Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House Bush relied on "propaganda" to sell the war.

Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House Bush relied on "propaganda" to sell the war.

www.politico.com

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” to governing at the expense of candor and competence.

Among the most explosive revelations in the 341-page book, titled “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” (Public Affairs, $27.95):

• McClellan charges that Bush relied on “propaganda” to sell the war.

• He says the White House press corps was too easy on the administration during the run-up to the war.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Bush used propaganda to sell the war NO WAY ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!!!! I know this isnt breaking news that he used propaganda but who is saying it is big news. This is Bushes former right hand man and yet another bushy to come out and talk about the incompetence and hard on for Iraq Bush had.

www.politico.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I found this rather surprising and unprecedented.
I want to think this is just about selling his books, but I wonder if there is more.

Originally posted by Jazzyguy
I found this rather surprising and unprecedented.
I want to think this is just about selling his books, but I wonder if there is more.

Thats what I thought at first too but when you look at all his other henchmen who have quit they all come out and say similar crap. I mean if you have a hunch this is happening, you see it happening, and his boys are saying its happening chances are this crap is happening ya smell what Im cooking?

Starred and flagged.

Slowly but surely, we're starting to see more and more stuff come out about just how corrupt and criminalistic this regime truly is...

Each person that comes out only builds the case a little futher IMO--Alone they may not do much, but when all added up together...

I find it fascinating how McClellan states plainly that Rove, Libby AND Cheney all outright encouraged him to mislead (Read: Lie) the press corps during a time when there was an active investigation into the Valerie Plame matter.

There is NO WAY a member or former member of the Bush administration would say this publicly unless that person had verifiable proof.

I want to see indictments.

reply to post by mybigunit

Smell something, don't know what's cooking, just speculation.

reply to post by kosmicjack

Maybe McClellan is just trying to wash his hand clean.

Yes the tone is surprising. Once the money has been made, the party is over, the country left in ruins then the confessions.

I find it all so sickening. Maybe McClellan has a conscience?? Maybe it is a total CYA for the coming disaster and final consequences for this administration.

I know I wouldn't want to go down in history as the mouthpiece for this crew!

This story has legs!

Looks like the loyalties in the Bush Whitehouse are beginning to crumble.

Next up, another press secretary, Ari Fleischer with a damning expose of corruption, lies and stupidity.

I thought this comment was especially interesting coming from a Republican press secretary.

"McClellan repeatedly embraces the rhetoric of Bush's liberal critics and even charges: “If anything, the national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq.

“The collapse of the administration’s rationales for war, which became apparent months after our invasion, should never have come as such a surprise. … In this case, the ‘liberal media’ didn’t live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served.”

reply to post by Leo Strauss


Agree.

I always winced when I saw McClellan speak on tv (just as I now wince for the same reason when I see Dana Perino). He seemed like he had to turn off his conscience when he spoke. It was like he was being turned into a pathological liar for that job.

Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
Alone they may not do much, but when all added up together...

And if even one more Citizen learns something new with each such "revelation" coming out in public view, then we're just that much closer to the proverbial "last straw on the camel's back." Once the camel's back breaks, I could see a complete shake-up of the government coming...This is the kind of "change" that the currently campaigning candidates should be talking about anyway, not more of the same 'ol, same 'ol & the pervasive mudslinging each other.

Originally posted by Jazzyguy
Smell something, don't know what's cooking, just speculation.

To me, it's just the smell of how big that Bush's pile of BS really is...

Originally posted by MidnightDStroyer
To me, it's just the smell of how big that Bush's pile of BS really is...

I'm not talking about that, I think all of us know that already. You don't cook bs, it just drops to the ground. It's something else.

Well he is just confirming what we already know. The Iraq war was based on lies and political ideology and not based on any type of threat.

Many people have left this administration and my guess is that more and more of this type of things will come out. My question is will this criminal administration ever be held accountable for the crimes they have committed? Upto and including treason in the PlameGate scandal.

There is already a thread with this topic here

www.abovetopsecret.com...'

Apparently this story does have some legs.

It was covered on both CNN and MSNBC and probably given cursory review on FOX, this morning.

I'm curious as to what the Whitehouse response will be.

Damn It feels good to be confirmed and to be able to say "I told You So"

In one way it's surprising, in another way it isn't. It's surprising because the comments made are least expected from McClellan. It's not surprising because what he says functions as positive spin for the Republican party. It reads, "Not all Republicans evil, criminal bastards. Vote Republican. Vote McCain 2008."

McClellan's comment about the "liberal media" is indeed laughable, when in fact the mainstream media is controlled by conservatives. "Liberal media" is by and large an oxymoron these days.

Anyway, it's the classic "I was just doing my job." spiel that we hear from police officers and other agents low on the rungs of power. "Don't blame me, I had no idea what I was doing."

And this quote:

“I still like and admire President Bush,” McClellan writes. “But he 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. … In this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security.”

That quote clearly serves Bush at the expense of other past/present officials of his administration. Wow, so Bush is not guilty, and neither is McClellan. The others are already smeared in grime, how much more dirty can they get? How convenient.

In my opinion, this is just a spin job.

This is huge no doubt about it. Check out this video
www.msnbc.msn.com...

The media is having a field day with this. This is bigger than most people think. I wonder if this guy will get picked off for all that he has come out and said. The neo cons are already out in force trying to discredit this man.


WHY THE HELL IS HE NOT BEING IMPEACHED!!!!!! CLINTON WAS FOR FAR FAR LESS!!!

[edit on 28-5-2008 by mybigunit]

So tell us something that we didn't know already...

...the (pardon the pun) truth was out there even as early as 2002 and 2003 that we were being sold a false bill of goods... always hidden on the news blurps and back pages were the stories contridicting the administration...

...never on the front pages.

reply to post by grover


Man, the transparency of total MSM corruption and co-conspiratory criminality alongside this admin over the past seven and a half years has been jaw-dropping. It's sad there is not some sort of law that makes media HAVE to report stuff like this, and a law that holds them accountable when they ENGAGE in airing propaganda and brainwashing material against the populace.

This crap is sickening.