Thursday, May 29, 2008

The Question Is Why

Hey, did you hear Scott McClellan has a book out? Yeah. He'll be enjoying his fifteen minutes and all the liberal love he can handle. Then, the left will tire of him and he can go over to MSNBC, endorse Obama and begin cheering for the Oklahoma Sooners. If it wasn't so sad, it'd be hilarious.

Poor Scott. The guy was so out of his league as Press Secretary and had the misfortune of serving after Ari Fleischer and before Tony Snow. Tony Snow being the best one so far. Do you even remember the roll out of Ari's book? It got, like, six interviews and no glowing press reviews. Hmm. Scottie worked for Ari. Too bad he's not such a quick study. Ari says he is "heartbroken".

I don't care so much about the words in the book as I do what in the world motivated the man to sink so low. I don't even care so much that he bashes his former co-workers and 'friends' as badly as he does. I just simply ponder, why?

I am fascinated by people. I love life stories. My favorite books have always been biographies. And I read obits in the paper. The stories of lives lived make wonderful reading. So, with Scottie's life background and story, what happened?

Scott McClellan is the youngest of the four sons of Carole Keeton Strayhorn. His mother was born and enjoyed a life of privilege in Austin, Texas. Her father was a much beloved dean of the University of Texas Law School. Austin re-named a section of a city street after the man. Carole began her political career on the Austin School Board, was Mayor of Austin, on the Texas Railroad Commission, and State Comptroller. She ran for Governor, first as a Republican, then as an Independent. She was first a Democrat, in her early political days. You don't think a Republican would be elected Mayor of Austin, do you?

Scottie managed three of his mother's campaigns. He met George W. Bush through her and became a trusted member of his inner circle. A young guy, Bush treated him like another little brother. After working for Bush as Governor, he followed him to D.C.

He should have stayed on a back bench but was elevated to Press Secretary. To put it kindly, he was not up to the task. He always seemed, to me, to be afraid of the press corps, too concerned with them not liking him. And they didn't.

McClellan now claims his editor 'tweaked' the book. Now that the storm has hit. Now that his former friends and co-workers ask him what in the world he is talking about. And why. His publisher has a long history of liberal publications, including books by George Soros, so judge that as you will.

The only conclusion I come to is that the published this book because he wasn't exactly burning up the world with his rising career. No big new jobs waiting as he was fired from the press secretary gig. So, he did it for the money. And by saying vicious, nasty statements he was guaranteed a best seller by the deranged who lap this stuff up. The far left feel so very vindicated. They were right about this administration all along, you know. That is what they say now.

Or, does it also have to do with the fact that President Bush didn't endorse his mother in her races for Governor of Texas? He endorsed his own former lt. governor, our current governor.

Revenge and a bigger bank account. Well, he does have a new wife to support. She, too, worked for the Bush administration. Wonder what she says behind closed doors. The President and First Lady were guests at the wedding.

McClellan was quick to criticize former members of the administration who wrote tell-all books, unflattering to the President and his administration. Two, in particular, Paul O'Neil and Richard Clarke, both came under fire from McClellan. So, McClellan is a hypocrite now.

What will he do when his new best friends in the left side of the tv world are bored with him? Go home and count the book sales receipts, I suppose. His credibility is shot, his reputation is gone, and the lingering question is if he was so appalled by the administration's behavior, why didn't he resign? Why accept the positions and then be fired? Why claim he was in the loop and knowledgeable of motives and discussions when it is easily proven he was not. Why didn't he, at the very least, speak up?

Beam me up, Scottie.

10 comments:

DMZDave said...

I completely agree with and appreciate your post. I always wondered why the administration would continue to employ someone so obviously unqualified as McClellan and concluded that it was a case of placing a higher value on loyalty than competence. It made me angry to watch Scott struggle because the issues are so important and they called for someone who could mix it up with the press and actually win. McClellan was simply hapless in the role. Now it turns out he wasn't even loyal and has no honor either.

I agree that when the lefties are through with him, he is going to be one lonely and miserable person as the he is forced to come to terms with what he has done for 30 pieces of silver.

Paul is a Hermit said...

Yes, can anyone say..., what was the name of that woman hanging around Crawford, Tx.?
Anyway, this happens after every President, it's motivation is money, I think. Unless he knows why the President dragged his feet on immigration for 8 years, that I'd like to hear.

Incognito said...

and why did he wait so long? surely if he was that upset about the way things were handled he should have come clean immediately.

well, all i can say is he's going to roast... there's karma for that kind of thing.

Nikki said...

Karen, I just read about his mother on another blog...pieces are starting to fit. Money can be such a motivator and it is so sad to lose your soul for a few lousy bucks. I don't think he could get a job on a major network other than MSNBC, if you can call that major...he and Kieth can cozy up. dorks. :)N

Z said...

Paul/hermit..I'd like to know that, too. But, no, this doesn't happen after every president, this "GOTCHA" thing$$$ is something new that accompanies the loss of dignity and character in this country, don't you think?!

BUSH's BIGGEST problem was his trusting people and wanting everybody to get along. Started by not raising hell for the way the Gore people left the VP's office with broken computer keys, ugly messages to the new VP people, etc...the Bush admin stayed quiet so's to engender a 'new attitude and feeling' in Washington DC. AS IF. it was downhill from there because he hired people like Gonzalez and others who couldn't handle the job but were good friends.

KAREN...Great that you get Mullings.com....Rich Galen is a friend of ours who stayed with us in our Paris apartment...he and his beautiful wife are very nice people. Actually, I met Rich THROUGH the column and invited him to stay with us on a Paris trip he'd talked about and that was that!
He did a column about that...but it's got our last name all over it so I won't post it anywhere. Maybe, somehow I can send it to you if you're interested!!!

The WordSmith from Nantucket said...


I don't care so much about the words in the book as I do what in the world motivated the man to sink so low.


I am focusing on the former, because the left could care less about the man's character. What they will clamp their jaws on, are the words, and use McClellan's former status as lending "informed" credibility to his charge, as if he were privy to sitting in on war planning sessions.

Karen Townsend said...

Word,
I think that the deranged left just feels vindicated but not particularly excited about it. Some have gloated a bit and the msm are excited for the usual reasons but McClelland isn't exactly an exciting interview, from the ones I've seen. I admit, I've only seen two, and one of those was a call-in question show on C-SPAN, but Scottie just looks like a twit.

The really nasty parts that have been publicized aren't substantiated in his book and most of the nefarious meetings didn't include him anyway. Lots of envy and desire to be a player, when he isn't and wasn't, comes through.

The WordSmith from Nantucket said...

I think that the deranged left just feels vindicated but not particularly excited about it.

Yeah, I think basically they think he's only confirming what they already "know". Old news, as far as they're concerned, with nothing added.

Z said...

Many are saying Scott wasn't even IN meetings he's commenting about; had no way of knowing what motivated decisions.

Did you read that he felt it his Christian duty to come clean, to atone himself for all he's done? Is it your Christian duty to trounce on someone who's been a mentor to you, hired you with no talent, etc.? It was his Christian duty to step down when he couldn't support what he was told to say...IF that ever happened in reality.

Karen Townsend said...

Z,
No, I didn't hear the Christian duty reasoning. That irritates me so much I could scream. More like his duty to enlarge his bank account.

He's shown his true nature and it's not pretty. Good luck to him in the future when only the biggest Bush bashers will hire him - who in their right mind would trust such a person?