dcpolitico's Blog

    The firestorm of publicity surrounding the memoirs of former Bush spokesman Scott McClellan has drawn the ire of the administration, and provided further ammunition for critics of the President.
    Members of the media have acted as if this is a new phenomenon. I must admit the title, “"What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception,” is quite the attention-grabber. The media is portraying McClellan as courageous and a seeker of the truth, but the objective here is to sell books. What I can tell from the initial media blitz, the author and publishers must be very happy.
    I think everyone needs a dose of reality. The headlines claiming that this is such a slap in the face of a White House built on loyalty are quite humorous. The wheels came off the bus of this administration some time ago. Donald Rumsfeld was the first casualty after the 2006 midterm elections.
    There are probably as many White House memoirs in the bookstores as diet books. In the quest to make a buck after the long hours and limited financial rewards, penning a book is often at the top of the list when former government official return to the private sector. This is nothing new. It’s been going on for decades.
    In order to compete in our entertainment-driven society, one must have some behind-the-scences details to move copies of their book. Scott McClellan has accomplished this quite well. It’s a nice return on his investment in government service.

Tom DiBacco