Scott McClellan Sells Out To Sell A Book

by John Hawkins | May 29, 2008 5:00 am

“If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” – Harry Truman

The hot story of the day yesterday was Scott McClellan’s new “tell-all” book that trashes the Bush Administration.

Unfortunately, mediocrities like McClellan often write these sort of books, although most of the time, they at least have enough class to wait until the President is out of office.

In McClellan’s case, we’re talking about a guy who wasn’t considered to be very good at his job. That’s why he was forced out and replaced with Tony Snow, a guy whose jock strap he probably couldn’t carry with a wheelbarrow, and now McClellan’s settling a few scores and making a bundle at the same time with this book.

Today he’s at the top of Drudge, conservatives are bashing him, and liberals are singing his praises. He’ll be all over TV and the libs in the media will spend a couple of weeks breathlessly pushing his stories. Then, once he happily prances out in front of Congress and speculates about what Karl Rove and Scooter Libby may have been talking about in a meeting he wasn’t present at or gives his opinion on what Condi Rice may have been thinking at some point or another, he’ll get a new round of publicity for his tome.

That’ll certainly sell some books, allow McClellan to try to point the finger elsewhere for his poor job performance, and perhaps most importantly, it’ll allow him to settle a few scores. Bush gave him the heave-ho? Well, he’ll pay him back! Condi Rice drank the Coke with his name on it in the fridge? Well, she’ll get hers. Karl Rove forgot to give Scott a Christmas gift? Oh yeah, Rove is going to get a little payback in the book! Could it really be that petty?

Maybe, maybe not, but either way, there doesn’t seem to be much substance[1] behind many of the most highly publicized allegations and there sure are a lot of former White House employees pointing out that what McClellan[2] is saying in this book doesn’t match up with what he was saying privately when he was in the White House.