McClellan Testifies on C.I.A. Leak

[Wretched Excess]

McClellan Testifies on C.I.A. Leak

WASHINGTON — Scott McClellan, President Bush’s former press secretary, told the House Judiciary Committee on Friday that he had been unfairly vilified by Bush supporters for his recent book criticizing former White House colleagues over the Iraq war and their involvement in leaking the identity of an intelligence officer.

Mr. McClellan, however, offered little new information in his testimony on those issues beyond what he wrote in the book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” (Public Affairs), which was published in May and last week topped the nonfiction best-seller list in The New York Times.

In the book, Mr. McClellan says senior White House officials misled the nation about the reasons for invading Iraq and maneuvered him into lying to the public about their roles in the leak case.

The book, a kind of mea culpa, has generated a rich discussion about the obligations of political loyalty, and Mr. McClellan’s appearance Friday on Capitol Hill provided another stage for that debate. The man who once regularly and seemingly by rote defended Mr. Bush from the White House press room podium was attacked by the committee’s ranking Republican, Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, who grilled Mr. McClellan as ferociously as any reporter had in his three years as press secretary.

Committee Democrats, on the other hand, were much gentler, treating Mr. McClellan as if he were an author promoting a book during in an interview.

In his opening statement, Mr. McClellan said that in contemporary Washington politics, “vicious attacks, distortions, political spin become accepted.” He added that “there is no more recent example of this unsavory side of politics than the initial reaction to my book,” in which he said his motives for writing it were unfairly attacked.

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*cough*cough*ungratefulwussy*cough*cough*

[Chris_]

The one type of person in every culture in human history is a traitor.

McClellan may get is 15 minutes of fame (now on minute 14) -- but he will be considered a traitor by all ideologies for the rest of his life (and into the next).

[DixieBelle]

I guess he's still riding that wave of Soros-funded fame. *eyeroll*

[jendf]

Poor baby. My heart bleeds for him. It really does. 

[Wretched Excess]

I guess he's still riding that wave of Soros-funded fame. *eyeroll*

if GWB has one fault, it may be his loyalty to texans.  this is just another example of that.

[DixieBelle]

^totally agree. that and believing he could work with holdovers.

[Wretched Excess]

^totally agree. that and believing he could work with holdovers.

I tend to agree, although I can't quit put my hands on the holdovers from bush41's administration,
beyond rumsfeld.

[docstew]

I think she was referring to holdovers from Clinton, like tenet

[Lacarnut]

McClellan, Harriet Miers and Alberto Gonzales were lightweights who were average to below average choices. However, A.G. Gonzales was his worst choice because he should have fired all the partisian Democrats who were stabbing him the back.

[DixieBelle]

I think she was referring to holdovers from Clinton, like tenet

Yes. Bush said he was going to D.C. and would "elevate the tone" and work with people from across the aisle. Lots of former Clinton Admin folks were kept. Huge mistake. Trust no one. Clean house. Install competent people loyal to your admin.

[Peter3_1]

Can't possibly agree more. Clinton's people ware third rate at best, keeping them was the biggest mistake Bush 43 made.

[TheSarge]

Yes. Bush said he was going to D.C. and would "elevate the tone" and work with people from across the aisle.

Unfortuneately for him...and the rest of the world...the D.C. species of Democrat isn't like the Texas branch of the species.





 

Lots of former Clinton Admin folks were kept. Huge mistake. Trust no one. Clean house. Install competent people loyal to your admin.

The bigger problems is that a lot of the Clinton holdovers are in places they aren't easily seen or easily removed.  Staffers and advisors to the CCF were dispersed into positions at Justice...State and other agencies around D.C.  They've become the behind the scenes players that are like unseen landmines for any future Republican Administration.

[Bluesuiter-Retired]

Can't possibly agree more. Clinton's people ware third rate at best, keeping them was the biggest mistake Bush 43 made.

Clinton had a reason for hire nincompoops - when things turned to $hit, he could lay the blame squarely at their feet, fire them, and get someone else probably just as dumb.

[Bluesuiter-Retired]

I find it comical that anyone beings he has any credibility.  He was never present at any of the strategy meetings, therefore all he has is his opinion about what happened behind those closed doors - therein lays his sour grapes.

When they say the apple doesn't fall from the tree, it fits.  McClellan's father authored a book in which he theorized that LBJ was behind  JFK's assassination.

[Peter3_1]

That LBJ theory was out in Texas before JFK's body eas cold. I was in Austin that day, and before the Univ ersity of Texas closed that day, I had already heard that Johnson was in a different, closed car behind the President. An "older" Texan questioned me about what I had heard, and I repeated what I "knew". The man nodded knowingly and said words to the effect that that bastard Johnson had arranged the murder. So well thought of was LBJ.

Of course, you are correct that publishing a book that pandered to that theory was dishonest at best, as zero evidence points to it, indeed, all physical evidence points to Lee Oswald and the "Fair Play for Cuba Comm.." which consisted of.....LEE Oswald.

So, as noted, the fruit does not drop far from the tree. HOPE he gets caught in a "process crime" .

[Chris_]

Why a member of the committee didn't ask if McClellan knew Richard Armitage admitted to the leak, we'll never know.

[Chris_]

I was listening to C-SPAN earlier today.  McClellan testified that Armitage was the one who leaked Plame's name.  Conyers was busy mumbling and drooling on himself, but he did acknowledge McClellan's testominy.