Bush White House Slammed by Insider
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan Slams Bush
It is reported that Bush’s White House consciously made a “decision to turn away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed” — at the critical time when the nation was knocking on the door of war. McClellan’s book is titled What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.
The manner in which Bush managed the Iraq debacle almost guaranteed that the use of force would become the only feasible option. In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president’s advantage.
Scott McClellan
Former White House Press Secretary
Current Bush press secretary Dana Perino issued a statement that was highly critical of their former colleague. She and other White House aides seemed stunned by the revelations in the book.
“Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House,” she said. “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.” The book provoked strong reactions from former staffers as well.
Another former counter-terrorism adviser who also came out with a book critical of administration policy, Richard Clarke, said he could understand McClellan’s thinking, however.
Iraq: A Serious Strategic Blunder
McClellan states that the Iraq war was and is a “serious strategic blunder,” and that “the Iraq war was not necessary”.
His criticisms are a quite harsh assessment from the man who was at that time the loyal public voice of the White House. McClellan admits that some of his own words from the podium in the White House briefing room turned out to be “badly misguided.” But he says he was sincere at the time. “I fell far short of living up to the kind of public servant I wanted to be.” He calls the media “complicit enablers” in the White House campaign to manipulate public opinion toward the need for war. He harshly criticizes the press for going easy on the administration in the months leading up to the 2003 invasion.
Bush: “Lack of Inquisitiveness”
Of Bush as a boss, McClellan says he was charming and politically skilled, but unwilling to admit mistakes. He also faults Bush for a “lack of inquisitiveness.” Worse yet, Bush was susceptible to his own spin-doctoring. According to McClellan, Bush “convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment.” He also accuses President Bush of not being “open and forthright” about Iraq and of taking a “permanent campaign approach” to governing.
Hurricane Katrina: A Botch Job on Bush’s Watch
The former press secretary also blasted the handling of Hurricane Katrina, saying the White House “spent most of the first week in a state of denial” after the 2005 disaster. “Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush’s second term,” McClellan wrote.
The Outing of CIA Operative Valerie Plame
The book also addresses the scandal involving the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity. McClellan says Karl Rove, President Bush’s senior political adviser, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff, weren’t honest with him about their roles in the case. McClellan said he defended Libby and Rove to the press after both men assured him that they weren’t involved in the leak. But testimony from Libby’s trial showed the pair had spoken to reporters about Plame. “I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood,” McClellan wrote.
What Happened:
Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.
On Sale June 1, 2008
