Revenge of The Flak - Scott McClellan’s Last Word
A flak - the press secretary or spokesperson who takes the flak for their client - in this case ex White House Press Chief Scott McClellan’s savage attack in his new book on the inner workings of the Bush administration, which he defended for many years. The book, among other things, rips apart what McClellan describes as the “propoganda” machine inside the Bush White House. There is special emphasis on the march to war in Iraq. McClellan spares no one, especially the President.
I’ve read all the summaries and will soon read the book. My initial take: either McClellan is taking out some sort of revenge, or, sadly, this is a true story. Whatever happens, this will have a dramatic impact on the Bush legacy in the immediate future and could spell trouble for John McCain.
Just finished War and Decision, by Doug Feith. This is must reading for anyone who wants to understand how the war was won and the peace was lost. Feith is former Undersecretary Of Defense. I wonder what he thinks of McClellan’s new book.
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Back in Philadelphia - kudos to Septa. The often troubled transit agency is making special attempts to keep those thousands of new riders brought to the system by high gasoline prices. Supervisors are walking the platforms checking with passengers and offering on-site assistance. This is good news.
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Congratulations to Cheryl Elias for her spectacular Memorial Day weekend reports on the true grit of veterans of America. It was great radio and very special storytelling. You can hear them again on KYW1060.com. Just click the Newsradio logo on the right side of this page.
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Finally, President Clinton: Your recent suggestion that there is a coverup of Hillary’s chances has been duly noted. Can you provide some facts? Thanks.
hello Larry,
president Bill Clinton is the best political mind in the country if not the world and i think he’s spot on when he talks about politics,
the democratic party is so divided that a brilliant person like Bill Clinton is left on the bench just like 2000,’04,and now’08,when Bill Clinton talks people listen.
as far as mcclellan’s book goes anybody with any sense knew this stuff was going on from day one,i think the only people that believed bush/chaney/runsfeld were the rightwing do-gooders.
READ MY LIPS bush/chaney are criminals and should be in prison.
Larry thanks for the subject change your patients were starting to bounce off the walls.
If only the SEPTA supervisors would clean up the EL cars. They’re filthy. The last several evenings, my commute has smelled like bums, and there’s been food scattered all over a few seats and all over the floor. How helpful is it to have them walking the platforms anyway? Presumably people on the platform have already figured out where they’re going.
I heard from reliable sources that the DNC is going to award the Clintons a matching pair of tinfoil hats. He’s wasted his goodwill on his wife’s campaign, which is also known as the Titanic.
I hadn’t heard that McClellan described a “propoganda” machine in the Bush White House. Given those quotation marks, I think he must be a functional illiterate. I’m surprised his editors let that make it into print. For all these years, I thought it was a propaganda machine that they had running there.
McClellan was just on Today Show and he came off as being very credible and truthful- bad new for favorable Bush legacy- as if there was evergoing to be one.
Whether he’s telling the whole truth, partial truth or just making it up, there should be some sort of safegard against former government employees at any level prifiting from their service. This guy will make millions in appearances and book sales. I would hope that government employees would be held to a higher standard.
He was Press Secretary. The derivation of the word is secret. He’s the one that should be going to jail if you ask me.
The Bush Legacy is locked in granite. Nothing this ungrateful former scretary can say can make it any worse.
BTW, thanks for finally changing the topic Larry.
look at me, I’m starting to misspell words like Larry…
I can see those supervisors now.Walking the platforms looking for new Suburban meat,ready to dole out some SEPTA attitude.Oh I’m sure they’re a big help.I agree about changing the blog,I’d have run out of Japanese phrases soon.
The title of this post assumes too much. “Revenge”? How is this “revenge”? Did Bush sleep with McClellan’s wife? Did Karl give him an atomic wedgie in the West Wing? What a loaded word, “revenge.” Why can’t this simply be what it is? It’s a memoir written by a man who had a unique experience in a disasterous administration. It’s not James Frey. It’s not the Capulets coming after the Montagues or the Hatfields coming after the McCoys. It’s not a “savage attack” for McClellan to state his cosidered opinion. Why don’t you reserve the loaded rhetoric and hyperbole until you actually read the book?
This whole business about McClellan is the balance of power. As the big cats get sick, the mice( press maybe ? ) start to play.
Chiclettooth, how about “considered”? Other than that, I think that’s right about hyperbole and loaded rhetoric. It’s irresponsible and sensationalistic journalism of the kind that is destroying civic discourse. The media are terrible.
I’ve got Larryitis.
