Post by: geronimotwo on May 28, 2008, 06:40:40 AM
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WASHINGTON - Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a new memoir that President Bush relied on an aggressive "political propaganda campaign" instead of the truth to sell the Iraq war, it has been reported.
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The Bush White House made "a decision to turn away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed" a time when the nation was on the brink of war, McClellan writes in the book entitled "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."
The way Bush managed the Iraq issue "almost guaranteed that the use of force would become the only feasible option," the book contends, according to accounts Wednesday in The New York Times and Washington Post.
"In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president's advantage," McClellan writes.
White House aides seemed stunned by the scathing tone of the book, and Bush press secretary Dana Perino issued a statement that was highly critical of their former colleague.
"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."
Perino said the reports on the book had been described to Bush, and that she did not expect him to comment. "He has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers," she said.
The book provoked strong reactions from former staffers as well.
"For him to do this now strikes me as self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional," Fran Townsend, former head of the White House-based counterterrorism office, told CNN.
Said former top aide Karl Rove, in an interview with Fox News Channel: "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."
Richard Clarke, another former counterterrorism adviser who also came out with a book critical of administration policy, said he could understand McClellan's thinking, however. Clarke told CNN that he, too, was harshly criticized, saying that "I can show you the tire tracks."
McClellan called the Iraq war a "serious strategic blunder," a surprisingly harsh assessment from the man who was at that time the loyal public voice of the White House.
"The Iraq war was not necessary," he concludes.
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," McClellan writes. He also blames the media whose questions he fielded, calling them "complicit enablers" in the White House campaign to manipulate public opinion toward the need for war.
The book is scheduled to go on sale June 1. Quotes from the book were reported Tuesday night by the Web site Politico, which said it found McClellan's memoir on sale early at a bookstore.
McClellan draws a portrait of his former boss as smart, charming and politically skilled, but unwilling to admit mistakes and susceptible to his own spin. Bush "convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment," McClellan writes.
He also faults Bush for a "lack of inquisitiveness."
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The Bush White House made "a decision to turn away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed" a time when the nation was on the brink of war, McClellan writes in the book entitled "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."
The way Bush managed the Iraq issue "almost guaranteed that the use of force would become the only feasible option," the book contends, according to accounts Wednesday in The New York Times and Washington Post.
"In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president's advantage," McClellan writes.
White House aides seemed stunned by the scathing tone of the book, and Bush press secretary Dana Perino issued a statement that was highly critical of their former colleague.
"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."
Perino said the reports on the book had been described to Bush, and that she did not expect him to comment. "He has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers," she said.
The book provoked strong reactions from former staffers as well.
"For him to do this now strikes me as self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional," Fran Townsend, former head of the White House-based counterterrorism office, told CNN.
Said former top aide Karl Rove, in an interview with Fox News Channel: "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."
Richard Clarke, another former counterterrorism adviser who also came out with a book critical of administration policy, said he could understand McClellan's thinking, however. Clarke told CNN that he, too, was harshly criticized, saying that "I can show you the tire tracks."
McClellan called the Iraq war a "serious strategic blunder," a surprisingly harsh assessment from the man who was at that time the loyal public voice of the White House.
"The Iraq war was not necessary," he concludes.
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," McClellan writes. He also blames the media whose questions he fielded, calling them "complicit enablers" in the White House campaign to manipulate public opinion toward the need for war.
The book is scheduled to go on sale June 1. Quotes from the book were reported Tuesday night by the Web site Politico, which said it found McClellan's memoir on sale early at a bookstore.
McClellan draws a portrait of his former boss as smart, charming and politically skilled, but unwilling to admit mistakes and susceptible to his own spin. Bush "convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment," McClellan writes.
He also faults Bush for a "lack of inquisitiveness."
i thought this was merely an attempt to make a bunch of money, until i read the quote by karl rove.
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Said former top aide Karl Rove, in an interview with Fox News Channel: "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."
has anyone read the book?
