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May 28, 2008
Et Tu, Scott?
Today's political bombshell, of course, was the release of former Bush White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's scathing memoir about his time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."
McClellan, who was White House Press Secretary from May 2003 to April 2006, and who is the son of former Texas State Comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn, apparently pulled few punches in a book that has the political class abuzz and Bush loyalists very unhappy.
He depicts a White House and a president consumed by secrecy, less than forthcoming with the American people and unwilling to admit mistakes. To Bush's detractors such characterizations are hardly a surprise. The shock, rather, is that the belly punches are coming from a former keeper of Bush World, where loyalty is prized above all else.
McClellan apparently decries the less than honest selling of the Iraq War to the public, and is especially critical of Dick Cheney -- the "magic man" who got whatever he wanted, Condi Rice -- who seemed to care more about pleasing the president than giving him wise advice, and Karl Rove -- who was willing to do anything to win. McClellan doesn't spare himself from criticism, saying "I fell far short of living up to the kind of public servant I wanted to be."
Predictably, reaction from Team Bush was swift and less than positive. Current White House flack Dana Perino called McClellan "disgruntled" and, echoing a Karl Rove characterization of the book, said "this was not the Scott we knew." And former colleagues Dan Bartlett and Ari Fleischer obligingly piled on.
Again, such a reaction from the Bush folks is to be expected, but the speed and ferocity of the response suggest McClellan's words cut deep. (The old political adage, of course, is you know how effective an attack has been by how loudly the target yells.)
McClellan's breach against Bush likely means he's not planning on a continued career in Republican politics, at least not anytime soon. Such behavior is especially frowned upon in the Grand Old Party. Hey, maybe he's joined his mother as newly independent. What will be interesting to see is whether McClellan's new candor opens the door for other former insiders to follow suit. The administration is a sinking ship these days, with senior folks bailing left and right leaving the boss to go down at the helm alone. We shall see.
Fascinating times.
Posted by houtopia at May 28, 2008 08:56 PM