Anyway, I agree. Larry’s title immediately discredits McClellan by imputing a retaliatory motive to him, which is the White House line to discredit him. The White House propaganda machine is playing Larry like a harp.
We have to remember that Larry is not a trained journalist, he was a radio and TV repoter and other people with better education and journalistic skills wrote what he read. Over time, all of these guys come to beleive they authored the best stories that they read, but they were genrally written by others. If Larry, or any other so called local news legend really had journalistic skills they’d be writing in a much more significant forum than a self-authored blog that only a few losers like us read and critique. It’s probably an even sader commentary on those of us who take the time to write here and pleasure ourselves with seeing our words appear on the internet. My claim to fame is that if you Google “katie Couric husky dog eyes” you will end up on larry’s site- reading my drivle about her- you’re welcome Larry!
Katie Couric Husky Dog Eyes. Mel Gibson Anti Semite. Jimmy Carter Big Time Homo Anti semite. These are valuable key words to help drive traffic to Larry’s site. You guys need to work more key words into this blog to get LArry more hits if you want this blog to survive, we are on life support and even Larry doesnt realize it yet!
George, I think you are putting more thought into this blog than Larry. He’s become kind of a ‘drive by’ participant. I wonder if that has change because he’s now riding SEPTA all day?
hello Larry.
well Hillary is even being attacked by obama’s church (quest pastor pfleger) of course it was a set up by the rev racist,but the message is the same, obama acts like the nice guy but want’s to humiliate Hillary Clinton even thru his great 18,000 member church that honored calypso louis farakan a year ago.
humiliating your opponent always comes back to bite you,obama’s better then that,it doesn’t look good to do that to a woman.
Hillary’s been attacked by the tv media stars and tv political hacks, newspaper media celebrities and the hack bloggers,and now a so called ‘christian’ church,and Hillary is still standing tall.
God Bless Hillary Clinton.
Yeah, JR, better to be a Clinton supporter. After all, she’s encouraging her supporters to go to D.C. to protest when the DNC Rules Committee meets this weekend. Among other things, she’s encouraging her supporters to claim that the Rules Committee is “misogynist” if it doesn’t reinstate Florida and Michigan, despite the fact that she agreed with the DNC’s action last fall before it became clear how badly she was going to lose without those states. She should be attacked for fostering division and misusing feminist principles and convictions and bamboozling her supporters into attacking the party on false grounds. She mismanaged her campaign. She’d run the country into the ground. We cannot afford Hillary Clinton.
It’s been asked before: Why would a secularist leader ally himself with a religious fundamentalist who, by the way, has called for the overthrow of said secularist leader as well as others similar to him?
Who am I refering to? Well that would be Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden of course. But our p(R)esident and his administration sold us this Brooklyn Bridge over the Tigris and Euphrates and justified their decision, with our wild, hysterical fear of another attack…the scary brown people with the funny names are cummin’ ta git us!!
Lemming-like, we handed over our civil liberties; we bankrupt ourselves and spilled rivers of blood…for what?
So we can read a ‘tell-all’ by one of the spineless bastards who cheerleaded the whole sorry affair while over in the killing zone the so-called surge illustrates precisely the limits of military power…we can beat the brakes off anyone who challenges us, but boy, that political reconciliation thing? Well let’s just say we can’t all join hands when they have a gun in them.
Envy begat grudges begat vengence begat bloodshed begat holy war. Unless we are prepared to go Marshall Tito (or Saddam Hussein) on the whole region…basically impose our TOTAL will and dump hundreds of thousands of ground AND support troops, trillions of dollars and generations of our children in order to make a gaggle of disparate people who have alot that is NOT in common …we better try a different approach.
Oh, I don’t know…uhhmm maybe…diplomacy! Get all the neighboring nations involved, make them see that it’s in their INTEREST to have a stable Iraq.
As I alluded to earlier, all this has been debated before, the difference however, is as the rats continue to leave the sinking administration…and admit that we were suckered by them…is that this ‘debate’ is now a chorus of what we should have done in the first place.
What the heck is going on in the black church? This new minister is also preaching hate, and my black friends tell me this is common rhetoric in most black churches, it’s a common way to relase the pressure and express hatred toward white oppressors in privacy. It’s alarming and sad, but also good we learn about it. Apparently white people are not the only ones to be called to do their part toward racial reconcilliation, it’s a two way street.
David Duke like preachers in black churches are not helping us heal, they scratch the scabs and cause us to bleed just a little-to further their own self interest. Thanks Obama for awakening us to this issue!
