McClellan Book, Uniting Political Figures, of All Stripes

From The Blog Site: "The Thought Spigot" http://www.thethoughtspigot.com/Home_Page.html

Scott McClellan's new book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception, has united both people in the White House and also press corp. people and major print, television, and radio figures. It is not a usual day, when people, from vastly different vantage points, in the political spectrum have the same view on a book and the person who wrote it. However, David Gregory (MSNBC Contributer/White House correspondent), Ari Fleischer (Fox Contributer/Former Bush Press Secretary), Dana Perino, Karl Rove, Dan Bartlett (All White House Staffers), and broadcast anchors Brian Williams and Katy Couric have all spoken out on the book, with basically the same vitriol. Diametrically opposed political people, hardened news people, and Washington insiders are all saying the same thing, in slightly different sentiment.

In this soon to be released book, in early June, he hammers President Bush, Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams, Scooter Libby, and other White House officials. In fact stating, "I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood. It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively. I didn't learn that what I'd said was untrue until the media began to figure it out almost two years later." This quote involving the Valerie Plame story, Hurricane Katrina, and the war in Iraq. He continued saying that "he and President Bush" were victims of deception, in the Plame fiasco (ruled over by Rove, Libby, Cheney, and others). Yet, he hammered President Bush on his handling of Iraq and the Katrina disaster, and the whole press corps for not doing their jobs, in asking and probing for the correct questions, in the lead up and during the Iraq War.

If Scott McClellan is correct, stating the press didn't do their job, McClellan himself was completely deceived, and the White House is working against the American people. Why do all of the different figures (again, with VERY different political ideologies and views) say the following:

David Gregory, "I think the questions were asked (about the Iraq war before, and during). I think we pushed. I think we prodded. I think we challenged the President. I think, not only those in the White House Press Corps did that, but others in the landscape of the media did that.

Dana Perino (W. H. Press Secretary), "For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad-this is not the Scott we knew."

Frances Fragos Townsend (Former Homeland Security Adv.) "Often times, the press secretary will be briefed, after, some of these more sensitive meetings. The press secretary does not participate in the briefings for the Secretary of Defense.

Ari Fleischer (Former W. H. Press Secretary) "If Scott had such deep misgivings, he should not have accepted the press secretary position as a matter of principle."

Pat Buchanon (MSNBC contributor, historian, former Presidential Candidate, etc..etc...), "Well, you have got to ask why did Scott McClellan did not resign, for Heaven sakes. He said, basically, that the Bush White House was propagandizing for war, cherry picking for information, making the case, as a prosecutor would for a war in which he (McClellan), did not believe in. I wonder why a man would participate in something like that (the job he held, did not speak up in), if he disbelieved, in the cause, or in the war. I can't explain that, (I haven't read his book), but I have read what he said (the direct quotes from the book).

Dan Bartlett (Scott McClellan's boss, at the W. H. ), "Scott McClellan did defend this war and these things from the podium, in fact, in the most private of moments, within the West Wing of the White House. With his closest friends and colleagues, he did not raise these concerns, that he is now raising in this book? I have known him for more than a decade, and there is no one more shocked, than I, with these things he has leveled."

Then the two sides of McClellan, himself. The side, when he was the White House Press Secretary and the McClellan in "book form": Scott McClellan, in his own words, on his last day of office (in front of the press corps and White House he has blatantly hammered), "Mr. President, it has been an extraordinary honor to have served you and the White House for seven years now." However, now McClellan in his book, states, "What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary."

It is really hard to believe, that a man in the political arena for his whole life (going back with the Bush family, to Texas Governor), could have such a change of heart, recollection, and candor in a little under a year. After all, he did appear on the "Bill Maher Show" and defended President Bush's White House and his position, just eleven short months ago. A man does not work in the White House for seven years, previed to the knowledge he had, stand up in front of the press corps and millions of Americans lying (day in and day out), is asked to step down from his post, then have a change of heart, or conscious. It sounds more like a man, who was disgruntled for being shown the door, a little earlier, than he may have wanted, and now it is sour grapes. If you do not believe that, then why do so many people of different political stripes, have basically the same things (above) to say?