Scott McClellan, ex-White House spokesperson, has written a book about his experience as resident Bush administration propagandist. His main conclusion is that the Bush administration is in permanent campaign mode, and will lie, distort and manipulate to get its political way, even when going to war against a nation that did not attack the US.
The book "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception”, is scheduled to be released on Monday. Scott McClellan was known for his “deer-in-the-headlights” style of press conference, constantly looking flummoxed and off balance. This turns out to be the case, as he describes how "I could feel something fall out of me into the abyss as each reporter took a turn whacking me. It was my reputation crumbling away, bit by bit."
So, as many have hoped over the last 7 years, it looks like some conservatives do have a conscience, and need to set the record straight after being forced to lie and deceive as a part of their job description. Let us hope further that this is the tip of the iceberg, and that more conscience-tattered administration officials end up spilling their guts to assuage their guilt.
There is really nothing new in the book that we haven't heard before, it’s just that we haven't heard some of the details straight from one of the perpetrator’s mouth. McClellan details how the Bush administration, through him and others, lied the United States into a war in Iraq: “Over that summer of 2002, top Bush aides had outlined a strategy for carefully orchestrating the coming campaign to aggressively sell the war. . . . In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president's advantage. What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary."
So McClellan confirms what the White House has denied since the run-up to the Iraq war, that it was a war of choice undertaken for political reasons. Untold thousands are dead as a result.
McClellan also confirms that he was lied to about Scooter Libby’s and Karl Rove's involvement in the CIA leak case. They were not only involved, they had private meetings at the White House in order to get their falsified testimony straight.
One of the more important confirmations in McClellan’s book is the fact that Bush is insecure and incapable of admitting mistakes. McClellan noted that a more secure person would have had the wherewithal to admit error. But not Bush Jr., who is so insecure and stubborn that he cannot change his mind, and cannot admit that he has made any mistakes. Combined with the unyielding, toxic political atmosphere created by Bush, Cheney and Rove, this intransigence has harmed the United States domestically and internationally in ways that will continue to play out for years to come.
Dr. John Moffett is an active research neuroscientist in the Washington, DC area, who has published over 45 scientific articles on the nervous and immune systems. Dr. Moffett is also the author and webmaster of the political opinion website www.Factinista.org, and is a Managing Editor at OpEdNews.com.
-----Original Message----- From: John Earl Hanks Sent: Sun 5/25/2008 9:25 AM To: letters@casperstartribune.net; John Earl Hanks Subject: A Righteous Republican (letter)
At some point in their lives a lot of people learn that there is a big difference between a conservative and a radical. My grandfather was a conservative Republican, while most Republicans today are radicals who will do anything for power or money. Conservative Republicans were moral and they detested liars, while Radical Republicans have always been crooks. My grandfather could close a cattle deal with a handshake, while Radical Republicans have always believed only in the right to lie and bully their way through life. My grandfather admired Capitalism because his ideal was essentially an honest and fair deal for mutual benefit. He did not use Capitalism to defend crookism or the philosophy of taking advantage. He never believed in "buyer beware" as an excuse to cheat his customers. He never believed in "survival of the fittest" as an excuse for taking advantage of human weaknesses.
His two brothers were partners and they were both crooks working out of the Denver stockyards. They used to steal cattle from one another and they were definitely "radical" Republicans. They became successful and they enjoyed all the prosperity that ignorant sharp-traders could possibly enjoy. If they weren't sociopaths, they were certainly wannabees. One was an alcoholic addicted to gambling, while the other was addicted to seeking status. I'm not sure which was the worst disease. One had some problems with the Mafia, while the other had problems with his kids, who were just like him. The "pursuit of happiness" means different things to different people, which makes the Constitution a tricky sort of document. Maybe "happiness" isn't the right word to use when talking about things as serious as life and wealth. I'm sure my grandfather liked to solve business problems without anyone losing face or losing money, while my great uncles liked to think about the great cons that they played, if they ever thought at all. My grandfather built a good camping trailer out of plywood, while my two great uncles would have simply bought one. They lived in different worlds.
Who knows when the crooks completely took over? I would guess that it was when Reagan took office with the help of the October surprise. But, crooks rarely write honest autobiographies for their suckers to read. The fast bucks have been made, and most of the old "good-for-business" lies are not sounding so good. I can see my grandfather shaking his head.
by
John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1203 comments)
on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 1:11:42 PM
My family has been republican of the same type as your father and until recently just couldn't face what has happened to their "Party" I have been telling them since the days of Reagan what was coming but they just dismissed it as the ravings of a radical lefty. (I have a Master's degree in public policy from an ivy league school.) Obama seems to have roused them from their 28 year nap, as he has so many others. Did they wake up too late?? I hope not, for all our sakes.
by
macdon1 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 101 comments)
on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 9:25:44 PM
I appreciate your article and agree in principle. But I also agree with the previous two comments: these people are NOT conservatives. Corporate welfare, empire-building, and Executive power are antithetical to Republican values and affronts to conservatism. A better description for McClellan's turnabout would perhaps be "NeoConscience."
by
Dan Alba (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 52 comments)
on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 7:12:53 PM
Look for more and more of these enablers to come clean, now that this administration is down to its final seven months. Most if not all members of this criminal administration knew they were lies all along. From 911, to the planning of the wars right from the begining; they had thousands of troops waiting to invade Afganistan, before the 911 attacks. They all got up in front of Congress and the American people and all lied. The corporate owned media, also has blood on their hands for failing to do its job. Now those close to these criminals, are like rats jumping a sinking ship. Maybe we can put those hundreds of FEMA prison camps to good use and fill them up.
by
ronheri (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 151 comments)
on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 7:47:27 PM
5 comments
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