HRC just can’t stand that Obama is getting MORE free passes from the press. Maybe she needs to review her 35 years of criminal records for the answer.
kind of radical to call Hillary a criminal,obama gets ALL the free passes from the press along with cheerleaders with pom-poms,35 years of experience is a helluva lot better then 3 years,just what we need another learn on the job president,we’ve all seen how that worked out.
More criminal investigations (not to mention impeachment proceedings) than any President and 1st Lady in history dating back to days in Arkansas.
You HRC supporters are just mad that Obama gets EVEN MORE of a pass than HRC. They both are media darlings.
JR, if Hillary has 35 years of experience, then Chelsea has 28 years of experience. And it was the media that gave HRC the mantle of invincibility. She squandered it and mismanaged her way to a loss. She’s not a skilled politician, just a savage one.
Larry,
michelle obama:
o-years experience.
23-years never proud of America.
23-years under the leadership of the rev wracist, Priceless.
barry obama:
3-years experience.
1 1/2-years campaigning.
23-years under the mentorship of rev wracist, Priceless.
JR
We’re at six months and counting waitng for the explanation of the 35 years of relavent experience. Any day now…….
JR sounds like Bill O’Reilly. If he actually believes any of what he writes in hate about Barack and Michelle, I fear for his mental health.
Hillary handled herself very well with bill o’reilly,she had the courage to face the rightwinger unlike barry obama.
no hate for the obama’s from this side,the Hillary haters have been at it for the last six months with no relavent reason.
BTW,ricky martin has endorsed Hillary in PR no mention from the bias media,the PR vote will put her over the top on the popular vote on sunday.
leo,you’re selling world series tickets before we know who is in it,just like the(’64 phillies)lolol.
JR, change “courage” to “desperation.” Party leadership is going to put an end to her divisive game after Tuesday. And she would only be ahead in the popular vote after Tuesday if you count it in her Through The Looking Glass way, which no one outside of her fan base does. Only she would be so disingenous to support stripping people of their votes before realizing she needed their votes and then saying that depriving them of their votes is like Zimbabwe, etc. I fear for her mental health as well as yours.
Here’s one for JR on Hillary’s spurious popular vote claim: “Votes cast outside the rule of law and in the absence of contested elections lack moral standing and by themselves have no legitimate claim on the selection of delegates to the national party convention.”
Jack Russell:
Will the Obama’s MASTER the moments with REALLY something new to say?
all depends what is on the cue cards.
Check out todays Wall Street Journal editorial section for a detailed accounting of all of Obama’s mis-statments and the free ride he’s gotten. If MaCain or Hillary said the same they’d have been savaged in the press. If Bush said them the statments would be presented as hard evidence that he is a mentally retarded nut job who has no understading of current events or international issues. Read it Obama lovers, because it’s going to come home to roost!
George,
Both of the D’s have made mis-statements and have all been called on them. McCain has been nailed on his. As for George Bush- he has had so much trouble with the language and misspeak that he’s become something of a cartoon. No one even bothers anymore.
JR,
six months and one day…..
I’m wathing the spelling bee on ABC tonight. Does anyone think it ironic that a disproportionate number of Indian and Asian kids are represented, and not a single African American or “Black” child? Oh wait, I just saw some Blacks on the teaser for tonight’s Channel 6 Action News; a Black teacher and student beating the crap out of each other in a Phiadelphia School classroom. Before any of you jack-holes call me racist, let’s just consider why this is true and why we accept it, or prerend that it’s not true.
George,
Unfortunately, Indian and Asian kids are educationally kicking the mess out of white kids too. What do we make of that?
There’s no drive for anyone to excel. We are becoming a lazy nation and we wonder why the rest of the world is eating our lunch.
Ok, new topic, Father Phleger, the Catholic priest who is defending Obama. I’m Catholic and love the church, but I’d like to invite any and all critics to this issue. Because sadly I cringed when i saw him and wondered how many black boys he fondeled because; thou hath pro test just a bit too much. He may just be a nigger loving priest (and before you’ll jump) he may be a nigger loving pedophile, and that has a much different conotation, so hold your powder because we dont who this guy is yet!
Catholics are smart enough to know that guys like him have moved among us , and we’re not going to look the other way anymore! and liberals who worry about the connoation of the term “Niger” should re-focus on those among them who use politically correct terms, while abusing children in their midsts Democrats sexual abuse children at a rate 10 times higher than Republicans!. It’s happening, beads and sadals liberals are here- smell the coffee! relax -Nigger is cool if we all know what’s at stake.
Well as a Obama supporter, JR has finally convinced me to flip.
1) Michelle Obama with 0 years of experience. Who would have guessed?
2) Since JR has not been able to delineate HRC’s 35 years of experience in 6 months, I just take his word for it.