Post by: wmenorr67 on May 28, 2008, 07:09:51 AM
Post by: Manedwolf on May 28, 2008, 07:11:52 AM
Post by: Sergeant Bob on May 28, 2008, 01:21:57 PM
Post by: MechAg94 on May 28, 2008, 01:48:43 PM
Post by: Lennyjoe on May 28, 2008, 02:10:30 PM
Post by: De Selby on May 28, 2008, 02:11:56 PM
Post by: Sergeant Bob on May 28, 2008, 02:38:52 PM
I think it's more about reputation-no one knows what subsequent investigations are going to uncover, or who will be prosecuted for what once Bush leaves office at this point...hence the race the jump ship so as to avoid guilt by association in the coming presidential term.
Post by: De Selby on May 28, 2008, 02:50:35 PM
Post by: lee n. field on May 28, 2008, 05:40:21 PM
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President Bush relied on an aggressive "political propaganda campaign" instead of the truth to sell the Iraq war, it has been reported.
Duuuuuh.
Post by: MechAg94 on May 28, 2008, 06:13:26 PM
I think it's more about reputation-no one knows what subsequent investigations are going to uncover, or who will be prosecuted for what once Bush leaves office at this point...hence the race the jump ship so as to avoid guilt by association in the coming presidential term.
He was already off the ship.
Post by: Sergeant Bob on May 28, 2008, 06:19:41 PM
I think it's more about reputation-no one knows what subsequent investigations are going to uncover, or who will be prosecuted for what once Bush leaves office at this point...hence the race the jump ship so as to avoid guilt by association in the coming presidential term.
He was already off the ship. It just took him 2 years to hit the water...
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on May 28, 2008, 06:47:29 PM
Post by: Manedwolf on May 28, 2008, 11:02:24 PM
Anyone surprised?
Post by: MicroBalrog on May 29, 2008, 02:19:54 AM
This book was put out by Public Affairs Books. Which is owned by the Perseus Book Group. Part of the Perseus Fund Group. Which is part of Perseus-Soros Management LLC.
Anyone surprised?
Anyone surprised?
You think G. S. personally manages all publications?
Rather, PSM likely had a variety of lefty editors and directors appointed by people whom Soros appointed. He's not DIRECTLY responsible for every anti-Bush decision they make.
Post by: LadySmith on May 29, 2008, 02:28:42 AM
Hmmm...so who is directly responsible for the anti-Bush decisions they make?
Post by: MicroBalrog on May 29, 2008, 02:32:30 AM
Not that Bush was a good President or anything.
Post by: geronimotwo on May 29, 2008, 03:02:08 AM
i wonder if he has any memo's lying around to back up his assertions.
Post by: Manedwolf on May 29, 2008, 03:54:14 AM
This book was put out by Public Affairs Books. Which is owned by the Perseus Book Group. Part of the Perseus Fund Group. Which is part of Perseus-Soros Management LLC.
Anyone surprised?
Anyone surprised?
You think G. S. personally manages all publications?
Rather, PSM likely had a variety of lefty editors and directors appointed by people whom Soros appointed. He's not DIRECTLY responsible for every anti-Bush decision they make.
Who said he was? Perseus Fund Group is stuffed with former Carter and Clinton administration people and Soros is rather involved in that. He's just got his fingers in everything meant to bring down America and bring about his one-world-government socialism.
Post by: MicroBalrog on May 29, 2008, 04:09:34 AM
Who said he was? Perseus Fund Group is stuffed with former Carter and Clinton administration people and Soros is rather involved in that. He's just got his fingers in everything meant to bring down America and bring about his one-world-government socialism.
Sorry. Brain working on some strange gear today.
Post by: Manedwolf on May 29, 2008, 10:21:09 AM
Who said he was? Perseus Fund Group is stuffed with former Carter and Clinton administration people and Soros is rather involved in that. He's just got his fingers in everything meant to bring down America and bring about his one-world-government socialism.
Sorry. Brain working on some strange gear today.
Soros is very involved with the election, too.
Fundraiser last year at a private home in NY. Why, who is that sitting there in a blue shirt?
Why, it's George! Hi, George!
