Bush Reelect eCampaign Director:"McClellan savaged for saying what everyone knows to be true"

[Hissyspit]

Source: Open Left

Bush Reelect eCampaign Director:"McClellan savaged for saying what everyone knows to be true"

by: Matt Stoller
Thu May 29, 2008 at 10:21

Feeling for Scott McLellan. Nice getting savaged for saying what everyone knows to be true anyway.
That was Bush-Cheney 2004 eCampaign Director Mike Turk, 16 hours ago on his Twitter feed.

Twitter is a social network that limits people's messages to 140 characters. The thoughts are partial, groggy, sometimes witty, useful, casual. And so Turk, who worked at the RNC after the reelection of Bush and then for the cable industry, is tossing off what has pervaded the mid-level operative class of the Republican Party.

Matt Stoller :: Bush Reelect eCampaign Director:"McClellan savaged for saying what everyone knows to be true"

Read more: http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=1270BE81437C7FE6206C425958567FA0?diaryId=6040

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This story has been reiterated on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olberman and Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/29/former-bush-aide-mclellan_n_104102.html

Former Bush Aide: McClellan Is Getting Ripped For Telling The Truth

May 29, 2008 12:50 PM

In response to his scathing memoir detailing the "propaganda"-filled run up to war and seedy political machinations behind the CIA leak case, Scott McClellan has received withering criticism from his former colleagues. A money grubbing, attention seeking, devoid-of-principles hack has been the description of choice; "this is not the Scotty we knew," the most popular quote.

One former Bush aide, however, is sticking up for McClellan, arguing that the former Bush press secretary is "getting savaged for saying what everyone knows to be true."

Mike Turk served as the eCampaign director for President Bush's 2004 reelection campaign. As such, his tenure corresponded with that of McClellan's. No longer connected to the administration, Turk is now one of the few (if any) voices with connections to that crowd who are saying, quite simply, that the book "What Happened" is steeped in little more than truth.

"After watching McClellan on Today this morning, I think the reception his book received exemplifies the point he was making," Turk told The Huffington Post in an email. "People had high hopes for President Bush to bring America together after his election and after the attacks on 9/11. They felt disillusioned by the Administration's adoption of the 'win at all costs' partisan mentality in this town. I think the bigger point of Scott's book comes from the lessons he learned while playing a part in the permanent campaign. It's an exploration of how that mindset can lead to some really bad choices."

[truthisfreedom]

1. ..."the 'win at all costs' partisan mentality ...can lead to some really bad choices."

No fucking kidding.

[aquart]

3. As so many here will discover.

Oh, I'm sorry. You were thinking it only applies to THEM, and whatever YOU do is sanctified and holy.

[roguevalley]

5. cuts both ways.

[SpiralHawk]

2. The k and the r - for saying what everybody knows is TRUE

America was lied into war with Iraq for the sake of enriching the republicon homelanders via their oil-profits crusade, and then the BushCo chickenhawk republicons committed further treason by outing one of our best CIA assets working to keep nuclear bombs out of the hands of terrorists.

Etc. Etc. etc.

The k and the r for sure.

[joeybee12]

4. Scotty's problem is he pointed out the pathetic state of journalism...

...and journalists and not only stupid, but arrogant, and they don't like this so they're buying the "disgruntled" storyline.

[buckrogers1965]

8. The reporters are pointing at their corporate handlers too

http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0508/CNNs_Yellin_Network_execs_killed_critical_White_House_stories_.html

"The press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate
executives, frankly, to make sure that this was a war presented in a
way that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the nation and the
president's high approval ratings," Yellin said.

"And my own experience at the White House was that the higher the
president's approval ratings, the more pressure I had from news
executives — and I was not at this network at the time — but the more
pressure I had from news executives to put on positive stories about
the president, I think over time...."

But then a shocked Cooper jumped in, asking, "You had pressure from
news executives to put on positive stories about the president?"

"Not in that exact.... They wouldn't say it in that way, but they
would edit my pieces," Yellin said. "They would push me in different
directions. They would turn down stories that were more critical, and
try to put on pieces that were more positive. Yes, that was my
experience."

[Supersedeas]

6. all the disgruntled employees

[buckrogers1965]

7. If all you will accept is win or lose.

then if you aren't winning, you have lost.

You can see this in the way Bush tried to frame Iran last week. Basically he said that we are going to have to attack Iran in order to win. And that anything short of attacking then we were surrendering to Iran and trying to appease them.

It's all black and white with the simple minded. They can't accept any compromise.

[lonestarnot]

9. Stick and stones can break bones, but who gives a fuck about the rest.

What's been done that is so savage? I saw him on TV on Keith not long ago and he didn't look like he had been savaged.