SCOTT McCLELLAN JUST HANDED BARACK OBAMA THE PRESIDENCY

[Samantha]

Obama is the only Presidential candidate campaigning on having spoken out against the illegal, immoral war on Iraq from the beginning. From that perspective, only HE can benefit from the revelations in this McClellan book, What Happened, and the subsequent public relations promotions now ongoing.

So kudos to Scott McClellan for keeping his powder dry until the best political time to fire. In that process he wounded the Democrats' General Election opponent, John McCain, in a manner that will continue to bleed until the last vote is cast.

Some like Karl Rove have their methods of winning; others like Scott McClellan have much more legitimate, refined methods to influence the outcome of an election. He knew exactly what he was doing, and when to do it.

I cannot begin to count the number of times I have heard spokespeople from the Right say today, "This does not sound like the Scott McClellan I know." (Nuanced inference: Scott McClellan has lost it - disregard his words). Karl Rove went so far as to say the words sound as if they came from a liberal blogger ... My FIRST THOUGHT upon hearing these words ... no, they don't sound like the Scott McClellan we thought we knew. But perhaps his father, somewhat acquainted with the subject of the quest for power corrupting and political revelations thereon, advised with the process. You have only to read the first line in the following thread to understand:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=3120010&mesg_id=3121565

Scott McClellan too is from Texas and must also be cut from the Win-At-All-Costs cloth. He just wears the cowboy hat cocked a little differently....

Sometimes political redemption is slow in coming, but with continued effort, eventually it starts to wash in.

Both Ann Richards and Molly Ivins are smiling down on Scott McClellan tonight.... He's done the State of Texas proud.

Sam

[Swamp Rat]

1. Whoever is the anti-war candidate now has a more powerful case for voting against McBushler III

:)

[Olney Blue]

5. McHitler scares me.

[Samantha]

8. I hate to be trite but ...a picture is worth more than a thousand words

Point extremely well made, Swamp Rat.

Sam

[bhikkhu]

26. K&R - this deserves some recs!

[Samantha]

39. Geez, I just saw this - thank you so much

I thought it was too late to start this thread tonight because I have to work tomorrow. But I could not postpone saying this to DU - I am so sure that's what Scott McClellan has done. He's handed Obama the Presidency on a silver platter.

John McCain did not know last night what a good position he was in then, but he knows tonight it's all downhill from here. It would not have been so bad but McClellan was an inside man.

Thank you again.

Sam

[DemVet]

52. There is no anti-war candidate.

They've ALL voted to continue funding the war.

[Samantha]

59. NOT THE SAME THING AS YOU WELL KNOW n/t

[Swamp Rat]

63. LOL!

[Samantha]

70. Another great one, SwampRat

Thank you.

Sam

[wvbygod]

83. Spare me the "defending McCain" crap for this....

But the overuse of references to hitler really really belittle the evil behind the holocaust.

And you don't need to be Jewish or a member of other dehumanized groups to know this.

we can do much better as Democrats.

[cliffordu]

2. I think the boy's OK after all....Sorry for all the

nasty things I said about you, Scott. Mostly.

[patrice]

6. think I'll reward him by buying his book nt

[Samantha]

10. I have got out an All Points Bulletin in DC now

I cannot WAIT to read it.

Sam

[Samantha]

9. I don't think he is as dumb as he has acted

Politicians from Texas habitually use this as a cover. I am just a dumb good old boy ... Scott McClellan is Not That Dumb. The fact Ari and others say he never mentioned these concerns to ME I think only proves that. He would have been out of there so fast had it been known he questioned Bush* policies. The way he played it, he stayed, he observed, and then he wrote a book. Like father, like son.

Sam

[harun]

67. I am sorry for calling him Scotty McFellon..... well, now that he is Scotty McTellin

[WillParkinson]

3. No, he didn't...

The U.S. public by-and-large has a notoriously short memory. Unless this is pounded into their heads day after day it will soon be forgotten along with such gems as, "now watch this shot" and "I stopped playing golf as a form of solidarity..." from Mr. Bush.