3) The final straw, one hit wonder Ricky Martin is endorcing HRC. That flipped me.
HRC, I love you, thunder thighs and all.
George, are you a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist? I only ask because I’ve never seen someone with such incredible mental power.
Today the DNC Rules and Bylaws committee will resolve the FL and MI delegate issue, and Hillary isn’t going to like the outcome. Her supporters will run amok in D.C., screaming about misogyny. That’s who I want to be president: someone who causes irrational behavior in her followers.
LB, it worked for the Dems in the late 60’s it may work for HRC in 2008.
I’m surprised the Ricky Martin endorsement didn’t flip you as well…
George,
The video you reffed is NOT in the Philadelphia school system. It is a YouTube video from down south.
Judging from the last post, I will reconsider giving you the benefit of the doubt on being a racist. You’re over the top and certainly not practicing what the founder of the Catholic faith practiced.
(Keep watching the spelling bee, you need a little work)
Larry,it’s looking good for Hillary in florida.
Too bad the Phillies couldn’t convince the National League to shorten 1964 season to 152 games. They could have won too.
baseball went from 154 games to 162 games in 1962,don’t be a Hillary Hater.lolol.
“Livin’ La Vida Loca” and Ricky Martin brought me over to the dark side, JR! Whatever it takes to win, baby!
Just sayin’ too bad the Phils couldn’t have changed the rules at the last minute. They deserved to win based on 152 games.
151M Americans can’t be wrong. Hating Hillary (and primarily 3$Bill) have become a national pastime. I’ll stop hating them when they are wearing orange jump suits and matching ball and chains.
Minimum security or halfway house not adequate punishment for the Bonnie and Clyde of the 21st Century.
i am afriad to hear what you have to say about bush/chaney maybe a firing squad.
I don’t think Bush/Cheney broke any laws. They may have misled us but that’s not a felony. 50 years from now they may be viewed more favorably then now after the next 9/11 on the Obama/Hillary watch. I’ll let history judge them.
I’m not a blind follower that will excuse every felony as ‘3$Bill being 3$Bill’. I think the Vince Foster erasing, Whitewater, etc. changed the Good Ole Boy image forever.
will barry and michelle join the catholic church?
good bye rev wracist,hello pope benedict.
JR is living the La Vida Loca!
JR, Hillary didn’t get what she wanted. Lanny Davis erupted in a petulant frenzy. They’re vapor.
Lanny Davis is such a loser.
She should be embarrassed to have him in her corner.
She only got half, and Obama was awarded significant numbers of delegates in Michigan, against her wishes. Hillary is done. Put a fork in her: the rump roast is ready.
Hey, what happens to me? Don’t leave me stranded in Harrisburg!
Don’t worry Jack,you can be my lapdog,you still have me:)
Formetly Jim, you’re right- Action News teased it as being local, but it is not. Still very sad, American children both black and white don’t realize how good and easy they have it, foreign kids do, and are taking advantage of all these oppotunites, and seem greatful for the chance. As China and India rise, we will have to accept America’s decline or jack up our kids to try harder, work and save more- to defer immediate gratification. I’m sorry you will not give me the benefit of the doubt with regard to being racist. I am not racist, just trying to raise issues for discussion. I am frustrated by the amount of wasted intellectual talent in the black community, and am frustrated to see opportunites slip away from them because they won’t embrace education, as many blacks believe it’s a sell out to being too white- that’s just sad- and comes at a huge cost to all Americans.
Hi kids, it’s Howdy Doody Time! Chelsea’s in da house.
Looks like I’m not going to DC after all. I guess there is always 2012. Maybe the DNC will ask me to pick up the pieces after this mess and be the guy in 2012. Until then, back to MSNBC and Harrisburg. Do I seem Presidential on my MSNBC interviews?
Jack Russell, looks like that Press Sceretary job for you is gone as well. Sorry, pal.
Lanny Davis (aka The Whiner) grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. His father was a dentist in Jersey City and his mother worked as the office manager of his father’s dental office.[1] As an undergraduate at Yale, he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. According to an item in U.S. News & World Report, as part of his initiation into the fraternity, Davis underwent hazing by, among others, the future U.S. president George W. Bush. [2] He also served as chairman of the campus newspaper, the Yale Daily News.[3] Davis went on to graduate from Yale Law School in 1970. It was there that he first met Hillary Rodham Clinton.[4]
Much has been made of McClellen’s failure to complain publically about the goings on in the Administration years ago. Now that I think about it more, it occurs to me, that if he had said anything, the Chaney/Rove smear machine would have crushed him as they did with any dissent or opposition to their plans. The Right wing cable and AM radio media would have played along and savaged him. The rest of the main stream media would have shut up and gone along, the same way they got on the Iraq War train. Scott would have gotten attention for about 2 weeks and then would have been shoved into a media closet for being unpatriotic.
