McClellan's Critics: What They Really Think
Don't look for Scott McClellan at any Bush administration reunions. His old mates seem none too happy with him these days. Of course, what they're saying may not be exactly the same as what they're thinking.
WHAT PRESS SECRETARY DANA PERINO SAID: "[The President] is puzzled, and he doesn't recognize this as the Scott McClellan that he hired and confided in and worked with for so many years."
WHAT SHE WAS THINKING: "Of course, if the president wasn't puzzled, how would we know he was awake?''
SHE ALSO SAID: "[The president was] disappointed that if he had these concerns and these thoughts, he never came to him or anyone else on the staff."
AS SHE WAS THINKING: "Consider, for example, the warm reception with which he greeted the dissenting opinions of Paul O'Neill, Christie Whitman and Colin Powell.''
WHAT FORMER PRESS SECRETARY ARI FLEISCHER SAID: "I'm heartbroken because I just don't understand. Not once did Scott tell me about any misgivings he had."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "And that's mostly what we did all day -- sit around the West Wing and talk about how the president was fucking up.''
WHAT KARL ROVE SAID: "If he had these moral qualms, he should have spoken up about them. And frankly I don't remember him speaking up about these things. I don't remember a single word."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "But if any of you wants to hear my plan for turning the GOP into the permanent ruling party -- that's one I have memorized.''
FLEISCHER ALSO SAID: "That's one of the reasons this book comes as such a shock. It comes from the last person that anyone would have thought would have said these things or written these things... You've heard the way Scott briefed -- it doesn't sound like him."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "Yeah -- you've heard the way Scott briefed -- he got the job because he sounded like he couldn't locate his own navel lint. Who the hell knew he was really paying attention?''
WHAT FORMER DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY TRENT DUFFY SAID:
"Here's a man who owes his whole career to George W. Bush, and here he's stabbing him in the back and no one knows why. He appears to be dancing on his political grave for cash."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "The bastard told all the good stories and left none for me.''
WHAT FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR DAN BARTLETT SAID:
"The allegations that the media was soft on the White House are total crap."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "Yeah, once we immersed the country in an unwinnable war, lost a city and outed a CIA agent, they really started to act mean. Sorry, no follow-ups.''
HE ALSO SAID: "It's almost like we're witnessing an out-of-body experience. We're hearing from a completely different person we didn't have any insight into."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "We thought he was a lump on a log. Geez, he didn't repeat that stuff I said about McCain, did he?''
WHAT FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR FRANCES TOWNSEND SAID: "For him to do this now, frankly, strikes me as self- serving, disingenuous, and unprofessional.''
WHAT SHE WAS THINKING: "If we knew he had this in him, we would have assigned him to work for Cheney.''
ROVE ALSO SAID: "It was misguided for him to make these kind of broad accusations and draw these big conclusions about the president."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "We generally leave that sort of thing to Fox.''
PERINO ALSO SAID: "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled."
WHAT SHE WAS THINKING: "The rest of us think this is heaven on earth.''
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Bring it on...
Trials...t
Executions
Now THERE'S the audacity of Hope.
No matter his motives, McClellan did this country a huge service by outing the liars, cheats, traitors, thieves, propagandists, fascists, thugs and sundry scalawags of the Bush administration. No doubt he glossed over some of Bush's congitive deficiencies or dealt obliquely with them: "I don't remember if I did cocaine or not," but he has vindicated the entire progressive left critique of the Republican agenda--EVERY WORD WE HAVE SAID IS TRUE!
And the right wing noise machine are paid whores, many of whom don't even believe their own drivel. Did you notice some of the very serious media star "journalists" doing their little dance of CYA? "Everybody knew that stuff." Oh, really? At least some have had the integrity to admit their failings. They were just higher priced whores than the Limbaughs with better hairdo's.
If President Obama doesn't instruct his AG to prosecute every one of the members of this criminal administration--and turn some of them over to the World Court--I'll move to Canada.