We live in a world of sound bites and it shows from our attention spans. How do you think Mr. Bush got selected the 2nd time? People forgot the hullabaloo from the first "selection".

If Mr. Obama is going to win the presidency he will have to do it on a daily basis to show he's earned the right to be called, "Mr. President".

[Max_powers94]

7. u can't let hill go can u

[WillParkinson]

45. Very interesting...

I said nothing about Ms. Clinton. My reply was directed toward the comment of the original poster.

If you do a search for things written by me, you'll find that I do not care for either candidate. I will support whomever is the nominee come November, but honestly it will be a vote against McCain, not a vote for the Democratic nominee.

I am, however, more than curious as to how you see my post as being Pro-Ms. Clinton when I said nothing Anti-Mr. Obama. If anything, my post was about the short attention span of the average American.

[Richard Steele]

11. Yup. That's entirely correct. nm

[iconicgnom]

48. nah, bullshit.

McClellan's book isn't a "soundbyte". By detailing a first-hand experience it reinforces what we already know. It gives us one more picture from "the inside". However one judges the honesty of someone who admits to the kind of job McClellan did, it is greater than the honesty of someone who did it and denies it.

A reason why it isn't a mere soundbyte is that there're many other bytes of this kind, reinforcing the same message. Nevermind that e.g. Colin Powell's contribution isn't all that sensible, either. It's simply CYA time in spades as rats try to flee from the inevitable implosion following the Bush regime's removal from power. The day when the justice dep't once more becomes property of the people, the day of reckoning. So one shouldn't expect everything these rats say in exhoneration of themselves will be sensible. They needn't be sensible in that way for us to recognize that statements such as these are much more than dismissable and forgettable "sound bytes".

[rucky]

50. It's largely up to the media.

who's not going to give Scotty any more attention than the obligatory 15 minutes to keep in-good with the publisher. It's embarrassing to them, so yeah, I guess you're right when you say it's up to Obama - and it'll have to be on a daily basis, because he's not going to get any breaks from the talking heads.

[patrice]

4. AND he's going before Congress

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3354314&mesg_id=3354497

[Samantha]

What do you think Patrick Fitzgerald is thinking tonight?

I just cannot help wondering....

Sam

[patrice]

27. I can't remember if he deposed McClellan when he was investigating the Plame case. nt

[Samantha]

31. Neither can I

but for some reason, I was left with the impression at that time Scott McClellan didn't know anything.
Ha! Perhaps he had no definitive knowledge as to the specific timing of meetings and was not privy to the literal words said, but he knew enough to reference this subject several times in this book, and I cannot wait to read the book in its entirety.

Sam

PS Do you think Valerie Plame's attorney has a copy in his hand as we discuss this tonight? I bet he's reading it now.

[patrice]

34. I was imagining that a little bit ago, all of the VIPs, or their expensive servants and attorney's

reading that book as we speak.

[Samantha]

38. It's not fair - they have it and we don't

But I think it will be publicly released Monday.

Sam

[Ian David]

12. Mike Gravel is still running. n/t

[Samantha]

15. I apologize to you if you are a Gravel proponent

I sometimes forget to factor him in.

Sam

[Ian David]

24. I'm not. I'm just sayin' though. n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

71. No he's not, he sought the Libertarian Party nomination and lost it

And also every time someone mentions Mike Gravel I make sure to remind them that he ran an ageist campaign against Ernest Gruening, one of the two senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.

[Johnny__Motown]

13. It has defiantly empowered the anti war candidate. Can't doubt that

To bad this didn't happen a month ago

[Samantha]

16. Better late than never - it still came on a timely basis

I hope we at DU QUOTE FROM THIS BOOK INCESSANTLY between now and November!

Sam

[Johnny__Motown]

22. I'm not complaining. Just saying if it happened month ago the party might not be so divided

Obama would have done better in many of the contests held in the last month with this out there.

