McClellan: Bush misled U.S. on Iraq

[HuskyCaucasian]

This warrants it's own thread in my opinion.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24848910/

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan writes in a new memoir that the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated "political propaganda campaign" led by President Bush and aimed at "manipulating sources of public opinion" and "downplaying the major reason for going to war."

 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/27/mcc...book/index.html

The spokesman who defended President Bush's policies through Hurricane Katrina and the early years of the Iraq war is now blasting his former employers, saying the Bush administration became mired in propaganda and political spin and at times played loose with the truth.

 

In excerpts from a 341-page book to be released Monday, Scott McClellan writes on Iraq that Bush "and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war."

Edited May 28, 2008 by Athomeboy_2000

[NorthSideSox72]

This warrants it's own thread in my opinion.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24848910/

Not surprising to those paying attention. But, yet another nail in the coffin of Bush's "legacy", in the view of the public.

 

[BigSqwert]

This warrants it's own thread in my opinion.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24848910/

I can't believe that. Sadam was the mastermind behind 9/11, was involved in Al Qaeada, and was a mere few weeks away from using WMDs on U.S. soil.

[HuskyCaucasian]

I want to draw an interesting comparison. For YEARS it was rumored that the president knew about the attack on pearl Harbor before it happened, but he let it happen to draw us into the war. To an extent, that has been since disproven... but this case there seems to be ACTUAL evidence of misleading the public into war.

[FlaSoxxJim]

McClellan would have had a whole lot more integrity and credibility if he had resigned as press secretary, rather than spending three years parroting the administration lines that he now finds so disagreeable.

 

A$$hole.

[NorthSideSox72]

McClellan would have had a whole lot more integrity and credibility if he had resigned as press secretary, rather than spending three years parroting the administration lines that he now finds so disagreeable.

 

A$$hole.

That was his job. And its one of the reasons why that job is so tough.

 

[Gregory Pratt]

Well, he says he didn't figure it out until later, so that's kind of moot.

[Rex Kickass]

That was his job. And its one of the reasons why that job is so tough.

 

 

It's still bulls***. If it's that morally outrageous for you now, when you're cashing in with a book deal, it should have been morally outrageous for you then, when you actually had something to lose by standing up for it.

[NorthSideSox72]

It's still bulls***. If it's that morally outrageous for you now, when you're cashing in with a book deal, it should have been morally outrageous for you then, when you actually had something to lose by standing up for it.

Depending on the extent, yes. Seems to me, at least from the reading I have done, that most people that weren't in the inner circle were told things that made it all seem logical, even if it was some seriously poor judgement. Now, one could say that people like McClellan may have intentionally turned a blind eye, just going on what they were given - probably true. I'm not saying he's golden on this, but, I think his sins pale in comparison to the decision makers.

 

[Balta1701]

Depending on the extent, yes. Seems to me, at least from the reading I have done, that most people that weren't in the inner circle were told things that made it all seem logical, even if it was some seriously poor judgement. Now, one could say that people like McClellan may have intentionally turned a blind eye, just going on what they were given - probably true. I'm not saying he's golden on this, but, I think his sins pale in comparison to the decision makers.

To paraphrase a quote from the captain of the Enterprise..."the phrase 'I was only following orders' has been used to gloss over too many tragedies in our history".

[Rex Kickass]

Depending on the extent, yes. Seems to me, at least from the reading I have done, that most people that weren't in the inner circle were told things that made it all seem logical, even if it was some seriously poor judgement. Now, one could say that people like McClellan may have intentionally turned a blind eye, just going on what they were given - probably true. I'm not saying he's golden on this, but, I think his sins pale in comparison to the decision makers.

 

If I was able to figure it out and I was working in the basement of a radio station in Michigan, a dude running the White House press office should have been able to figure it out too. I just don't buy this argument.

[Reddy]

If I was able to figure it out and I was working in the basement of a radio station in Michigan, a dude running the White House press office should have been able to figure it out too. I just don't buy this argument.

i dont know... it's a hard situation to be in. does the guy have a family he needs to support? if so then he's got to worry about how losing his job would affect them. it's hard to ask someone to give up their job for any reason, even one as deplorable as this. i just wouldn't go so far as to call him an asshole.

[FlaSoxxJim]

i dont know... it's a hard situation to be in. does the guy have a family he needs to support? if so then he's got to worry about how losing his job would affect them. it's hard to ask someone to give up their job for any reason, even one as deplorable as this. i just wouldn't go so far as to call him an asshole.

 

Hmm, I thought our profanity filters wouldn't actually let me call Scotty an asshole. I'm glad I was wrong. Scotty is an asshole.

 

From the Iraq runup to Plamegate to the administration's Katrina response, McClellan was, at best, blindly parroting the laughably flimsy BushCo lines or, more likely, knowingly lying to the press on behalf of the president. Now the guy is blasting the press corps for being too accepting of the bullsh*t he was feeding them from the podium for 3 years, making a buck off of it, and trying to come out of it as the only one not at fault. Unbelievably self-serving and disingenuous.