For years now, the Brits have looked at Americans as absolute morons. The fact is, Tony Blair did not STEP DOWN.....H
p.s. That's why for the past 5 years, I would go to Brittish News sources to find out truth. Like the 14 permanent bases the U.S. started building in Iraq some 4 years ago, while the media was lying to us saying 'we're stepping down as they step up'. Permanet bases mean permanent occupation ! The Master Plan is to NEVER LEAVE IRAQ !!!!! And as Alan Greenspan said in his memoir (Andrea Mitchell's husband) we're there for THE OIL !!!!! McCain (and some say DINO Hillary) will continue the Master Plan. They Must be stopped America.
B4B
Don't look for Scott McClellan at any Bush administration reunions..
LOL
Notice the attacks are ad hominem, not refutation of fact. That's the way Republicans behave. If you call them on the facts of their criminal misbehavior, they call you crazy. Evidently they learned that technique from Joe Stalin.
Jamie:
I have read a lot of analysis on politics, but I must say that your article was so refreshing and so candid....
Dan Bartlett:
What he said:
"....diffe
What he NEVER thought:
"Come to think of it, we didn't have any INSIGHT into anything."
Ain't nothin' new in what McClellen has written 'cause he just printed what Air America was broadcasting. So what's all the fuss about? Sheesh....
Let these fools all sink with the Titantic. They obviously don't care if they do.
puzzled
doesn't recognize
disappointed
heartbroken
don't understand
shock
I don't remember
last person that anyone would have thought
doesn't sound like him
no one knows why
completely different person
unprofessional
misguided
disgruntled
NONE OF THEM REFUTE ANY OF McCLELLAN'S FACT STATEMENTS
THEY ARE VERY AFRAID OF HIM
I suspect some of them envy him to a degree.
He's in place in his life where they haven't yet been, and may never be.
He's actually become what they would call a flip flopper, thinking for himself instead of staying on point, maybe for the first time in his life.
Scott could've done alright for himself without traveling this route. I'm sure he still had plenty of good connections as a result of his experiences. I suspect that some of them may have sensed that he wasn't quite the good solder they wanted at the time, maybe asked a few too many questions, maybe slightly out of sync when nodding his head along with the rest of the team.
They may not be afraid of him personally, but they are afraid of the seeds of doubt he plants among the few remaining true believers.
They will drip anguish all the way to jail.
There will be more tell all books but most will wait till Bush is out of office and can't really strike back.
I wonder who will write Bush's memoir for him? Will his reading lessons have taught him enough English to read it by the time his memoir will be published?
I think he should write his memoir from a prison cell, but even that's too kind.
You mean Bush can read and write, I always suspected something peculiar when he sez 'nukeeler'?
When is Cheney's book coming out? You know, "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"?
I think he's going to co-author it with John McCain III.
WHAT FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR DAN BARTLETT SAID:
"The allegations that the media was soft on the White House are total crap."
WHAT HE WAS THINKING: "Yeah, once we immersed the country in an unwinnable war, lost a city and outed a CIA agent, they really started to act mean. I suppose the reporters figured out how throughly fucked they were when reporters covering Plamegate started going to jail and the criminals in the White House just stood by and laughed at these screws, knowing full well what happens to anyone who crosses Karl Rove. Great Job Scottie, Sorry, no follow-ups
What a delightful article. Perhaps the most refreshing take on this entire episode. Thanks!
Here's what I think:
Scott may be right on the money or he could be doing it for the money.
He tried to dodge the question tonight about going in front of congress, I tend to believe a guy more if he puts his freedom on the line more than if he writes a book for profit.
If you get a Mark McGuire type testimony he is probably lying.
What he actually said was that everything he knew about the bush regime was in the book, so he didn't know what Congress would want from him.
Well let's see here:
#1 His book won't stand as fact until he puts his butt on the line
#2 He would be a key witness in an impeachment trial
#3 If you can question Sammy Sosa about something pointless I think they should sit him down too
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