[Samantha]

25. That's a very good point - I never thought about that

It is sad how divided the Democratic party is at this time. We have an opportunity to rid our political world of the right-wing extremists, and time is of the essence.

Thank you for your response and your good point.

Sam

[99th_Monkey]

14. Nice. It's esp. sweet since it seems the Bushies never saw this coming ... nor McSame. LOL

[Samantha]

18. And that is exactly probably the BEST PART

He hit them when they were not looking. And what a shot ....

Sam

[anonymous171]

17. Isn't it great to have a candidate who didn't vote for the war?

[Samantha]

23. It is priceless

But the bigger point I think is that Barack Obama was right the entire time. Only a handful of politicians stood up from the beginning and said this is wrong. Among the heavyweights, there was Al Gore. True, Barack Obama was a lightweight at that time, but it still took courage when his long-term goal was to open the doors to Washington, D.C. and walk through. Not a popular thing to do at that time - speak out against a Bush* policy.

Sam

[Cha]

30. And that was always

my goal.

[uponit7771]

19. This at least puts a hard look at Bushs's plans on attacking Iran

[Samantha]

37. And thus the hard scrutiny has just begun

and even better, so has the first "real" authentic MSM commentary. What WILL Fox News say now?

With each passing day, the scrutiny will become even more intense. Who knows - perhaps Scott McClellan's words will induce more reticent Bush* skeletons to come out of the closet and start to speak. Let's just hope so. Colin Powell, where are you?

Sam

[VolcanoJen]

20. That is an excellent and coherent and intelligent post.

I hadn't thought about it that way, and you're absolutely right. Only Obama has the moral position from which to possibly benefit from Scotty's revelations.

Fascinating. And kudos for adding that lovely imagery of Molly and Ann! :-)

[Samantha]

28. I need to say this

Just a short time ago, I started a thread just prior to the Two-Step Process in Texas. I met and conversed with so many intelligent DU'ers from Texas - I just was so unaware until then the extent of the remorse that existed from Texans over Bush* and his policies and how many Texas DU'ers we have. I had to include that line for them because I do think political redemption does occur if only a continued effort to acquire it happens over a period of time.

There are many, many wonderful people from Texas; it's just the misfortune of this Country that the one who seized the election in 2000, and those who supported him, are a whole lot less than wonderful.

But isn't it odd that Scott McClellan's father wrote about ANOTHER politician from Texas (I am going to have to repeat this line in this thread, I can see that now) who power had corrupted - Lyndon Johnson. Truly bizarre, isn't it?

Sam

[RaleighNCDUer]

32. unaware until then the extent of the remorse that existed from Texans over Bush

You've forgotten, maybe, the Chicks?

Despite everything, I've been willing to cut Texas some slack because of Molly Ivins, and Jim Hightower, and the Dixie Chicks.

Florida, OTOH, can sink into the gulf for all I care - No. OTOOH, there's MadFloridian - enough to redeem the entire state!

[Samantha]

35. Oh, no, I remember the Dixie Chicks' remarks overseas very well

and I saluted them for those remarks. True Steel Magnolias they are.

I just did not have the sense that there were an overabundance of people from Texas truly appalled and embarrassed about Bush.* Did you?

Thank you for your response.

Sam

[creeksneakers2]

21. Of course it doesn't sound like the Scott they know

Why would McClellan confide any reservations to a bunch of evil people who all knew exactly what was going on and who were all in on it? If McClellan tipped anybody off the he had second thoughts they would have fired McClellan and smeared him relentlessly, like they are doing now.

[Samantha]

29. That's exactly the point I make above - thank you

He played this hand beautifully. As has been pointed out many times by the Right tonight, in asking where does he (Scott McClellan) go from here, one does not in Washington work in a sensitive spot, and then write a book revealing the secrets of the person or people for whom you performed. (Ask Richard Clarke, who was told by the Republicans he would never work in Washington again after he authored the book, "Against All Enemies").

