Scott McClellan Grabs A Seat At The Former-Bush-Aide-Turned-Author Table

Long before the White House Press Corps became saddled with Dana "The Gift That Keeps On Giving" Perino, they got to receive their briefings from Scott "The Gift That Gave As Well As He Could Given The Relative Lack Of Confidence He Had In Just About Everything He Was Ever Asked To Say" McClellan. McClellan stepped down from the position in May of 2006, and has since penned a book that will finally allow him to do what he never could as press secretary: tell all.

Public Affairs, who will be publishing the book, has posted this excerpt, which gives one a helping of insight into how McClellan views his years of service:

The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself.

McClellan's book is titled What Happened, after the question he muttered to himself every night before the clutches of fitful sleep claimed him, and is scheduled for an April 2008 release.

UPDATES:
The Politico notes that McClellan intimated in a March 2007 appearance on Larry King Live that the President "did not originally know about the involvement by his aides."

McClellan: "I spoke with those individuals, ... and those individuals assured me they were not involved in this. ... said what I believed to be true at the time. It was also what the president believed to be true at the time based on assurances that we were both given. Knowing what I know today, I would have never said that back then."

Comments

[Independent voter]

What does it take Pelosi before you get off your botox filled dead ass and do your consitutional duties and impeach Bush and Cheney?

It's not like Congress is getting anything else done - 40 failed attempts to curtail the Republican wars hasn't gone very far.

DO SOMETHING GRANNY - BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE !

[doinaheckofajob]

Scottie was a traitor then for not saying anything when he found out the truth. Scottie is a traitor now for saying the truth under the guise of selling a book. Neocons, excons, and con artists, thats all the GOP has.

[dirigo1]

TURKEYS !!!; dinks; dregs; dodos; mountebanks; minimi; nitwits; nattering nabobs of nothingness; road kill; rats; slugs; waste matter; zeros; zits; gnats; blackguards; blockheads; lunkheads; meatheads; and, lest we forget, CHICKEN HAWKS all ...

[AxelDC]

For a guy who claims that Jesus Christ is his greatest influence, he certainly seems to enjoy lying, torturing people and killing people.

Just where in Heaven does W think there is a place for hypocrites like him?

[Maia]

How come I knew he was lying, but he didn't? I think he's lying now.

[sugarmoes]

don't forget! right at the verylastsecond... bush waved his magic wand and made treason LEGAL to commit just for someone wise like him.

i wonder JUST HOW HARD poppy bush will cry when his beloved 43 is sittin in the clink... on the row... waitin for justice... dead or alive... smoked out...

[mbjesq]

The rogues gallery in the HuffPo headline is just one small subset of the team of liars. Let's not forget the latest iteration of a dishonest press secretary, Dana Perino: http://memestreamblog.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/the-pathetic-comedy-of-dana-perino/

[picacho]

Basta! Will someone pull the plug on this administration and put someone on trial?

[dirigo1]

Texas two-steppers; cotton-eyed Joes; cock-a-doodle-doos; doesy-does; two-steppers; tap dancers; tricksters; traducers; wonkers; waddlers; winkers and nodders; whackos; woolies; slicks; snarks; shapers; shifters; graduates of the Willie Loman School of Smiles and Shoeshines; used car salesmen; grifters; goons; goofs; grubs ...

[fourex]

To paraphrase from Scott's predecessor Ari Fleischer, "Scott McClellan better watch what he says, watch what he does".
Yes before Scott there was the fascist threats to Americans from Ari Nations Fleischer.

[bumpersticker]

To give Scott a little relief, he was the Messenger and not the Decider or the Deceiver. It's unclear what confidentiality agreement these Bush/Cheney puppets are under, but hopefully they will find a way to say, "The message I given was a known lie, and it was created by...." To some degree Scott was a performer, and the devil is in the script writer and his muse.

[PhantomAviator]

Apparently Arianna didn't like me comparing Scotty to the good Germans who supported the Nazis for 12 years.

Go figure.

[jbstonesfan]

I think it is far better that they come out with the dirt, whatever their motives, as it surely will help the Democrats next November. We need to use all the dirt we have to fight back against what will be the most divisive, nasty, and possibly rigged election in our nations history. The Republicans will and have done everything within their power to hold control of the Whitehouse.

[Marsangusidaho]

I guess I have trouble believing that Scott McCellan believed things that most Americans did not.
Now, when it comes time for him to cash in on his experiences, he's "shocked...shocked to find there's gambling taking place here!"
Once again, a Bush official fails to pass the credibility test.
John Edwards will be a welcome change.

[dirigo1]

Fakers; cowards; hacks; coat-holders; bumpkins; pumpkins; warlocks; boobs; liars; dissemblers; members of the Raccoon Lodge, Bismarck, North Dakota; residents of Oz; bosom buddies; draft dodgers; crazy uncles; suits; good ol' boys; bubs; bubbas; pals; kidders; jokers; bih-nessmen; privatizers; crackers; sharks; hustlers; snake oil salesmen; heartland heart throbs ...