Spring Break
When Politicians go bad... (6/25/08)
McClellan's best-selling book is completely justified
Ed Komenda
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: Opinion
Scott McClellan has some balls. The former press secretary for Texas' finest, the Bush administration, has created a buzz that has seemed to rattle through not only the media but the bones of an entire White House staff.
McClellan's book, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," was released on June 2 and was welcomed by a media hungry for the nitty-gritty. The book is quite accusatory, pointing out major flaws in the Bush administration and accusing the man at its helm, President George W. Bush, of deceptively and intentionally feeding lies to the American people.
Two major questions are currently floating around the controversial bestseller: Should McClellan have written the book, and are the book's contents plausible?
The answer to the first question is simple: HELL YES. The state of America is a sad one, a country shrouded with secrecy, poverty and, inevitably, doom. What better way to spark some change than to produce a book that demands change by simply telling it how it is?
McClellan wrote from his experiences within the belly of the beast, and that takes a lot of guts - a department this country as a whole seems to be lacking.
The other major question is one of plausibility. Could McClellan possibly be telling the truth? Well, if it's any consolation, he recently agreed to testify in front of Congress, which says a lot about a man bold enough to point the finger. Another angle one can take on measuring plausibility is much simpler - just look at the subjects of the book. A cast of well-dressed snakes in the grass, Dubya at the helm with his twisted grin, one of no remorse and utter anticipation of a few months of playing golf and hunting on his Texas ranch.
Most political figures are quick to condemn McClellan, saying, in the context of a statement issued by Bob Dole, it is wrong to "bite the hand that feeds." Of course, they would say something as idiotic as that - they all want a piece of that proverbial pie. Those who condemn McClellan for saying what the public has insinuated for years are merely followers afraid of wealth-threatening repercussions.
Bush's fear surely originated from the fact that McClellan produced a book, not some documentary or YouTube confession. After all, rumors floating around have suggested for years that good ole' Dubya is, in fact, illiterate. And what's scarier than a monster you cannot completely understand? Perhaps Bush's nightly story-time (performed by Laura Bush) will make up for at least a few of his literary mishaps. Sorry George, but the rest of "Mein Kampf" will have to wait until next week.
There's a new book in town, and it has your name all over it.
McClellan's book, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," was released on June 2 and was welcomed by a media hungry for the nitty-gritty. The book is quite accusatory, pointing out major flaws in the Bush administration and accusing the man at its helm, President George W. Bush, of deceptively and intentionally feeding lies to the American people.
Two major questions are currently floating around the controversial bestseller: Should McClellan have written the book, and are the book's contents plausible?
The answer to the first question is simple: HELL YES. The state of America is a sad one, a country shrouded with secrecy, poverty and, inevitably, doom. What better way to spark some change than to produce a book that demands change by simply telling it how it is?
McClellan wrote from his experiences within the belly of the beast, and that takes a lot of guts - a department this country as a whole seems to be lacking.
The other major question is one of plausibility. Could McClellan possibly be telling the truth? Well, if it's any consolation, he recently agreed to testify in front of Congress, which says a lot about a man bold enough to point the finger. Another angle one can take on measuring plausibility is much simpler - just look at the subjects of the book. A cast of well-dressed snakes in the grass, Dubya at the helm with his twisted grin, one of no remorse and utter anticipation of a few months of playing golf and hunting on his Texas ranch.
Most political figures are quick to condemn McClellan, saying, in the context of a statement issued by Bob Dole, it is wrong to "bite the hand that feeds." Of course, they would say something as idiotic as that - they all want a piece of that proverbial pie. Those who condemn McClellan for saying what the public has insinuated for years are merely followers afraid of wealth-threatening repercussions.
Bush's fear surely originated from the fact that McClellan produced a book, not some documentary or YouTube confession. After all, rumors floating around have suggested for years that good ole' Dubya is, in fact, illiterate. And what's scarier than a monster you cannot completely understand? Perhaps Bush's nightly story-time (performed by Laura Bush) will make up for at least a few of his literary mishaps. Sorry George, but the rest of "Mein Kampf" will have to wait until next week.
There's a new book in town, and it has your name all over it.
Be the first to comment on this story