Scott McClellan's Editor Hits Media Storm -- Promises 'Forthright' Book

Source: Editor & Publisher

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The chapter cited in the catalog has been drafted. It is a meticulous account of the period at the start of McClellan’s tenure, when he had to handle the flap over the disclosure that Valerie Plame was a covert CIA operative, collateral damage in the Washington fracas over blame for the Iraq war blunders.

McClellan defended the White House then because, aside from that being his job, he believed what he was told by senior officials, two of whom we now know were lying. "What Happened" is McClellan’s forthright telling of what, on reflection, took place in that period as the justification for the Iraq war unraveled, Katrina became a national disgrace, and overall, the Bush administration’s claim to candor and competency was destroyed.

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Back to the media maelstrom. The first reaction to the excerpt was that McClellan, by saying they were “involved,” was accusing the president and vice-president of deliberate deception. The rejoicing among administration critics was palpable. Senators Schumer and Dodd and the outed Valerie Plame herself were immediately available to denounce the president. This is the first line of pages of Google News entries: “Here’s hoping McClellan’s book brings down Bush” (Aspen Times); “So, did Bush knowingly tell McClellan to lie?” (Kansas.com); “Congress, ask Bush: Did you order Scott McClellan to lie?” (Salon).

We conferred with McClellan and decided that he was better off working on his book than grappling with the media (I did not immediately realize that there was a firestorm on the Web and cable) and when our intrepid publicity director, Whitney Peeling, began forwarding reporters to me, I explained that the chapter reports that McClellan believes that Bush, at least initially, did not know he was telling his press secretary to relay a series of howlers about who said what to whom. The full story must await publication.

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As for the known perpetrators of the Plame leak, whatever they may have done to McClellan and the pursuit of truth, they seem to have gotten away with it. Karl Rove is now a contributing columnist for Newsweek and is getting a substantial book contract. Libby was convicted of perjury but excused from jail time by President Bush.


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Typical bushco scenario. Startling revelation followed by profiteering and no action by Congress.

to relay a series of howlers about who said what to whom - why didn't he come clean and say so and why didn't heads roll in the WH?

*Co can't wiggle out from what Scotty is saying. Not this time.

and hold anyone in his administration involved accountable, when he let taxes be spent to conduct an investigation - while he secretly knew it was a fraud? That's a crime. No gangster is above the law.

Here's from page 3 of Elizabeth de la Vega's hypothetical indictment of bush on a few of the other lies the liar-in-chief told:

A "false" or "fraudulent" representation is one that is: (a) made with knowledge that it is untrue; (b) a half-truth; (c) made without a reasonable basis or with reckless indifference as to whether it is, in fact, true or false; (d) literally true, but intentionally presented in a manner reasonable calculated to deceive a person of ordinary prudence and intelligence. The knowing concealment or omission of information that a reasonable person would consider important in deciding an issue also constitutes fraud.

There seems to be a current meme that it's not against the law for the president to lie. Well, he isn't above the law, and when he engages in fraud - in this case he defrauded of our taxes to "investigate" a matter he was covering up - or lying us into a war - he has committed a specific crime: he defrauded us. Lying, and being impeached for it, isn't limited to saying "I did not have sex with that woman."

I was reading when I came across an article detailing the top 10 things repubs need to do to win the election and thought WTF?!? Looked to see who it was written by....Karl Rove himself.

this 'outing' they were full on partners.

they don't allow their names to be mentioned.

good luck