I am sure Scott McClellan had all this mind, but he wrote the book anyway. Another man with courage.

Sam

[stevietheman]

33. McClellan is on C-SPAN Friday morning at 7:30 am -- sure to be a blast! n/t

n/t

[Samantha]

36. Thank you, thank you - I hope you remind DU again

and he's supposed to the exclusive guest of Keith Olbermann tomorrow night.

Can you imagine the questions Keith will ask? It ought to be a barn burner.

Sam

[stevietheman]

41. Yeap, it's clear McClellan is not backing down in the face of the White House smear campaign.

This is definitely a very delightful moment in politics, for sure.

[Samantha]

43. And he had to have known it would be coming

But step out he did anyway. And he picked a fine time to do it!

Sam

[VolcanoJen]

44. And the reaction is so lame-assed and weak, you know?

"He's disgruntled," said his successor, Dana Perino, aka "Lying Sack of Cute" (Stephanie Miller & Gang)

Yes, no shit, there, Dana. 81% of the country is disgruntled! Why should Scotty be left out?

As long as I live, I'll never forget this Scotty exchange with David Gregory in the midst of Hurricane Katrina, the famous "Blame Game" clip:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=il2LvBddLig

[Samantha]

47. I was thinking last night this is just the day of revelations

What will tomorrow bring in the way of the right-wing actually discrediting Scott McClellan? It will be interesting to watch. With the repetition of "this doesn't sound like the Scott McClellan I knew" so frequently sounding so often today, Bush* proponents might erupt with some sort of version of "he's unstable, he's cracked under pressure, he's desperate to make money." Who exactly will the Bush* administration send out to do their dirty work to smear Scott McClellan? What sorted scandals from his past will we see quickly revealed?

[psychopomp]

40. It would be difficult to overstate the impact this will have on the GOP

What a time this is going to be! :bounce:

[Samantha]

42. Exactly! And I am jumping for joy myself

As I just said above - it wouldn't be so damaging if it had not come from a Bush* Inside Man. I believe this will prove to be fatal to the GOP in November.

Thank you for your response.

Sam

[eridani]

46. McClellan was onboard with Commander Cuckoobananas until getting royally reamed by same

--and a big humiliating public firing to go with it. Glad he's at least politically savvy enough to know the right time to hit back.

[uponit7771]

49. I think it was Larry King who showed the video of Scott indicating he was out of the know when it...

...came to the Plame situation and how pissed he looked with his even stiff face.

Even Fliescher had to acknowledge that he looked pissed.

Something tells me that Scott was badly betrayed and this is his way of fighting back.

[DemVet]

51. This issue will die-out within a month.

There is no single bombshell that is going to hand BO the Presidency, if he does turn out to be our Nominee. He will have to work for it.

Getting cocky with issues like this and believing the polls will hand us DEFEAT.

Keep your eye on the ball, people.

[Samantha]

57. No, it won't die out within a month

Because people like us will refuse to let it. We will be discussing this and quoting from it until the last vote in November is cast. This is a very big deal because McClellan was an inside man, and issues not only like the war but Katrina and Plame will continue to ricochet throughout these election months.

He reopened every explosive can of worms that has started to die down in intensity, and I don't think the importance of this book debuting at this time can be overestimated.

[janx]

53. Wait a minute...

This guy was the spokesperson for the Chimp and got paid for such, and now he writes a book, spilling his guts, and you think he's some kind of hero?

$$$$$$$$$$

[Samantha]

58. I think he handed Barack Obama a political gift, the magnitude of

which is only just beginning to dawn on the press and the public. Hero, I don't know. Bush* proponent looking for political redemption, yes. Armed and dangerous against the future success of the Republican party, very. Instrumental to assisting Barack Obama win the election - by all means.

[rox63]

54. I'm glad Scotty has found his conscience

I wish he'd found it sooner.

