Opinion of Scott McClellan

[JSojourner]

Good post, JJ.  I also thought WMD's were Bush's best justification for going to war with Iraq.  I still would have opposed the decision, but it made far more sense than the other crap he offered up when no WMD's were found. 

[Meeker]

Yesterday I still would've said HP but beginning to get better. After seeing his interviews today, definite FF. Good job Scott

[Conan]

If anyone thinks that the government of the US shouldn't spin a war should go out and desecrate the grave of FDR.

There is a difference between WWII and this joke war FYI.

I know what you meant, but I'd be careful in calling it a "joke." That can be taken the wrong way. This is a real war and to distinguish the service of those in the military (from Iraq as compared to other wars) as taking a part in a joke war could be the way they take it.

[jimrtex]

HP, even when he was Press Secretary.

No kidding.

I wonder if he will do a book tour with his dad?

[AkSaber]

I voted HP cause he's doing this because he has nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Plus, it's not like he's telling us stuff we haven't already figured out ourselves.

He could have said this stuff 5 years ago, and maybe prevented this disaster of an idea from happening. But hey, he had something to lose back then.

[Flying Dog]

I voted HP cause he's doing this because he has nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Plus, it's not like he's telling us stuff we haven't already figured out ourselves.

He could have said this stuff 5 years ago, and maybe prevented this disaster of an idea from happening. But hey, he had something to lose back then.

I seriously doubt the minds of Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld could have been swayed by a press secretary. They had their minds set on this war since January 2001.

[AkSaber]

I voted HP cause he's doing this because he has nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Plus, it's not like he's telling us stuff we haven't already figured out ourselves.

He could have said this stuff 5 years ago, and maybe prevented this disaster of an idea from happening. But hey, he had something to lose back then.

I seriously doubt the minds of Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld could have been swayed by a press secretary. They had their minds set on this war since January 2001.

Yeah, no doubt their opinions were set in stone then. I was wondering if McClellan could have convinced some of the general public, back then.

Ah, me and my what-if idealistic daydreams.

[Cubby]

I liked Scott McClellan. He was one of the very few Bush Administration officials I didn't/don't hate. He set my gaydar off, but apparently he's married so I was wrong. McClellan was always courteous and never mean.

Ari Fleischer was such a mean, smirking, pompous jackass I wanted to punch him everytime I saw his gloating face on TV. Even Ashcroft was a better man than Fleischer. Tony Snow wasn't too bad. I don't know enough about Dana Perino to make a judgement.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I voted HP cause he's doing this because he has nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Plus, it's not like he's telling us stuff we haven't already figured out ourselves.

He could have said this stuff 5 years ago, and maybe prevented this disaster of an idea from happening. But hey, he had something to lose back then.

I seriously doubt the minds of Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld could have been swayed by a press secretary. They had their minds set on this war since January 2001.

Yes, using the Clinton policies and intelligence on Iraq. Let's don't get into this argument again.

McClellan was paid $75,000 up front to write this book. While some of it confirms what we already knew, it is nothing groundbreaking. Every President must sell a war in some fashion. That's their job. Presidents all throughout history did this, so Bush is not exclusive to this. Making all these claims about Rove and Libby without any proof or backup are simply just claims and nothing more. If he was so appalled, he should've left sooner and not defended them after he was out, only to write this after he got a big payoff in advance.

Besides, the Press Secretary is hardly included in policy discussion and the inner workings of the administration, so everything this guy said should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Iosif is a COTHO]

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So what? Ari Fleisher got about 5 times that. All public figures get advances to write their memoirs.

Also, note the word; 'advance' . He'll get that money no matter how many copies his book sells. There's no extra incentive. I'm sorry, but it's not going to do just whenever anyone writes a memoir that says anything other that the usual 'It was great, everyone was great, here are some cuddly, trivial anecdotes to demonstrate how great it was', to then accuse them of writing it for the money.

And anyway, if he had resigned and given the reasons, don't you think the advance for his memoir would have been bigger?

[DownWithTheLeft]

If anyone thinks that the government of the US shouldn't spin a war should go out and desecrate the grave of FDR.

There is a difference between WWII and this joke war FYI.

At least this one was against people who were a threat to us.

I seem to recall being attacked in WWII... something about a harbor of pearls...

FDR certainly could have prevented it, and that was the Japanese.  So let me hear the logic on this, the Japanese attacked us so we went after the Germans.  But, when al-Qaeda attacked us and we went after Saddam and al-Qaeda in Iraq that was pointless.

[Conan]

I voted HP cause he's doing this because he has nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Plus, it's not like he's telling us stuff we haven't already figured out ourselves.

He could have said this stuff 5 years ago, and maybe prevented this disaster of an idea from happening. But hey, he had something to lose back then.

I seriously doubt the minds of Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld could have been swayed by a press secretary. They had their minds set on this war since January 2001.

Yes, using the Clinton policies and intelligence on Iraq. Let's don't get into this argument again.

McClellan was paid $75,000 up front to write this book. While some of it confirms what we already knew, it is nothing groundbreaking. Every President must sell a war in some fashion. That's their job. Presidents all throughout history did this, so Bush is not exclusive to this. Making all these claims about Rove and Libby without any proof or backup are simply just claims and nothing more. If he was so appalled, he should've left sooner and not defended them after he was out, only to write this after he got a big payoff in advance.

Besides, the Press Secretary is hardly included in policy discussion and the inner workings of the administration, so everything this guy said should be taken with a grain of salt.

That's a weird argument. We all know the Clinton policy was non-invasion, strategic air-strikes, and the no fly zone. As for the intelligence, that argument is very ignorant to how the intelligence community works. Also, you need to take a hint from Richard Clarke.