Wow. I'm pretty surprised by this, I have to say.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
He's been telegraphing this was coming for a while, now, on the interview circuits and the like.
It sounds like he's done a remarkably apt job of identifying what elevates this white house's perversions of executive power beyond those of the past several decades: a permanent campaign mentality. Meaning, politics over government, loyalty over truth, and message over policy.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
But, really, isn't the story for both sides just that he came out and said it?
The die-hard, reality has a liberal bias Bush supporters are just going to smear him as trying to drum up sales for the book. Everyone else pretty much knows that this was the case already. We're just surprised when former Bush insiders admit it.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
After watching a bit of this before falling back to sleep, I had nightmares about yelling at members of the press - David Gregory, Chris Matthews (I was watching MSNBC) - for not being tougher and doing their jobs before Iraq. I couldn't yell loudly though, because I was in a dream. You know how that is? When you keep yelling but only muffled sounds come out. I kept punching Tim Russert in the back to try to get his attention. It was very upsetting.
Then I went on tour with Johnny and June Carter Cash who were very sweet.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Naturally, McClellan makes sure that everybody knows that none of it was Dubya's fault. Them nasty ol' meany advisors.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
fugu's right. If you saw any interviews with him you probably would've seen something like this coming, though maybe not quite so elaborate or "tell all."
I agree with Squick too. This just confirms something most of us suspected anyways. I think the only people who'll read it are the people who already believe it, but it'll be a big press story for awhile with some negative attention for the President, and by way of him, there'll probably be some splash damage visited on McCain.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Nah, was listening to McCain give the exact same prescription for nuclear proliferation as Dubya... ...and the NPR commentator was describing it as a major departure from current policy.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
I don't know if this one book will have much effect on McCain's chances.
But it is nice to see former Bushies coughing up the kool-aid. About freakin' time. Now if only more of them do it. . .
If that happens, that will hurt McCain.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Give it time. I saw plenty of coverage asking that same question on CNN today. If enough of them wave this thing all over the airwaves and in the print media asking IF it will happen, then I think it WILL happen.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
In the interviews he's given, has Scott McClellan addressed his previous statements:
quote:"It appears to be more about trying to justify personal views and opinions than it does about looking at the results that we are achieving on behalf of the American people."
-- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, speaking about former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's memoir, The Price of Loyalty, in 2004.
or
quote:"Well, why, all of a sudden, if he had all these grave concerns, did he not raise these sooner? This is one-and-a-half years after he left the administration. And now, all of a sudden, he's raising these grave concerns that he claims he had."
-- McClellan, speaking about former White House counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke's book, Against All Enemies, in 2004.
Again, it's one of those things that shouldn't really surprise anyone, but is still worth linking to.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Three cheers for the "liberal media". I was right to punch Tim Russert.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
I wish I had the time to keep a database of peoples responses. There have been a lot of people who, when these machinations were first brought up, said, "There is no proof. Its all lies. That didn't happen."
They are now saying, "Well, that's nothing new."
No where did they ever admit to the problem. They jumped from "Its not news, its guess work." to "Its not news, its an old story."
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Hmmm...I'm trying to remember when I stopped yelling, "That's %^!!&$!* !" at my TV set and started yelling, "No kidding, *&&%#!^!"
[ May 29, 2008, 03:22 PM: Message edited by: kmbboots ]
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
There was a book like this about Bill Clinton's white house too. At least, that's what I thought of when I heard this. Yikes, that was from before Monica. Though I guess if I'd really focused, I might have remembered that.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
pooka, I'm puzzled by why you think that is relevant. Could you explain?
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
quote:"It appears to be more about trying to justify personal views and opinions than it does about looking at the results that we are achieving on behalf of the American people."
-- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, speaking about former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's memoir, The Price of Loyalty, in 2004.
or
quote:"Well, why, all of a sudden, if he had all these grave concerns, did he not raise these sooner? This is one-and-a-half years after he left the administration. And now, all of a sudden, he's raising these grave concerns that he claims he had."
-- McClellan, speaking about former White House counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke's book, Against All Enemies, in 2
Those were almost exactly the same that I heard on TV coming from various White House insiders today. Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
You know, I'm really not surprised it was the Plame leak that did it. When some of the statements he had made about the incident turned out not to be true, the WHPC really laid into him.
--j_k
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
quote:Q Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003 when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliott Abrams and Scooter Libby, and you said, "I've gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told me they are not involved in this" -- do you stand by that statement?
MR. McCLELLAN: And if you will recall, I said that as part of helping the investigators move forward on the investigation we're not going to get into commenting on it. That was something I stated back near that time, as well.
Q Scott, I mean, just -- I mean, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us after having commented with that level of detail and tell people watching this that somehow you decided not to talk. You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium, or not?
MR. McCLELLAN: And again, David, I'm well aware, like you, of what was previously said, and I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is when the investigation --
Q Why are you choosing when it's appropriate and when it's inappropriate?
MR. McCLELLAN: If you'll let me finish --
Q No, you're not finishing -- you're not saying anything. You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And now we find out that he spoke out about Joseph Wilson's wife. So don't you owe the American public a fuller explanation? Was he involved, or was he not? Because, contrary to what you told the American people, he did, indeed, talk about his wife, didn't he?
MR. McCLELLAN: David, there will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the time to talk about it.
Q Do you think people will accept that, what you're saying today?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I've responded to the question.
Go ahead, Terry.
Q Well, you're in a bad spot here, Scott, because after the investigation began, after the criminal investigation was underway, you said -- October 10th, 2003, "I spoke with those individuals, Rove, Abrams and Libby, as I pointed out, those individuals assured me they were not involved in this." From that podium. That's after the criminal investigation began. Now that Rove has essentially been caught red-handed peddling this information, all of a sudden you have respect for the sanctity of the criminal investigation?
I remember that briefing -- it was becoming obvious that someone along the information chain had been dishonest. Now it seems as if McClellan himself was the last person to realize this.
[ May 31, 2008, 08:50 AM: Message edited by: James Tiberius Kirk ]
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Good Lord... I wouldn't be the Press Secretary for this White House for seven figures with dental and pension.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
bahahahahah.
I often said that McClellan had probably the worst job in the entire universe. The administration would do something it oughtn't have done or otherwise just screw something up (often both) and then send McClellan in there with some obviously crap excuses, expecting him to weave it into gold.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Well, it was combination of the job sucking and him not being as good as his predecessor. Air Fleisher was a master of obfuscation and a master mixer and taster of the kool-aid. Things seriously went downhill for Bush's PR department when left. McClellan, Snow, and Perino haven't lived up to his shining beacon of non-answering of questions. I always thought Fleisher was a jerk, in addition to being unhelpful in general, and rarely giving a straight answer, but he did it in such a way that I think it fooled most of the people watching him most of the time. Every subsequent press secretary hasn't been nearly as good.
I guess that's good for us, because it's easier for the public to spot the bull. I think McClellan was out of his depth, which is sad, because outside the Press Room he actually seems like something close to a decent guy. I like Perino and Snow when they aren't in the Press Room either. Perino is actually pretty funny.
But that Fleisher...hmph.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I don't know, I've at least got to give Fleisher that he had the sense after the "bring it on" comment to say, approximately, "Mr. President? What the hell?!"
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)