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 It's not lying, it's self delusion Mar 20, 2010
Former press secretary Scott McClellan's book is more about self-delusion than lying, and in light of what he writes, self-delusion may be more dangerous than straightforward deceit. According to McClellan President Bush "isn't the kind of person to flat-out lie," but he was in the habit of "convincing himself of something that probably was not true and that, deep down, he knew was not true." Bush's self-deluding tendencies were not without consequence. For example, they prevented us from having an honest debate about the Iraq war. As McClellan writes, "Rather than choosing to be forthright and candid, [the Bush administration] chose to sell the war, in and so doing they did a disservice to the American people and to our democracy."
Many would argue that if President Bush did "deep down" know he wasn't speaking the truth, then we might as well call it lying, but that's not the way McClellan interprets the president's behavior. In fact, McClellan's book raises questions about his own ability to see things clearly. Could he be just as self-deluding as he claims President Bush is?
In my judgment, he is. Of course I admire him for writing a very revealing book about his White House experiences, even though he knew this would make him a target of the same kind of attacks that he engaged in against previous Bush administration whistle-blowers. He appears to be motivated mainly by an interest in changing the tone of Washington politics, though he may have as a secondary goal exposing Karl Rove and Scooter Libby to critical scrutiny. McClellan's disillusionment began when he learned that White House insiders Karl Rove and Scooter Libby had passed on lies to him that he unknowingly repeated to the press corps. When the lies were exposed, McClellan's credibility was wrecked. Shortly after this he was asked to resign as press secretary.
But if we take Scott McClellan at his word (as I do), we have to believe he is even more self-deluding than the president he criticizes. How else, except through self-delusion, could he have expected honesty from someone like Karl Rove? Rove has long been known as a notoriously underhanded politico, yet, when he solemnly assured McClellan that he (Rove) was not involved in exposing CIA agent Valerie Plame's cover to the press, McClellan believed him. This to me is the most astonishing revelation in the entire book.
The anger and resentment that McClellan clearly feels against Karl Rove and Scooter Libby (and to an extent against former Vice President Cheney as well) suggest that he honestly believed them--or at least convinced himself they were telling the truth even though "deep down" he knew otherwise. Like most people, I dislike injustice, so I'm glad that a book has been written that throws a spotlight on those in the White House whose misdeeds need to be widely known. But McClellan has a larger goal than revenge against those who betrayed him or a wish to see specific miscreants brought to justice. His ultimate aim is to encourage both Republicans and Democrats to back away from the "permanent campaign" that has become the norm in recent administrations.
The permanent campaign is a system in which the party in power crafts every decision in light of its effect on upcoming elections. Instead of governing in the national interest, presidents wind up maneuvering for the sake of their approval ratings. According to McClellan, both President Bush and President Clinton were guilty of this failing.
Some may call him quixotic, but I'm glad he's promoting this goal, and I'm particularly glad he has offered an insider's look at the aggressively partisan spirit that has dominated Washington recently. I would go further and say that I believe President Obama has worked harder at overcoming the partisan divide than any president in recent memory.
Finally, there is a potential benefit that may come from McClellan's book. Perhaps, because of his revelations, the next time a president starts to pull a fast one over on us, he or she may think twice. After all, there's no telling when a naïve and idealistic staff member might be tempted to record the unflattering inside story for posterity.
 Consult an editor Mar 08, 2010
After getting through only 100 pages of this book, I am giving up on it. I am interested in knowing what happened, but I don't think this book is the one to provide answers.
The author needs to hire a better editor next time, one who will ask: "What is this book supposed to be about?" After 100 pages, I find myself puzzled by the extensive details on the author's childhood and early days campaigning for his mother. A family history seems irrelevant here, given that the book was supposed to be an account of the Bush White House, not Scott McClellan's autobiography.
The author tends to write in a stream of consciousness style, at the expense of clarity and focus. The text jumps seemingly randomly from person to person, with clumsy segues, and without use of section or chapter breaks. The author fails to stick to one topic for any significant period of time (except, of course, for the long-winded discussion of the "permanent campaign", where the author managed to make the same point over and over again for several pages), and as a result, the book reads like a collection of anectdotes without endings.
Maybe this book has a point, and I gave up on it too quickly, but if you're looking for an interesting read from a focused author, look elsewhere.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Losing the Way in the Permanent Campaign Nov 29, 2009
Scott McClellan was a top strategist for Governor George Bush and followed him to the White House, becoming his press secretary at a later point. Scott tells the inside story of his growing disillusionment with the Bush administration and its culture of secrecy and deception.
The author develops an analysis of what he calls the "permanent campaign," a mentality in which the concept of promotion, spin and garnering support even in office shifts focus from the needs of the people and the good of the nation as a whole. Self-protection became a major value for the Bush administration especially in the second term when, despite a reelection, Bush's support fell to a record low for a US president and scandal after scandal came to public view.
McClellan tells his story, and even as he reveals the negative dynamics that infused the administration, the reader senses his continuing admiration for George W Bush. McClellan, however, honestly evaluates where things went wrong, and how the president was personally involved in losing focus and allowing the political process to become a focus of media manipulation and personal glory and justification.
This is an enlightening story, told from an insider's point of view. But McClellan does not play favorites. He writes coherently and objectively as he tells the tale from the point of view of how and when things became known, and how his perspective and realizations gradually grew.
This book does not have the feel of a partisan ploy or a disillusioned reactionary tone. This is a political analysis, told with candor even if with chagrin. You will learn about history, personalities and culture. It will not all be pretty, but it is not all totally ugly either.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Interesting perspective,.......... as far as it goes Nov 14, 2009
The book gives us an interesting perspective from inside the White House, but comes up somewhat short, because
Scott was not a true insider. I strongly believe that George Bush has done tremendous damage to our country
with his ill advised approach to Iraq. The efforts of the Bush administration in attempting to win over
public opinion for invading Iraq is presented quite clearly, and the probable intent to exposing Valerie Plame
make Karl Rove look pretty guilty.
Without blatantly bashing George Bush, McClellan, offers insights, showing the depth of Bush's hatred of Suddam
and his single minded obcession to correct his father's "mistake" of cutting off Desert Storm, rather than taking Suddam down then.
Bush comes off as a decent, but arrogant guy. He had a vision, perhaps even a noble one, but it was a very fuzzy vision
that he kept unrealistically simple. He comes across like the "emperer without his clothes", with surrounding
cast, that was afraid to defy him. I would like to have gotten more detail on the extent of Bush and Cheney's role in
pressuring the CIA to support the WMD evidence and why Colin Powell allowed himself to be manipulated for so long.
Unfortunately McClelllan didn't know exactly.................. "What Happened"
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
What Happened? Good Insight Aug 16, 2009
Excellent account of one man's perspective on the inner workings of the Bush administration. Seems quite balanced.
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