[Samantha]

61. I think he was conflicted by blind loyalty to Bush*

It does happen that people here in DC (and I assume other places as well) become so embedded in their jobs they do not have the time and space to get out, step away and develop a proper, objective perspective on pertinent situations. I think his loyalty to Bush* drove him a certain distance to trust his words, but once the perspective changed, he felt compelled to strive for political restitution in his (McClellan's) inadvertent complicity in misleading the public. In that regard, he wrote this book.

Some people never reach that stage, for instance, Karl Rove, where they admit to having made mistakes. Not only does it appear Scott McClellan in doing this knows he will be hit hard by the right as he chooses to speak out, but is so determined enough to do so, he will take those hits.

I think the information ammunition he has handed the Left is at this moment of an almost incomprehensible positive magnitude.

[DeeDeeNY]

55. It all depends on the mainstream press

I have a feeling that this story could drop like a rock in a couple of weeks. Richard Clarke also made the rounds when he wrote his book and made the rounds of talk shows.
I hope I'm wrong, but it's not good to get overconfident.

[Vinca]

56. Agreed. If the Congress buries its collective head in the sand

and doesn't demand Shrub's head on a platter, the story will die. Someone . . . anyone . . . needs to bring impeachment to the floor ASAP.

[Samantha]

62. Every single minute the Right has to defend itself against this book

is another minute it cannot attack the Democratic candidate. Let's keep the discussion alive on this, one way or another. It only inures to our benefit to do so.

Sam

PS Thank you for your response.

[ShortnFiery]

65. The F**king M$M is going to help HRC make up some TRASH on Obama and help HRC STEAL

the Democratic Nomination. I loathe the M$M. :grr:

[Samantha]

73. He too has a new book out

I am trying to get more info now as to whether or not he will be doing a book signing here in DC. It's something about Your Government Let You Down. I try to be very supportive of him since he was told he would never work in Washington again by the Republicans. I purchase his books, attend his signings and tell him how much he is appreciated for having the courage to stand up when it was not popular to do so and tell the American people the truth. His book Against All Enemies is one of my treasures.

I have written a couple of threads about attending his signings here and I hope I will be attending another one soon.

I intend to be supportive of Scott McClellan in the same way.

Thank you for your response.

Sam

[frickaline]

60. I was thinking this too, well said.

K&R

[ShortnFiery]

64. Stay vigilant, HRC will uses ANY dirty trick to STEAL the election via intimidated SDs.

:(

[Bensthename]

68. SDs have made me proud thus far. They even turned down her million dollar offer

So we should be fine..

[Bensthename]

66. Im not sure.. Richard Clarks book was damaging too.. MSM ignored it after the first week out.

I have a feeling MSM corporates will make sure the same happens with this book.. We are all fooled if we think cons arent running MSM..

[Samantha]

74. I think there are some cons running the MSM, as you say

I do not think too many liberals kid themselves about this anymore. However, they have competition now with the Internet bloggers, and if they want to stay competitive, they must take that into account. In others words, it's just not good enough to say anything they are so inclined to say to promote the best interests of their Corporate master, because they will be challenged on that, and to a certain extent become ignored by a large segment of the potential viewership. Think Fox, for example.

I am hoping the promotion of Scott McClellan's book will find success because many liberals buy it and in so doing, offer an incentive to others who want to speak out -- and because Internet bloggers incessantly promote its contents.

I hope we do what we can here at DU to publicize his words. That's the least we can do.

Thanks for your response.

Sam

[barack the house]

69. For whatever past feelings we have. We must always praise whistleblowers, they save democracy.

[wowimthere]

72. So... McClellan did something right for a change. He's to be commended. He's still a hack

[Samantha]

78. I think he's made a lot of progress toward personal political

redemption in openly admitting his mistakes. We have Democrats that are not as candid.

I believe it is to his credit he has written this book and is attempting to correct his past mistakes. Many in the Bush* Inner Circle will never make this journey....

Thanks for your response.

