Scott McClellan: Misguided, Sad & Honest?
One of the more peculiar refrains heard from Bush partisans in response to Scott McClellan's What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception is "It doesn't sound like Scott." Ari Fleischer, once McClellan's boss, says it as though there is something chemically wrong with McClellan. Karl Rove goes so far as to add that the text is more along the lines of something that would be written by "a left-wing blogger." Whoa! Them's fightin' words.
Make no mistake. Fleischer and Rove are Masters of Deception and there is little chance that there repeating of the "It doesn't sound like Scott" is a mere coincidence. And in her Q&A with the press on May 28, presidential press secretary Dana Parino had her own refrain:
"So I think it's just a sad situation."
"[H]e [the president] thinks it's a sad situation and was disappointed."
"We just think it's a sad situation."
You'd think someone died. Well, there are the 4,084 American service personnel, but I don't think that's what they're sad about in this case.
The Fleischer/Rove/Parino position seems to be one that implies that McClellan has had some sort of mental breakdown. Consequently, he doesn't sound like his old self—by implication, his original honest self. And as we all know, that's just a sad thing. Maybe he'll come around. Get back to his senses.
Perhaps what is really sad about all of this is that the reason these people don't recognize McClellan's voice is that this time he's telling the truth as he perceives it, he isn't simply reciting the words that have been put into his mouth by people who have and who had the agenda he now derides.
Comments
Ha I wouldn't worry too much about the guy, I mean he may have lost his old friends but he had it all worked out. This article has some nice insight on his thought process:
http://www.236.com/news/2008/05/28/thought_process_flowchart_scot_1_6799.php
Posted by: Alyssa | May 29, 2008 2:17 PM
It makes for a good news-week and it'll keep the blogosphere hopping for a bit, but let's face it: it's not all that stunning a revelation.
Former employee makes blunder, is forced to fall on sword, not pleased with how it went down, nor content to wait for loyalty to be repaid with cushy board position somewhere, accepts lucrative book deal.
Unless someone can prove Cheney knew Saddam wasn't a threat when he was going around saying he was, there'll be no impeachment today. But, hey, Bush's approval ratings will remain low!
Posted by: barabajagal | May 29, 2008 2:36 PM
For me, this is all about legacy. I've been crushed, on occasion, feeling that there would never be a rekoning as long as all of these guys stuck to their story. Now, it looks like everyone who departs is telling the same story. The same story we all guessed from the beginning. All of their stories agree and agree with reality. Soon, all there will be is Bush, Cheney and Rove holding the line. I truly believe the history books will have more than enough sources to get this one right.
Posted by: Niarb | May 30, 2008 8:46 AM
Good perspective: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/05/30/scott_mcclellan_press_secretary/index.html?source=newsletter
Posted by: Jake | May 30, 2008 11:59 AM