There's been a lot of hype this week about the release of former Bush White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's book "What Happened". Republicans are understandably angry, with the most vitriolic comments (like the one in the title) coming from Bob Dole. Critics have a point when they say McClellan's going to make a bundle of money from the book. The "liberal press" has been critical of his criticism of them for being wimps on the run-up to the Iraq War.
But (as usual) the media hype is obscuring the larger message of the book. McClellan is not as much critical of Bush Administration officials as he is of the current culture in Washington that turns government into an endless political campaign. His blame of that culture for the serious errors of the Bush Administration, which all but the most partisan Republicans admit, carries the ring of truth. Sounding the alarm about where that culture is taking this nation is the point of the book, a criticism that applies equally to both political parties. One thing that is clear is McClellan's frustration that he believed in candidate Bush's promise to bring that culture to an end in 2000, and saw it taken to new heights under the guidance of Cheney, Rowe & Co.
Given the real message of the book, it's clear why he is attracted to Senator Obama's message (click on link above). Of all the presidential candidates from both parties, Barack Obama was (and still is) the only one that seems to be serious about moving us in a new direction.
I hope when the hype dies down that the American people and their leaders can learn something from the reflections of a man who was himself caught up in the permanent campaign culture - and decided he didn't like what he found there.
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