[Balta1701]

i dont know... it's a hard situation to be in. does the guy have a family he needs to support? if so then he's got to worry about how losing his job would affect them. it's hard to ask someone to give up their job for any reason, even one as deplorable as this. i just wouldn't go so far as to call him an asshole.

So...if Scotty had resigned in protest...do you think his book deal might have been worth a bit more? How much more would he have pulled in on the lecture circuit?

 

Once you get to a position like the one he got in to...you're set for years no matter what decision you make. If he resigns, he's a hero of one side and his book deal is worth a fortune. If he stays on the job, he keeps raking in a solid salary and eventually winds up working for one of the party's business allies or as a lobbyist. Pick who's back you'll scratch and they'll scratch yours back.

[HuskyCaucasian]

The White House Responses are in-

White House press secretary Dana Perino: "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House."

Karl Rove: McClellan "Sounds Like A Left-Wing Blogger"

And just moments ago on MSNBC a reporter said that two White House staffers called him a traitor and "benedict".

 

It's only a matter of time before Rove, the White House, and Fox News release the attack dogs on McClellan in an attempt to discredit him.

[NorthSideSox72]

If I was able to figure it out and I was working in the basement of a radio station in Michigan, a dude running the White House press office should have been able to figure it out too. I just don't buy this argument.

You cannot compare the experiences of you or I, to his, in this instance. While you and I may both have seen what we felt was the real reason for war, and seen how weak the evidence was, that was based on information we had available too us. McClellan had all that info, but also probably, was given a lot more. And that more part may have been info that led him to believe that it was the right move. All I am saying is, we can't know if that was the case or not - until more facts come out. It is not entirely out of the realm of possibility that McClellan was misled.

 

[Balta1701]

You cannot compare the experiences of you or I, to his, in this instance. While you and I may both have seen what we felt was the real reason for war, and seen how weak the evidence was, that was based on information we had available too us. McClellan had all that info, but also probably, was given a lot more. And that more part may have been info that led him to believe that it was the right move. All I am saying is, we can't know if that was the case or not - until more facts come out. It is not entirely out of the realm of possibility that McClellan was misled.

In McClellan's case, regarding the war itself...I'm willing to give him a pass for the information he had, because, quite frankly, it wasn't his job to be the one searching out all of the alternate possibilities. It wasn't his job to be determining whether or not they were lying or simply weren't gathering the correct information, that's the job of the President and the people working for him.

 

If you want to hold him to account for something, there seems to be plenty of admission in the Rove case where he seemed to know he was being lied to and did nothing about it, and in the fact that he never judged how bad the quality of the people above him truly was.

[lostfan]

You cannot compare the experiences of you or I, to his, in this instance. While you and I may both have seen what we felt was the real reason for war, and seen how weak the evidence was, that was based on information we had available too us. McClellan had all that info, but also probably, was given a lot more. And that more part may have been info that led him to believe that it was the right move. All I am saying is, we can't know if that was the case or not - until more facts come out. It is not entirely out of the realm of possibility that McClellan was misled.

For whatever it's worth, McClellan is saying that he was misled and he really believed the stuff he was saying and later realized it was BS.

[NorthSideSox72]

For whatever it's worth, McClellan is saying that he was misled and he really believed the stuff he was saying and later realized it was BS.

That's possible. The only info I have is what he has said, so, I have no specific reason to disbelieve him. It may be bulls*** - I couldn't tell you.

 

[lostfan]

That's possible. The only info I have is what he has said, so, I have no specific reason to disbelieve him. It may be bulls*** - I couldn't tell you.

A guy on the news in the background a little while ago was saying it was less of him being a hypocrite and knowing everything he knew in the book while he was serving, and more of a metamorphosis from a total Bush-backer to Bush-basher.

[mr_genius]

well GW has been a horrible president, glad he's leaving.

Edited May 28, 2008 by mr_genius

[Texsox]

In another thread around here, Kap, and I think we all can agree Kap is an intelligent, well read man, mentioned that there had to be reasons regarding the Iraq war we'll never know about. I agree and some of those may make us feel better, others may make us want to barf. Bottom line, I could believe he sat there thinking this has to be true, he's the President of the US. We do trust our leaders most of the time, and on the big stuff. I'd cut him some slack for slowly coming to that realization.

[Balta1701]

In another thread around here, Kap, and I think we all can agree Kap is an intelligent, well read man, mentioned that there had to be reasons regarding the Iraq war we'll never know about. I agree and some of those may make us feel better, others may make us want to barf. Bottom line, I could believe he sat there thinking this has to be true, he's the President of the US. We do trust our leaders most of the time, and on the big stuff. I'd cut him some slack for slowly coming to that realization.

What, the realization that this was one President you couldn't trust?

[DrunkBomber]

This doesnt surprise me. Im sure just about every politician has people around them that witness and even have to cover up stuff that theyve done. In Bush's case its just on a much larger scale. Like others have said, the fact hes using the info to cash in on a book would hurt his credibility but I dont think there are many people that are going to blatantly disagree and find it hard to believe him.

[Texsox]

What, the realization that this was one President you couldn't trust?

Imagine the scale of deceit. I really can understand him not believing it is all a lie.