left-of-center boundaries they set. They defend their reporting as fair because both sides are covered. But, how fair can it be when it is within the context of the liberal slant of the reporting? And, while the reporting of the establishment media may be based on true statements and facts, is it an accurate picture of what is really happening?
The fact that McClellan’s revised, Bush-bashing book is being so heavily promoted by the top media outlets is a testament to the veracity of McClellan’s original thesis.
A larger excerpt of the McClellan proposal (full text here)
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May 31, 2008 - 10:54 PM on May 31st, 2008
I’m not sure of the timing of his departure from the Whitehouse, if he just had enought and decided to leave or got the Bush boot. Whatever, he just pointing out what we already knew. GWB is one of the worst presidents we’ve had in years. He’s done nothing to make our country safer. He got us involved in a war that, at best, took care of a regional terrorist. Afgahnistan still has the ability to harbor terrorists (ie, where the 9/11 bombers trained). He took the assets best suited to fighting the war on terror, as they’ve been doing for decades and lumped them into a monstrosity called DHS. DHS is so ineffective, it can’t direct disaster relief on our own soil (Hurricane Katrina), let alone direct anti-terror efforts over seas.
Through the idiotic fog, several good people of his administration are trying to make a go of it, namely Conde Rice and David Patreus and should go down as Bush’s only shot to somehow get things right.
NY-David
June 1, 2008 - 12:47 AM on June 1st, 2008
Jackasses andf Junkies – what can you expect?? No surprise!
June 1, 2008 - 08:23 AM on June 1st, 2008
1. We should all see the U.S. in such rose colored glasses as you NY-David. Here’s my point of view.
Thank God we haven’t been attacked in several years. All those red flags Clinton ignored was starting to scare me. I feel much safer.
I know Bush is not perfect. He’s just a man. But thankfully he has been smart in his foreign policy decisions and we don’t have to fight terror here. Heaven help us if the ’surrender America’ crowd takes control of our government for such would not be the case. I live outside of Wash DC and many times I have imagined a militarized zone in my neighborhood, complete with tanks and armed guards on patrol. I shudder.
McClelland is a jerk. A whiney, sniffly idiot who apparently couldn’t even do his job. Don’t forget that Soros money is behind the publisher who tweaked this book.
What kind of power do you lefties feel when you know your party is being controlled by one man with alot of money?
June 1, 2008 - 11:17 AM on June 1st, 2008
i didn’t know Soros money was behind this (again). Funny how he seems to pop up, like the Devil, behind a lot of destructive things.
I second BonBon’s observation: You Libs okay with that? Soros owning your party, your agenda, your very essence?
June 1, 2008 - 12:17 PM on June 1st, 2008
Anybody that gets the boot, like McClellan, ‘the Dick’ Morris, all of them end up bitter. They try to get back, only to their demise! Never works, because it’s like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. From the looks of ‘Morris the toe sucker’ his mouth is dead from so much poison, twisted out of shape and ‘the Dick’ and McClellan are bent out of shape. Hey, they did it to themselves, and who cares, it isn’t becoming. Can I third Bon Bon and Robert!
June 1, 2008 - 02:49 PM on June 1st, 2008
David,
How did Clinton and Carter gutting the Military and Intelligence services make us safer?
June 1, 2008 - 08:35 PM on June 1st, 2008
PCD – I’m curious where you get your information as our military took on a right-sizing effort after the first gulf war, under the direction of Gen Powell (Joint Chief). Any gutting the Carter did was due to a wind down after Vietnam and that large of force wasn’t needed and our country couldn’t afford it.
So…where did this gutting occur??
As for Saros, you give him waaaaaaaaaaay to much credit. I did hear that he helped fund McClelen’s book, but its been done on both sides.
NY-David
June 1, 2008 - 08:39 PM on June 1st, 2008
#7 I don’t know about carter, but Klinton practically decimated the military. The so-called “Peace Dividend”, which was really a put your head in the sand and ignore that war has been declared on us Dividend.
I resigned my commission in the USAR in 1998 because I was so disgusted I felt I could no longer serve under such a pos CIC.
June 1, 2008 - 09:16 PM on June 1st, 2008
Robert,
First, I thank you for your service to our country. I’m sure fhat ever you felt you needed to resign your commission, it was an honorable choice.
Military tactics had changed from the 80’s and a change in the Army’s size reflected this. I can’t speak about the other forces but missions after Desert Storm, especially in Kosovo demanded a more tactical, technically advanced Army then before.
