McClellan's Book and Speaking The Truth

There has been much commotion about Scott McClellan's book, "What Happened." In case you have been living in a cave the past few days and haven't heard about it, I'll give ya the same description Amazon.com gives it:

Scott McClellan was one of a few Bush loyalists from Texas who became part of his inner circle of trusted advisers, and remained so during one of the most challenging and contentious periods of recent history. Drawn to Bush by his commitment to compassionate conservatism and strong bipartisan leadership, McClellan served the president for more than seven years, and witnessed day-to-day exactly how the presidency veered off course.

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.

George W. and the rest of his Republican cronies think of McClellan as a turncoat and/or coward. They come out, of course, to say he is the one who is lying.

I've read excerpts of his book and it seems like it would be a good read, although the deal about the search for weapons of mass destruction was something I knew was a outright lie long before most of the other hairless monkeys in this country figured it out.

These are a few quotes or observations from Scott McClellan's book:

-Bush favored propaganda over honesty in selling the war, leading us down the primrose path.

-Cheney steered war policy behind the scenes, leaving no fingerprints.

-Bush and his team repeatedly shaded the truth, manipulated public opinion, and sold the Iraq situation in such a way that the use of force appeared to be the only feasible option.

-Contradictory evidence was ignored or discarded, caveats or qualifications to arguments were downplayed or dropped, and a dubious al-Qaida connection to Iraq was played up.

-The Bush administration didn't check their political maneuverings in at the door after the win - instead, they maintained a permanent campaign mode, run largely by Rove.

I was watching the Today Show yesterday and Meridith Viera was interviewing McClellan about the book. You could tell he was nervous. Maybe he thought his life was in danger. Maybe it is. I don't know. Anyway, she was pressing him hard about the book and he was giving answers that seemed kinda vague to me. I'm not sure if he was doing this because he was nervous and couldn't think straight or that he was intentionally doing it so people would buy his book instead of him telling the nation, word-for-word, everything the book contained.

Viera told him, directly, that he was a coward for not blowing the whistle on the Bush Administration while he was working for Bush. I feel that he refrained from announcing the administration's lies and deceptions because he didn't want to lose his job. That was harsh, I thought. True, however. But, at least, he did come out with the truth.

I, on the other hand, would have told what I knew to the media, the media that is not controlled by the government (if there is any) and resigned afterwards. I couldn't work for an organization that tells lies that involve the theft or killing of people. But then I've always been a whistle blower. I've angered quite a few upper management types in my day by pointing out what was wrong in many situations. Some co-workers would say, "Aren't you afraid of being fired?" And I would always say, "I'm more concerned with telling it like it is than being burdened with living with something that is wrong."

For me, wrong is wrong. It doesn't become right just because you have kids to feed or you're afraid your supervisor is going to give you a verbal warning or worse. By the way, the "kids to feed" and "bills to pay" excuses are a cop out. Employers have controlled their employees with those sentiments for generations.

And before you freak out on me for not knowing how it is because I do not have children, consider this:

You are not setting a good and moral example for your children, mate or whoever by knowingly upholding what you know to be wrong. And you are upholding just that- when you do nothing about it. When you allow " the wrong" to go on and on with even a word. When you do this, especially for the almighty dollar, I have absolutely no respect for you.