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Digging Through the Scott McClellan Tell-All

Clips from the former White House press secretary's new book. Wow.

"If anything, the national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq."

"The collapse of the administration's rationales for war, which became apparent months after our invasion, should never have come as such a surprise. … In this case, the 'liberal media' didn't live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served."

"History appears poised to confirm what most Americans today have decided: that the decision to invade Iraq was a serious strategic blunder. No one, including me, can know with absolute certainty how the war will be viewed decades from now when we can more fully understand its impact. What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary."

More after the jump.

"I still like and admire President Bush," McClellan writes. "But he and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war. … In this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security."

On the Plame scandal:

"I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood," McClellan writes. "It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively. I didn’t learn that what I’d said was untrue until the media began to figure it out almost two years later."

"Neither, I believe, did President Bush. He, too, had been deceived and therefore became unwittingly involved in deceiving me. But the top White House officials who knew the truth — including Rove, Libby and possibly Vice President Cheney — allowed me, even encouraged me, to repeat a lie."

I wonder if future insider accounts from the Bush Administration will paint the President this way: a helpless, almost naive figure manipulated by Karl Rove, Vice President Cheney, and the Vice President's staff.

Comments

There was definitely many more HIGH LEVEL people involved than President Bush; and these HIGH LEVEL people are still involved, as there is nothing in the [NOT LIBERAL] media as to the massive propaganda perpetrated on the public by the Pentagon in cooperation with the media. President Bush is involved up to his eyebrows; but must not be allowed to be the total scapegoat for the massive behind the scenes RIGHT WING engineering of the propaganda machine for RIGHT WING CONTROL of the nation and the world; that, according to Pat Buchanan has been going on since Nixon.

Posted by: MarthaA on 05/28/08 at 10:56 AM Respond

I hope in Scott's book he explains why:
1) he waited this long to say something, and
2) he continued being the press secretary when he felt this way.

Posted by: JP on 05/28/08 at 11:19 AM Respond

It's really PATHETIC. The more David Gregory (MSNBC) opens his mouth, the more he proves how complicit the media has been in deceiving Americans regarding the Iraq Invasion. Gregory's lead question today was 'Is it OK when a person betrays their boss (meaning Bush).....Where the right question would be 'Is it OK for Bush to BETRAY AMERICA !' Remember, General Electric owns MSNBC/NBC. G.E. also owns Raytheon, one of the largest defense contractors (makes bombs, missiles, tanks, etc.) that are in Iraq. DON'T BE FOOLED ANY LONGER AMERICA. The Bush Regime is sending out every spokesperson they have to try to discredit McClellan. Rove, Ari, Townsend....even the Sarah chick who lied to Congress for Gonzales. THIS IS 3RD WORLD STYLE. Google: PNAC....This whole war was planned in 1992 by the Neo-Cons. They wrote out the plan (to invade Iraq, Iran then Syria....in that order) then each of them signed the bottom. Signatures include Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Libby, Card, Bolton and many others who ended up in the Bush cabinet. Truth is squeeking out.....finally. Wake up America !!!!!!! We have been totally bamboozled and mis-lead like lost, ignorant, blind sheep.

p.s. They (Bush & the Media) even had the nerve to be racheting up the speak to invade Iran. Maybe McClellan blew the whistle to block it. DON'T BELIEVE THE MEDIA....THEY ARE COMPLICIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This also connects with the recent discovery that at least 6 of the so-called military experts who appeared regularly (over 4500 times) on CNN, Fox & MSNBC were paid by the Pentagon to lie to the American people re: Iraq.

Over 4000 brave men & women have DIED thanks to years of complicit lies !!!!

p.s. This is soooo sickening. Now David Gregory is saying 'why is Scott coming out NOW?'.....The question is....why did the Media & White House Press (including Gregory) NEVER speak out....and still aren't !!!

B4B

Posted by: Greg Jones on 05/29/08 at 4:13 PM Respond

I still haven't heard any discussion regarding the Jeff Gannon scandal and why Scott McClellen willing played along with a male prostitute deposited into the White House Press Corp to ask soft-ball questions to both Scott McClellen and President Bush. Can we please have some followup on this issue.

Posted by: Loren Hunt on 05/30/08 at 8:31 AM Respond

This is unbelievable! I never thought that the american public could be THIS apathetic. Here is a STAUNCH supporter of the president. Has been a STAUNCH supporter of the president since his days in Texas. Was the mouthpiece of this admin. for years. Was in the oval office w/ the man. Had personal conversations w/ the president. He has EVERY administration official coming after him and the best most americans can ask is "Why Now?" F' ME, I am speechless!? And a media who still shows no integrity at all is still complicit.

From O'neil to Clarke to Paul Pilar to countless others who have came out and yelled foul no one is taking this seriously!!! We are doomed. Money has truly taken over and this will get worse before it gets better.

The media, the president and all who chose to close their eyes to this are all complicit in the deaths of over 4,000 americans and countless Iraqi civilians.

Posted by: Lewis on 05/30/08 at 10:25 AM Respond

I agree with the previous commentors who said 1."Why are we asking why Scott waited" instead of screaming in outrage....ooophs, I know we have become progressively dullened by the ongoing sins of this administration 2.Yes Ari Fleisher is everywhere to refute Scott's story....haven't seen him in awhile but when trauma happens, "they" call out the administrative medics, do "they" not?

Posted by: Penny on 05/31/08 at 6:52 AM Respond

I too agree with Lewis. Forget why he waited to reveal his news.... Instead, let's take this and run with it. It doesn't have to be only through the corporate media that we react. Write your congressman, your senator... Complain!!!!

Posted by: Paul Miller on 05/31/08 at 7:05 AM Respond

At least he finally had the guts to admit some of his mistakes, thats a good thing in my book and he shouldn't be attacked for finally coming forward. Even if it took him a good long while he did something that none of the current Bush admin. insiders are doing.

Posted by: Michael Z. on 05/31/08 at 7:26 PM Respond

Bush may have been naive, but he agreed to be naive in exchange for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be Chief Cowboy.
He is obviously a mental midget but that is exactly what was needed to further the agenda.
The real question is..can the United States any longer have a valid election?
My answer is no.

Posted by: joe average on 06/02/08 at 5:37 PM Respond