As for the Peace Devidend, it was ajoke because it never materialized anyway. Maybe Al spent it on Carbon Offsets…
David
June 2, 2008 - 12:24 AM on June 2nd, 2008
The truth of the matter is that Clinton screwed up the military in more ways than just downsizing it. His administration forced out experienced officers and NCOs in the very areas that would’ve help prevent 9/11. His policies prevented prior service personnel from returning to the military as a cost cutting measure. His policies drastically reduced reenlistment bonuses for those NCOs that we are now woefully short of, primarily linguists in the Arabic language areas. I’ve had former intelligence officers tell me how their 10 – 15 year veteran NCO linguists left the service because the Clinton administration had cut their 5 yr reenlistment bonuses from $20,000 to $5,000. The thinking in the Clinton White House being that a PFC straight out of Defense Language institute in Monterey was just as qualified to interpret intercepted intelligence as a Staff Sergeant or Sergeant First Class with 10 – 15 years experience at less than half the price. Of course this fails to take into account the experience necessary to pick up on subtle nuances in various dialects that might indicate that someone is either speeking in code or using euphemisms that mean something completely different than the text book definitions. How many modern colloquilisms are there that mean the exact opposite of the dictionary definition? Listen to rap/ hip-hop music and tell me that the phraseology is textbook. I’ve studied three languages, if you don’t have a lot of practice you miss more than you catch. Or you might get a basic feeling for the meaning of the conversation but the subtle nuances are completely missed. Look at the simple effects of inflection. If you raise the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence, it goes from a statement to a question.
If you want to see the result of Clinton’s wonderful military policies, take a long hard look at the hole that represents what is left of the World Trade Center, the two embassies in Africa, the side of the USS Cole, and the Khobar Towers in Riyadh.
Clinton said at one point that he “Loathed the military.” His actions proved that. His wife’s actions while she was first lady in regards to high ranking military officers was disgraceful. She is unfit to be CIC as well.
June 2, 2008 - 09:44 AM on June 2nd, 2008
NEWS ROUNDUP (2 JUNE 2008)
Good News: Michigan Legislature Bans Partial-Birth Abortions.
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A Philly Inquirer columnist has Obama…
June 2, 2008 - 01:35 PM on June 2nd, 2008
RIP: Bo Diddley
Bo (12/30/28 – 7/2/08) died of heart failure in his home inf Florida.Trackposted to McCain Blogs, DragonLady’s World, Maggie’s Notebook, Adam’s Blog, Pirate’s Cove, Leaning Straight Up, Democrat=Socia…
June 2, 2008 - 02:23 PM on June 2nd, 2008
Hello Kitty Shoes For Me!
I have brand new shoes! And OMG I love them to death! Aren’t they adorable?
…
June 2, 2008 - 02:23 PM on June 2nd, 2008
Minimalism At It’s Finest
I’m no where near any place decent enough to pull this off so I pulled out one of my son’s old cars and threw it on the sidewalk. And there we have it! This is as minimal as I get.
…
June 2, 2008 - 04:01 PM on June 2nd, 2008
ISRAEL AT 60 – Parade and Concert Highlight Birthday Bash
ISRAEL AT 60 Parade and Concert Highlight Birthday Bash BY: FERN SIDMAN New York City’s fashionable Fifth Avenue was transformed in to a sea of blue and white as crystal clear blue skies, a searing sun, Israeli music and thousands…
June 2, 2008 - 04:24 PM on June 2nd, 2008
An Oil Slick Operator: Barack Obama
In regards to the issues involved with Obama and the Trinity Church, there is some serious maneuvering going on. In the first place, every act taken by the various people involved since the story first appeared has been deliberate. Reverend…
June 2, 2008 - 06:30 PM on June 2nd, 2008
David,
Fighter wing removed from NJ. It could have shot down 2nd 9/11 jet.
Desert One, need I say more about Carter’s gutting of the Military?
Democrats always gut the military after a war without regard to the dangers of the world.
June 2, 2008 - 06:51 PM on June 2nd, 2008
I certainly would have hoped there have been some changes in the military since Carter was in office.
There was actually fighters scrambled from CT during 9/11, but since they weren’t clear the intention was until the second one hit the building.
As I said, there was a major draw down after Vietnam. This would have been done regardless of what party was in office. A lot of the wooden Navy boats were set afire in the water. Unfortunately the Army didn’t want to transport the hundreds of dogs back end euthaniszed them instead.
