The Abandonment of "Candor and Honesty"

While like many, I wish that Scott McCellan had seen the light earlier and had come clean on the ramapnt lies and dishonesty that are the hallmark of the Chimperator's regime, particularly in the dishonest selling of the Iraq War to the nation. I still recall watching TV the night the Chimperator ordered the attack to begin and the sick feeling I had as to what are we getting the country into. I even said at the time that Bush's hubris would lead us to disaster. It is a shame that someone in the White House staff did not ask more serious questions. At least McCellan's book may help to set the historical record straight sooner as opposed to later. In my view, both the Chimperator and Emperor Cheney deserve not only impeachment but also to stand trial for war crimes. Here are highlights from the Washington Post:

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The book, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," is a scathing critique of the Bush presidency that vaulted this week to the top of the bestseller lists. It has also prompted many of McClellan's oldest friends and colleagues to brand him, among other things, a turncoat and a fraud.

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McClellan, 40, portrayed himself as "increasingly dismayed and disillusioned" during the end of his three-year tenure as Bush's press secretary. He also strongly defended some of the most incendiary allegations in the book, including that Bush was intent on confronting Saddam Hussein from the beginning of the debate on Iraq and that the White House's "permanent campaign" mode crippled its ability to cope with Hurricane Katrina and other crises.

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In his interviews yesterday, McClellan repeatedly highlighted two incidents that he said helped sharpen his criticism of the administration: when White House officials Karl Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby inaccurately told him they were not involved in the leaking of a CIA officer's name, and a conversation in 2006 when Bush admitted that he had authorized the selective release of classified information about Iran.

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McClellan acknowledged his own role in what he called the "spin and political manipulation" during his time as press secretary, from 2003 to 2006, including attacks on other former Bush administration officials who penned critical books or articles. "I was caught up in the Washington game, just like everybody else," he said.