Now, why would he want an internationalist Marxist in the White House? Oh, yeah...that's right. That was his agenda first.
Post by: MechAg94 on May 29, 2008, 11:26:59 AM
I think it was 2006 before the congressional elections that it seemed like all Spring there was book after book bashing Bush or someone else in his administration coming out about every 2 to 4 weeks. It wouldn't surprise me if the higher up type guys are part of that planning. For making more money as much as manipulating politics.
Post by: MicroBalrog on May 29, 2008, 11:53:38 PM
Post by: geronimotwo on May 30, 2008, 03:43:27 AM
This book was put out by Public Affairs Books. Which is owned by the Perseus Book Group. Part of the Perseus Fund Group. Which is part of Perseus-Soros Management LLC.
Anyone surprised?
Anyone surprised?
offtopic, but relevant: manedwolf, how/where do you get this info? is there a site that tracks this sort of activity?
Bush-bashing book <--lefty Bush-hating editors <--lefty Bush-hating directors <--PSM owned in part by <--lefty Bush-hating Soros.
Hmmm...so who is directly responsible for the anti-Bush decisions they make?
Hmmm...so who is directly responsible for the anti-Bush decisions they make?
it always interests me how we can write everything off as bush/clinton/whomever bashing. rather than accept or deny the truth or lies in the allegations. i would imagine the book was written before going to a publisher, and the "bush bashers" were the ones willing to pay the most for it, or agree to a minimum of books being published.
we have great cause for alarm, as i believe a staunch supporter of bush would not write this if it were not true. do we believe that our gov officials have the right to distort the truth for the "greater good" as they see fit?
Post by: The Annoyed Man on May 30, 2008, 03:51:15 AM
Post by: Manedwolf on May 30, 2008, 03:57:19 AM
This book was put out by Public Affairs Books. Which is owned by the Perseus Book Group. Part of the Perseus Fund Group. Which is part of Perseus-Soros Management LLC.
Anyone surprised?
Anyone surprised?
offtopic, but relevant: manedwolf, how/where do you get this info? is there a site that tracks this sort of activity?
Nope, got to do it yourself. In this case, it was all over the political blogs, but since I take that with a grain of salt, I followed the ownership tree myself from the various company "about" and "investor" and "corporate" pages. What you're looking for is just that, the ownership tree. If you can't find it all there, you can look at various state business registries. Most brands now are just part of much larger parents, funds, or holding companies. Sometimes, when there seems to be an agenda, following the money is interesting.
Soros is a universal constant in things that seem to be aimed to discredit America, for certain. His utmost desire is a post-American world under one world government, everyone knows that. McClellan probably got quite a hefty payoff to tell these "stories", because he's burned all career bridges. Perseus, just look at the names involved, it's all rather wealthy leftists, including lots of, as I said, former Clinton and Carter officials. The book was an axe with all their names on it.
Likewise, things like the Joyce Foundation are overseeing lots of smaller foundations who claim to want to "reduce urban violence" by eliminating guns.
Post by: MechAg94 on May 30, 2008, 04:57:30 AM
Of course, others were saying this book really doesn't say anything new.
Post by: Manedwolf on May 30, 2008, 05:08:32 AM
Some of the stuff on the radio I heard last night was that people who know the guy said he still supported the war as much as a few months ago. This stuff is apparently new. Sounds like pressure from the publisher to change the story a bit.
Post by: stevelyn on May 30, 2008, 05:16:19 AM
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President Bush relied on an aggressive "political propaganda campaign" instead of the truth to sell the Iraq war, it has been reported.
Merely confimation of what James Bamford uncovered for his book.
Post by: Waitone on May 30, 2008, 06:53:31 AM
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off topic, but relevant: Manedwolf, how/where do you get this info? is there a site that tracks this sort of activity?
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/
A great place to start. Very helpful in framing a google research session.
Post by: Sergeant Bob on May 30, 2008, 06:58:13 AM
Some of the stuff on the radio I heard last night was that people who know the guy said he still supported the war as much as a few months ago. This stuff is apparently new. Sounds like pressure from the publisher to change the story a bit.
Bingo.