Sam

[LuckyLib]

75. Don't give Scotty that much credit. He's a stinking little weasel who happened to

(a) get religion, or (b) need money because he's virtually unhirable as a former Chimpster spokesperson. What's outrageous is all the attention on him for revealing what we already knew -- the WH is packed with liars. There's more outrage at Scotty's disloyalty than at the criminal behavior of the * administration.

[Samantha]

76. How can you possibly say that?

Did you listen to his interview on Countdown tonight? Did you hear John Dean's assessment? Have you read the book?

There's more outrage at his disloyalty (exactly where - in the Republican party) - how can you possibly make these statements?

Keith Olbermann said at the conclusion of his interview words to the effect that it would not surprise him to see McClellan's book used in future classrooms to teach important historical lessons (words to that effect).

I just don't understand your basis for making such a crass assessment. I believe you are in the minority with this opinion.

Sam

[ecstatic]

77. The amazing thing about the Bushbots is that they still use the word "puzzling" even after

it is pointed out to them that all the other apologists are using the exact same wording. They are robots. Zombies. They have zero credibility.

[Samantha]

79. I am "puzzled" by this phrase I learned today from Scott McClellan

"Coercive Democracy." Bush's plan (the big picture) for achieving peace in the Middle East was through the use of "coercive democracy." He would start with Iraq, and by forcing "coercive democracy" upon this country, he would set it free. Thus came the war in Iraq to enforce the "coercive democracy" principle. After accomplishing "coercive democracy" there, he would proceed throughout the Middle East, enforcing this principle into country after country -- well, only countries which needed to be "democratized." I am assuming by that Iran was (or perhaps is) to be next.

Those two words together to me seem like a contradiction - an oxymoron, as it were. So what is a "coercive democracy?" The enforcement of democracy down a country's political throat whether that country wants it or not. But wait a minute ... isn't that sort of the same thing that would result in a republic when a political candidate STEALS AN ELECTION?

Isn't it possible that a "coercive democracy" can be achieved either through a war or through the simple theft of a democratic election?

This is a question perhaps someone at DU might be able to answer. Perhaps this is why the majority of us have never understood the Bush administration - we were simply confounded by that term "coercive democracy." Or perhaps we have simply been "puzzled" by the Bush* administration, and that's why we have been at a total loss to understand it....

What do you think?

Thank you for your response.

Sam

[Erin Elizabeth]

80. Eh. I wouldn't be so quick to canonize ol' Scotty.

He's just a man. Yes, it's good he came out with what he said, but he also said this morning on the Today show that Bush "is a good man with good motives."

So he's not totally in his right mind, still. Keep that in mind.

[Samantha]

81. You know what I learned on this long journey?

The State of Texas has a very peculiar political philosophy. One can be a good Christian, attend church daily, but if that same person is in politics, he or she must know how to tell a good lie. A politician who cannot lie well, in some political circles in Texas, is absolutely a poor politician. I wrote a thread on this and I am going to have to repost it. It's a cultural philosophy that is the antithesis of what people in the East practice.

I learned this through reading the late, great Molly Ivins. I think some people do think Bush* is a good man. I cannot help but wonder as they look at the results of his work now, can they compartmentalize the results of that work from the assessment of his Christianity? It's a peculiar question, I know, but we in the East do not separate our ethics from our religious persuasion (that is, those of us who hold one) from the ethics we practice in the political arena (at least, I like to think so).

So it is not surprising to me that Scott McClellan still refers to him as a good man - he means that in the Christian sense, but that does not change the fact he's been an absolute failure (and that's an understatement) as the so-called POTUS.

Sam

[scarletwoman]

82. What a wonderful post! Thank you! -- on edit -- too late to rec, sorry! (nt)

[Gore1FL]

84. actually Bush did

McClellen just substantiated it.

[VotesForWomen]

85. that kind of naivety is what makes you an obama supporter. nt

naivety

[VotesForWomen]

86. that kind of naivety is what makes you an obama supporter. nt