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

[tandrmcdonald]

Hold on a sec, please. This is all going so fast I'm afraid I'll miss something. The big question, did anyone with an IQ over seven actually believe anything out of McClelland's mouth? Come on! Look who he worked for, the dissembler­-in-chief.
His replacement, Tony Snow, was predictably Foxish Ailles retread material. Snow's replacement, Dana Perino, was picked precisely because no one would believe a word she said anyway. The female seems to have little more going for her than the Republican concept of "cute as a button."
As my dear departed Gramma Lula Mae used to say, "The girl sure ain't smart."
At least McClelland has come clean, or as much as he can without setting himself up for an investigation.
Gramma Rose

[kph0329]

I just wish for once that one of these people would say something while they were still serving in the Bush administration, instead of waiting until they leave. It really serves no purpose to say anything after the fact. If Scottie had had any character or guts, he would have spoken-up when all this came out to begin with. Then maybe Valerie Plame would have been vindicated. Instead, she had to leave the CIA and had her life turned upside down, and all the while, the White House was denying any culpability.

[Jacee]

How will the Democratic Leadership come out, take a moral stand, only to retreat in fear, apologize to Bush and in doing so make Bush not only the victim but the victor in the treasonous crime of outing a CIA agent? We shall see. All we know for sure is that Nancy Pelosi will come out and state with conviction that Impeachment will not be on the table for any reason, not even treason. Nancy will confirm, if anyone had any doubts, that justice is not for all, justice is only for the poor. Rich people, like her, are above the rule of law. Evil prevails when good men do nothing.

We all know who Bush is, his lawless and immoral administration, he has broken law after law and people have lost their very lives because of it. We lost our constitution, we lost our dignity and moral high ground, we lost our country.

Here is the question: Are we going to continue to allow the likes of Nancy Pelosi to circumvent justice or are we going to stand up and demand that she and the others be good people and do the right thing. Nancy's refusal to bring Bush to justice is worse than Bush. Worse. It destroys that one thing that separates us from good and evil in this country...Justice for All.

[MARTYB]

Lou1 you are so right, they have no shame. I would like to add no decency, no morals, and since they have constantly threw it in OUR faces, no patriotism. I certainly wish "certain people would put impeachment "back on the table"

[RSU]

So many pages of people worked up over a few passages in an upcoming book that offers absolutely nothing of value to anyone except it's author.

In a now time honored tradition of transition from public service back into private enterprise, Scott McClellan has joined the ranks of those preceding him that have written their own excuse for why they are only accountable for the good things that happened during their term of service.

It is a parsing of words that are carefully crafted to exonerate and separate oneself from those who remain. And by the reaction of many here, it will work just as it has for those who have gone before.

RSU

[SeaOats]

In another life this wouldn't be noteworthy, but the morning news shows (broadcast, cable and local DC) have actually been covering this story, and its implications.

[cynic]

So will little Scotty testify before Congress that Bush & Cheney made him lie about their outing a covert agent?

He'll put it on paper when he's being paid. Will he say it again under oath?

[sugarmoes]

have we, the united states of america, ever had a president guilty of treason before? have we ever had a president even accused of being treasonous before? trippy times. gonna be preeeeeeeeeeeeeetty weird to see a former president (and much of his staff) sittin in prison... on death row?

[sugarmoes]

famous bush quotes:

fuck 'im... we're takin him out. (saddam)

dunk 'im... we're drownin him out. (constitution, elections, law itself)

fuck 'er... we're outtin her out. (plame)

[FirstBlowupDollLaura]

McClellan is still lying. Now he is lying for himself. That he lied "unknowingly" is still another McClellan lie.

McClellan fed at the trough with the other neocon pigs while the trough was full.

What is it about 25% approval rating that makes the lousiest fleas jump of the rats?

[itsnotmyfault]

Let's just think for a minute. Did anyone believe that the Bush folks, from top to bottom, were not intimately involve in the act of retribution against Wilson? Did anyone believe that the Iraq war was not about oil? Did anyone believe that the Bush folks did not promote torture, illegal rendition, domestic spying? Did anyone believe that the electronic voting machines were not corrupted? How about Alberto. Anyone believe he acted as a politics free AG promoting the rule of law?

You have to be an entirely vacuous vessel to not recognize the reality that is this reprehensible amoral administration.

[javagirl322]

So why are people surprised?? I don't understand...this WhiteHouse­/administr­ation is about nothing but lies. However, Scott knew he was lying, but he kept doing it. Now he wants to make money off what everybody already knew---he worked for a liar. Folks should not by the book and should not by anything else from whomever publishes it.

[Lou1]

Despicable jerks. All of them.
And to think they are turning around, writing books, and making money. They should all be shamed into giving every penny they earn from their books to the veterans.
Of course, that won't happen. They have no shame.

[balleryna2]

You guys think Scotty didn't think he was being lied to every damned day he was there? Who the heck do you think hired Stephen Colbert to speak at the Washington Correspondent's Dinner last year right after Scotty resigned? Yeppers. Scotty was stickin' it to the man right then and there, and Bush knew it.

[NotWaldo]

"How to sell a lot of books":

First : leak a few sentences suggesting that the president and his higher father (that's Cheney) were involved in this quasi-scandal.

Second : let people talk about McClellan's possible bombshell. Don't intervene. Let them speculate about what the writer is saying exactly. It's working!

Third : everyone's talking about it on CNN and FOX and probably Meet the Press. Some people are mad as hell. Impeach NOW !

Fourth : in a few months, publish this dull book about Scott McClellan having the privilege of serving the greatest president of them all, G.W. Bush (greater than Washington and Lincoln), who was UNKNOWINGLY involved in the Plame business.

Fifth : go to the bank.