http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4836
By http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3853 Baldwin
A bomb exploded inside Washington, D.C., and, no, it was not the work of a Middle Eastern terrorist. It was the work of former White House Press Secretary http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4794. He, perhaps more than anyone else, was the face of President Bush’s White House. He faithfully served President George W. Bush for close to a decade and served as Bush’s Press Secretary for some three years, resigning on April 19, 2006. He was also regarded as one of the most loyal and tight-lipped of the Bush insiders. However, his new book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” has exploded in the face of what history will probably regard as one of the most deceptive and manipulative Presidential administrations in American government. The Washington Post (and a host of other media) released a report regarding McClellan’s book this past Wednesday. According to McClellan’s book, the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated “political propaganda campaign” led by President George W. Bush himself. McClellan charges that Bush aimed at “manipulating sources of public opinion” and “downplaying the major reason for going to war.” He also says he was deceived by some within the President’s inner circle about the leak of a CIA operative’s name.
He has especially harsh criticism for former White House advisor Karl Rove for misleading him about his role in the CIA case. He also accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of being “deft . . . at protecting her reputation,” and called Vice President Dick Cheney “the magic man” who steered policy behind the scenes.
In a chapter titled “Selling the War,” McClellan says the administration repeatedly “shaded the truth.” He also stated, “In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president’s advantage.” In what might be the most disturbing statement in the book (at least among those that were released by press reports), McClellan said, “What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary.”
McClellan said his motive for writing the book was this: “Like many Americans, I am concerned about the poisonous atmosphere in Washington. I wanted to take readers inside the White House and provide them an open and honest look at how things went off course and what can be learned from it. Hopefully in some small way it will contribute to changing Washington for the better and move us beyond the hyper-partisan environment that has permeated Washington over the past 15 years.”
I am confident the reaction that will spew forth from both sides of the political aisle will simply reinforce McClellan’s basic assertion. Republicans will attempt to impugn McClellan’s credibility, while Democrats will shout, “We told you so!”
In previous columns, I have written much regarding the poison of deception that emanates from Washington, D.C., which is mostly due to the preoccupation with political partisanship. It seems the only time the Republican and Democratic parties care about “ethics” and “honesty” is when it condemns the other party. Otherwise, life in Washington, D.C., is exactly as McClellan describes it: a culture of deception.
http://newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin451.htm