How is it someone so close to the Bush administration couldn't discern truth from fiction when so many Americans saw the fabrications? Apparently, readers will be told how in former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's forthcoming book, What Happened: Inside the White House and What's Wrong with Washington. A teaser can be found on his publisher's Web site:
"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."
Public Affairs Excerpt
So while McClellan is dotting every i, crossing all the t's, and suddenly valuing truth and democracy, the president continues to take America down the path of destruction. It's interesting to go back and see what Bush had to say about McClellan upon his resignation:
"His is a challenging assignment dealing with you all on a regular basis and I thought he handled his assignment with class, integrity," Bush said. "He really represents the best of his family, our state and our country. It's going to be hard to replace Scott."
Yes, dealing with the press corps must have been difficult when they occasionally managed to ask a question that demanded a forthright answer.
Here is the summary of the upcoming book:
In this refreshingly clear-eyed book, written with no agenda other than to record his experiences and insights for the benefit of history, McClellan provides unique perspective on what happened and why it happened the way it did, including the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, Washington's bitter partisanship, and two hotly contested presidential campaigns. He gives readers a candid look into who George W. Bush is and what he believes, and into the personalities, strengths, and liabilities of his top aides. Finally, McClellan looks to the future, exploring the lessons this presidency offers the American people as we prepare to elect a new leader.
I'll be slow to judge McClellan until I read What Happened, but I do find it tragic that once again someone is willing to speak the truth after so much harm has already been perpetuated.