Scott McClellan

The Bush administration will be studied heavily by future historians. Whatever is written by those who were part of it will be valuable. Even if they lie or obfuscate, it will tell much about them. McClellan comes across as being quite honest, and more, quite likable. According to him, and he seems believable, he was unaware of some of the lies, and did his best to represent a President he started out believing in, only to have his belief undermined by, well, what happened.

McClellan grew up show more in a political family. His mother was a mayor of Austin and held several other elected positions. McClellan ran at least one of her campaigns, and came to the attention of George W. Bush during his tenure as governor of Texas. As governor, Bush worked in a bipartisan way with Democrats, and did things McClellan strongly believed in. So when he became part of the Presidential campaign and then of the Bush administration, he was part of something he was proud of. But then mistakes were made.

McClellan was like many Americans. When the push for the Iraq war started, he was a bit doubtful of the reasons, but was persuaded that the President and his advisers knew through intelligence that Hussein was a genuine threat. So he became part of the selling of the war. McClellan now believes that Bush's main motivation for the war was his sincere belief in the benefits of democracy, and that a free Iraq would start a domino effect of democracy in the Middle East.

When the story about the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson broke, McClellan was press secretary. Both Karl Rove and Scooter Libby told him that they had not been involved in the leak of her name, and he did not find out otherwise for almost two years. By then a number of things had begun to disillusion him.

McClellan does some interesting analysis. He blames part of government dysfunction on the permanent campaign, where governing and campaigning become so intertwined they can't be sparated from eacdh other. He recommends the book The Permanent Campaign and Its Future edited by Ornstein and Mann to anyone looking to understand the current Washington atmosphere. At the end of the book, McClellan makes recommendations for how to end the permanent campaing and get back to governing.

Very useful book, which adds to the picture of the Bush White House built up by other books such as Barton Gellman's Angler (on the Dick Cheney vice presidency). Recommended. show less

Reading the first hundred or so pages of this book, it's hard to see what the fuss was all about, but it is interesting to read McClellan building his case while trying hard not to step on any Republican or Bush Administration toes. The dance is interesting and at times bitterly funny black humor, as when McClellan identifies the general public's probably disinterest in invading Iraq to establish a democracy in the Middle East as the probably cause of the Bush Administration's manipulation show more of intelligence. The deeper he gets into his account of his tenure in the White House, and his argument, ultimately convincing, that the permanent campaign is the fundamental problem with governance in the U.S., the better and more straightforward the book becomes. show less

An interesting spin on some of the most heated controversies during the George W. Bush years. One finishes this book with the impression that this one-time staunch Bush loyalist is struggling to tell it like it was, particularly as it relates to a "culture of deception" that undermined the administration. I'll leave it to others to decide whether McClellan went too easy on some key players, including the president. But I found the book to be highly readable. Even though many of the show more "punchlines" have been common knowledge for years, the author puts some important events -- most notably the leak investigation and post-Katrina fallout -- into interesting perspectives. By far, the best part of the book is a section where McClellan makes specific recommendations for overhauling White House decision-making in an effort to reduce "partisian warfare" and outright deception. He suggests creating some new special assistants to the president who would be encouraged and empowered to challenge decisions. One aide would focus on "total inclusion" when governing decisions are made, reaching out to many constituencies. Another would focus on ensuring "transparency" in decision-making. Overall, an excellent read. show less

It's a shame this book is instantly shoed off by Bush/Republican supporters for being 'anti-Bush' or a 'revenge' tactic by a disgruntled ex-employee. McClellan writes in a surprisingly positive tone regarding the president, and focuses critique more on the continued poor advice from his senior advisors, the deceptive 'Permanent Campaign,' and partisan bullying that plagues Washington. While Bush deservingly gets much of the blame for the consistent mistakes made during his presidency in the show more book, McClellan provides candid explanations on the major events that will shape his presidency, such as 9/11, The Iraqi War, The Outing of CIA Operative Valerie Plame and Hurricane Katrina.

The opportunity to step inside a presidency during such historic and important times is unparalleled to any of the past - and its far too important to be casually brushed off by Republicans who consistently shield their eyes from the obvious missteps of their this presidency. Put pride in the corner, and learn from your mistakes... because if you fail to recognize them, and you will surely fall, bringing a nation down with you.

It will take a lot of work to fix this broken machine... the first step, is self-awareness; everything after that, is just details. Read this book, and you'll be well on your way. show less