Friday, May 30, 2008

Why All the Fuss Over McClellan Book?

Former Bush White House press secretary Scott McClellan is all over the networks, discussing his just-released book. But Larisa Alexandrovna, of at-Largely, asks this question: What's the big deal?

It's mostly old news for folks who have followed the reporting of Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel of McClatchy Newspapers.

Landay and Strobel have a retort for folks who have gone gaga over McClellan's "revelations."

Until now, we've resisted the temptation to post on former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's new book, which accuses the Bush White House of launching a propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq.

Why? It's not news. At least not to some of us who've covered the story from the start.
(Click
here, here and here to get just a taste of what we mean).

Second, we find it a wee bit preposterous -- and we are being diplomatic here -- that a man who slavishly - no, robotically! -- defended President Bush's policies in Iraq and elsewhere is trying to "set the record straight" (and sell a few books) five years and more after the invasion, with U.S. troops still bravely fighting and dying to stabilize that country.

But the responses to McClellan from the Bush administration and media bigwigs, history-bending as they are, compel us to jump in. As we like to say around here, it's truth to power time, not just for the politicians but also for some folks in our own business.


Alexandrovna provides background on the strong credentials of the "McClatchy Boys."

And when it comes truth to power, these two did not partake of the pre-war propaganda. Quite the contrary, they were in the tiny minority who reported aggressively about the lies issuing forth out of the White House. So let the ass kicking begin:

Bush loyalists have responded in three ways:
1) Scott, how could you? This conveniently ignores the issue of what Bush did or didn't know and do about intelligence on Iraq, converting the story line into that of wounded leader and treasonous former aide. (That canard was the sole focus of a CBS news radio report Wednesday night).
2) Invading Iraq was the right thing to do. Okay. When do Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, et al *not* say that? Dog bites man.
3) It was an intelligence failure. The CIA gave us bad dope on WMD and, well, they're the experts.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the big deal has to be 1) validation from a White House insider, 2) another voice confirming Karl Rove is a liar, 3) confirmation that Bush declassified NIE parts to blow Valerie Plame Wilson's cover (and not just Cheney's word), and 4) confirmation that the White House shopped intelligence on Iraq.

Bay said...

Could McClellan's book possibly be an elaborate cover for Bush? As long as Bush remains untouched everyone is protected.