David
June 2, 2008 - 07:07 PM on June 2nd, 2008
Wednesday Hero: Master Sgt Brendan O’Connor
There are many unsung heroes these days, and that is the shame this press will have to bear. As for us, we shall continue to bring you true Heroes each Wednesday. Trust me, there are way more than I bring to your attention. They are the heroes
June 2, 2008 - 07:57 PM on June 2nd, 2008
Sad Irony: Anti Gun activist stabbed to death
The woman in question lost a son to gun violence and went on a crusade against guns in the UK. She formed a chapter of Moms against Guns, and was well know in her campaign to end gun and gang violence.
She was stabbed to death by her grandso…
June 2, 2008 - 08:16 PM on June 2nd, 2008
[...] Cove, A Newt One, Dumb Ox Daily News, Democrat=Socialist, CORSARI D’ITALIA, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven [...]
June 2, 2008 - 09:14 PM on June 2nd, 2008
Hurricane Preparedness
National Hurricane Preparedness Week was May 25th through May 31st, the week before hurricane season started in the Atlantic and Western Pacific. (Hurricane season actually starts mid May in the Eastern Pacific).
June 2, 2008 - 09:16 PM on June 2nd, 2008
Barack Obama, Religious, Shallow, or Psychopath
MY VOTE IS FOR THE LATTER”:Most criminals — whether psychopathic or not — are shaped by poverty and often childhood abuse as well. In contrast, corporate psychopaths typically grew up in stable, loving families that were middle class or affluent….
June 2, 2008 - 10:14 PM on June 2nd, 2008
[...] Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, CORSARI D’ITALIA, , and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven [...]
June 2, 2008 - 10:42 PM on June 2nd, 2008
The Un-Post Partisan Candidate
Podcast Show Notes
The post-partisan mask comes off for Barack Obama. (Hat Tip: The Corner.)
The service Obama didn’t honor in a recent commencement address.
And why young Danes are leaving Denmark. (Hat Tip: No Speed Bumps.)
Click here to downl…
June 3, 2008 - 12:45 AM on June 3rd, 2008
I Am No Longer A Conservative…
Through the years, serving my Nation, I have watched the enemies within strip the Constitution of its preeminence of our society and replace it with a morphed socio-communist-anarchist and tyrannical form of governance and that is not what I served t…
June 3, 2008 - 05:32 AM on June 3rd, 2008
Did Obama Really Leave His Church?
Please read carefully the transcribed announcement that was carried widely on the national news this weekend. Note how many words are devoted to why he is leaving and how many words praise the church he is leaving.
June 3, 2008 - 07:36 AM on June 3rd, 2008
[...] The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, , CORSARI D’ITALIA, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven [...]
June 3, 2008 - 08:01 AM on June 3rd, 2008
Can John McCain Appeal to the Disenfranchised “Clinton Womenâ€
HERE HE COMES TO SAVE THE DAY!”:Genuine guys are sometimes known as retrosexuals, to distinguish them from metrosexuals, who are men with the good taste of gay men, only they’re straight. Metrosexuals are scrupulous about their grooming and are gr…
June 3, 2008 - 10:35 AM on June 3rd, 2008
Bridgette Bardot Convicted for Critisizing Muslims
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Maggie’s Notebook, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Leaning Straight Up, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, The American Nationalist News Service, Pet’s Garden Blog, Faultline USA, third world co…
June 3, 2008 - 01:21 PM on June 3rd, 2008
[...] Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, CORSARI D’ITALIA, A Newt One, Dumb Ox Daily News, and Right Voices. Also thanks to Linkfest Haven [...]
June 3, 2008 - 08:46 PM on June 3rd, 2008
I Finally Get to Vote for John McCain
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June 3, 2008 - 09:05 PM on June 3rd, 2008
Defeating an Insurgency? Heck Yea
Insurgents use and abuse the local population to hide them. How, you ask?
h..by that word the NY Times doesn’t want you to use: Terror.
…
June 4, 2008 - 07:09 AM on June 4th, 2008
[...] The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, CORSARI D’ITALIA, , Dumb Ox Daily News, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 7:50 am [...]
June 4, 2008 - 07:10 AM on June 4th, 2008
GOP Using Democrats Own Words Against Obama
Would this be considered being hoist on their own petard?
(CNN) Hours before the polls closed Tuesday in the final two Democratic presidential primaries, the Republican National Committee began circulating a video of Hillary Clinton questioning Barack …
June 4, 2008 - 08:22 AM on June 4th, 2008
[...] The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, CORSARI D’ITALIA, , Dumb Ox Daily News, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven [...]