atp2007 = our favorite terrier
JR, forget all of my high minded attemts for social discourse, tnis is not the site for it!(nigger! I have terets syndrome, forgive me!) Let’s just agree that Hillary and her daughter properly dressed are F-ing hot pieces of trim, with a bipartisan respect that only a crazy homo would not undrrsatand. J R if she does’nt win, we still win, by redefining hot!yea most don’t get it but we do JR!
Hola Kane de Larry,
estes es Gato de San Juan,divulgando triunfo de 36 primario de hoy.
Hillary Clinton pronuclar un discursio graciuso de la victoria ella nunca la mirarba brillaba intesanmente mejor ella agracio Puerto Rico por ponela sobre la tapa en el voto popular,Hillary Clinton da a votantes del gran orgullo de Puerto Rico y la apoyaremos en, HillaryClinton.com.
TRANSLATOR:
Hello Larry Kane,
this is Gato from San Juan reporting Hillary Clinton’s 36 point win in today’s primary.
Hillary Clinton gave a gracious victory speech and she never looked better she was glowing,she thanked the Puerto Rico for putting her over the top in the popular vote,Hillary Clinton gives voters in Puerto Rico great pride and we will support her at,HillaryClinton.com.
Gato, how do you say pandering in Spanish? Do you think she really cares about Puerto Rico or the people? It’s all about 2M voters.
George, I hope you are kidding about the Clinton girls being hot. Remind me not to make you my wingman. Hillary looks like a Chipmunk; Chelsea like Howdy Doody.
Hey, watch that!
Howdy Doody was a wood man. That sounds more like her Dad.
Larry,the experts sat that Hillary Clinton is hurting the party,maybe it’s obaam that is hurting the chances to win in november,obama is a one trick pony,he cannot get the hispanic vote or the middle class working vote it does not look good in november.
George,you’re spot on,Hillary is very attractive woman and gets better looking with every popular vote,any straight male with have to agree that lady is a champ.
The Clinton women wear a lot of makeup.
If she doesn’t get out soon, she’s going to suffer an incredible backlash. She’s already got a good portion of her followers acting irrationally. She should stop making false promises, giving her followers false hope and making them angry that she’s lost.
JR, that argument is so tired. Obama hasn’t run against McCain in any of those states, and he hasn’t selected his VP candidate yet. The fact that Hillary may have done better in some states against Obama says nothing about how McCain might do. Obama polls as well when McCain is the opponent. She should stop damaging the party and should start pitching in for the cause. Otherwise, she’ll have no influence or credibililty left whatsoever. And don’t forget that no Democrat is going to win without the African-American vote. Hillary has consistently lost that by about 9 to 1. She’s unelectable.
Sorry I don’t find 60 year old, pear-shaped women that attractive. I don’t think that qualifies me as a mo, JR. But maybe I’m the one that is wrong on EVERYTHING…
Larry, you need a new topic. JR is ranting again.
I would suggest an insider’s perspective on the Larry Mendte/Alycia Lane story. Are these people as stupid as they seem to be? Has Alycia ever sent you pictures of herself in a bikini? Will you return to CBS3 while Larry Mendte is being put out to pasture?
Replace Larry with LARRY! Great idea Leo. Mendte really must be stupid, I bet his wife Dawn Stensland put him up to it, she seems very jealous, and wanted Larry Mendte to hurt Lane’s carrer with the info she hoped to find. If he’s guilty his creeer is over, who would hire him with that baggage?- he’s no Adam Joseph!
LB, where did Angry Leo go?
Get angry at Larry for his ‘drive by’ journalistic style.
I’m kinda upset about this Larry Mendte stuff.He’s bumped Jocelyn Kirsch off the front page.
Larry, can you do a blog featuring me and my missed opportunity to go to Washington? Backed the wrong horse (or Clydesdale in this case) I guess.
Think how cool it would have been to to have the Press Secretary, Jack Russell, as a regular contributor.
hello Larry,what’s the scoop on Larry Mendte,he’s one of your guys Larry.
Larry,obama’s decision to quit the church is a political move,any chance obama goes to the catholic church=votes and $$$.
Larry,do you think Hillary is attractive?you have good taste in woman.
oooj,even Leo thinks Hillary is an attractive woman.
JR, I usually look for inner beauty. Hillary has none.