What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception

This is an mildly interesting memoir. There are some droll anecdotes and an undertone of regret and stuffy, upper-crust resentment. It should be acknowledged, however, that Scott McClellan is not a writer by trade, nor is he a particularly astute observer of government or politics. For a thorough understanding of the Bush White House, look elsewhere. Additionally, I think we can all expect better memoirs in the future from more introspective and self-aware participants in this story.

This is a perfect book for someone more interested in pretending to read about politics and current events than in actually reading about politics and current events.

It was just sitting on the NEW shelf at the library so I picked it up. It's not particularly well-written, and Scott (though I think he's a pretty good guy) doesn't really seem too, too smart, but the inside stuff is very good reading. Nothing, of course, too surprising unless you'd been in a coma (or dizzy for some other reason) for the last eight years, or couldn't read, perhaps, previous to 2000, and had no idea who the Bushes are.

One interesting bit has to do with SMcC's view of Candy Rice. He thinks she specifically let GW down by not presenting him with alternative views and possibilities during the time she was his Natl Security Advisor or Sec'y of State; that it was very much her duty to do more than just go along with what Bush show more already wanted or was being pushed by others. 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 "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 show more 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

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 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 show more book becomes. 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 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 show more 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

This is not the best book out there on the inner workings of the White House. Nor is it the best written autobiography that you'll ever read.

However, it is an entertaining book, and does give a good sense of McLellan's point-of-view on Plamegate, the illegal outing of spy Valerie Plame.

Despite the right-wing blather, this is not a partisan book, and while McLellan clearly has opinions about people he feels betrayed him by feeding him false information, he portrays George W. Bush as likable and engaged, if not fully up to the task.

(The audio book is read by McClellan-- the best way to read/listen to a book).
McClellan worked for Bush from his days as Texas' governor. He was White House Press Secretary from 2003-2006 and was fed to the wolves in the middle of the Valerie Plame scandal.

McClellan reminds me of too many people I went to school with-- someone with a who thinks they know something, particularly about good policy, because they grew up around politics (his mom is Carol Keaton Strayhorn). The first couple chapters are autobiographical, as if I care about his elementary school days...

But it gets more interesting as you get into the White House. McLellan decries the Permanent Campaign mentality as what derailed Bush's presidency. In his conclusion, he offers show more advice to future administrations on how to govern with bipartisanship.

Bush loves his workers, he cried and hugged McLellan when he was asked to resign. He even called McClellan's wife to smooth things over. But Bush also lied to McLellan and left him on the hook defending Karl Rove and Scooter Libby who both also lied to McLellan. This made McLellan look like a liar to the national media and helped ruin the credibility of the White House.

Press Secretaries are intentionally left out of the loop fairly often. So, McLellan writes about what knowledge he had and what meetings he attended.

The author paints a picture of the White House where no debates about policy were engaged in (especially after the re-election), most of the policies catered to The Base, and Dick Cheney and Karl Rove were always working behind-the-scenes to run the show.

He points out some of the glaring mistakes they made in regards to selling the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, and more.

By the time this book was published nobody cared anymore. McLellan's account only confirms what everyone else was already writing-- except it puts a more human and deeply emotional face on Bush.

3 stars out of 5. show less