McClellan Sells Soul Cheap

Today on Capitol Hill House Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers (D-MI) and Ranking Member chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) opened up a hearing on the alleged covert agent Valerie Plame Wilson's identity leak to the press. You may remember that Conyers promised impeachment proceedings against Bush/Cheney during the campaign season of 2004. Then he had to take it off his Congressional web site when newly installed Speaker of the House Pelosi promised no such thing.

The hearing was brought about to question Scott McClellan about what he knew/didn't know about the alleged leak.

Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), whom you may remember as the official spokesman and arguing mouthpiece for Obama's campaign during the recent DNC meeting on the Florida and Michigan primaries, declared after the release of McClellan's tell-all book that he'd insist that McClellan be brought up to Capitol Hill and be questioned about statements made in the book concerning Bush/Cheney/Rove/Libbey/and Barney the dog. As far as I know, Mrs. Beasley is off the hook...

I watched the first of the hearing. I saw no need to watch the whole thing. It was immediately clear to me that this is all about McClellan getting revenge on Libbey, Rove, and to a lesser degree Cheney and Bush. He now wants to play victim. He says he wrote the book to tell the true story of what happened while he was at the White House. However, even he admits the finished product is different than the original book proposal. The publishing house, Public Affairs, is publisher of six books by George Soros, the largest contributor to Democrat 527's. These 527's are the only ones currently running hit ads against a presidential candidate. He has bankrolled attack ads on McCain on behalf of the Obama campaign.

McClellan, while claiming the high ideal of trying to change the culture of politics in D.C., of trying to bring bi-partisan cooperation is no better than Obama, also mouthing the words of an agent of change. Both have lost credibility on that point.

McClellan entered the hearing room yukking it up with the mass of photographers, all smiles and Mr. Happy To Be There. I think at this point he's just happy to be anywhere.

Conyers clearly is going for the obstruction of justice angle on the administration as far as intelligence reports not made public before the war in Iraq. He asked for Scott's 'thoughts' on the pardon of Libbey. For these Democrats, it's all about 'thoughts' and feelings, opinions. Not facts.

Lamar Smith welcomed everyone to the First Book of the Month Club meeting. For the next one, he said he'd like to recommend Ann Coulter's How to Talk to a Liberal, If You Must. He made reference to the fact that McClellan has no footnotes in his book, and very few quotes. He asked if it was written for revenge, for money? He noted that the three year investigation held by the special prosecutor found no evidence of outing of Plame at the instruction of the White House. Libbey wasn't even held accountable for that. The only charge he was held with was the same as Martha Stewart's in reference to honesty of testimony to the Grand Jury.

So, the road to a call for civility and bi-partisanship, conveniently lodged in the heat of a Presidential election year, at the end of a lame duck President's term, is paved with a check for $75,000. That is the advance McClellan verified he was given for his book. Plus whatever his cut of the sales profits are. I'm guessing McClellan will fall short of the millions made by the other agent of change using book form, Obama.

Looks like his very partisan publisher knew Scottie would sell his soul on the cheap.