Does this qualify as an ongoing investigation? RNC: Obama's statement on Blagojevich 'insufficient'

By GottaLaff


Watch even a few seconds of this video. I'll wait... ::tapping fingers, humming:: All done? Good. Now read this:

RNC Chairman Robert "Mike" Duncan said in a statement that Obama's "comments on the matter are insufficient at best."

"Given the president-elect's history of supporting and advising Gov. Blagojevich, he has a responsibility to speak out and fully address the issue," Duncan said.

If you reacted the way I reacted to that bloated pustule of G.O.P. hypocrisy, then you just sprayed a mouthful of water all over your computer screen, followed by blindly groping for a Kleenex to dry the tears of laughter streaming from your eyes.

VIDEO-- From the Dep't. of Minimal Interest, Part 2: Scott McClellan endorses Obama

By GottaLaff

Yesterday, I snored through this. Today, I'm snoring thro....ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz:

McClellan isn't the first member of Bush's inner circle to express support for Obama. In 2007, former Bush strategist Matt Dowd also said he had become disillusioned with the president and said Obama was the only candidate that appealed to him.

The full interview will air on D.L. Hugley's new show, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. McClellan is also a guest of Larry King Live Friday at 9 p.m. ET.

H/t: Bucky and AMERICABlog

From the Dep't. of Minimal Interest: Scott McClellan will endorse tomorrow

By GottaLaff

Larry King just announced that Scottie will be on his show tomorrow night for The Big Endorsement. I. Can. Hardly. Wa---Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Fox News A Propaganda Outlet For Bush's White House?

Never you say!!! Wonder how many threatening calls McClellan got tonight?

Scott McClellan/Plame hearing: liveblog, Part 2

By GottaLaff

First, since I'm watching some Democrats hand Bush a FISA victory, I have to ask: Where is Obama on this? Any thoughts?

Here are some excerpts, paraphrased, with some direct quotes.

Rep. Scott up: Plame was "fair game", so if you told the truth, they might expect to have the lives of their families put in jeopardy.

Scott: She became just another talking point to discredit Joe Wilson, but I can't say more than that. It's a serious matter, and wrong... They should have been more careful about it, that's for sure.

Rep. Scott: Cost of the war came up, and we were told it would be negligible. And info that the administration had to the contrary?

Scott: I'm aware of that impression. ... Lindsey made a 2005 projection that it would be 1-200 billion. And that turned out o be low. He left the administration a few months later, resigned, but he was asked to leave as well. ... It's not something we wanted to discuss at the White House.

Rep. Scott: Medicare costs: Admin. knew the number was higher. If someone talked, they'd get fired?

Scott: They had different numbers. Ask my brother about that. We haven't embraced a high level of openness. Clarification, a quote by my editor was actually made by his daughter, saying Bush is a "truly horrible president". But the conclusions in the book were mine, not affected by any editor.

Ric Keller (R): If you had to do it over again, would you change anything in the book?

Scott: No.

Ric: Bush admin, per your book, shaded the truth, used innuendo, propaganda.

Scott: True.

Ric: Did Bush ask you to do that?

Scott: Not in those words.

Ric: Did they w/hold info from you?

Scott: When the VP was authorized to release classified info on Iraq, anonymously. That was disillusioning.... The president didn't mislead me knowingly, deliberately, but it had the same effect. There's a distinction. ... It had the same effect, selling the war to the American people.

Ric: I'm not going to question your opinions, or make money from them.... Bush using illegal drugs. How is that bipartisan?

Scott: It's how he approached the issue... saying, "I can't recall", which later transferred over to issues of policy. The issue wasn't the cocaine, but how he approached it, tells us of his character... That he said "he couldn't recall it".. how could that be? And he used that same response on other issues. How Bush got so polarizing is one of the themes of the book. It's a search for the truth.

Ric: You're concerned about a permanent campaign, and you said the same about the Clinton White House, but isnt' it true that Bush worked with Dems on No Child Left Behind, and with Kennedy on immigration?

Scott: Other decisions overshadowed those aspects.

Scott McClellan/Plame hearing: liveblog, Part One

By GottaLaff

UPDATE: The hearings will re-air at 8 pm Eastern.

I'll be constantly updating. Right now the members are taking a break to go to the floor on the FISA matter. Here are some excerpts, paraphrased, with some direct quotes.

Way to start of in a rational, bipartisan way, Lamar:

Lamar Smith's point: This is nothing more than a Book of the Month hearing. Next time maybe they can feature one of Ann Coulter's books. Scott had a biased editor and did it for the money. An objection was made by Scott's lawyer, but it was out of order.

The meeting opened with a statement by John Conyers saying, ironically, that Scotty suggests we all work on restoring civility and candor in our nation's discourse, and "this Committee is superb in working in that spirit", we share those goals. Jerry Nadler later apologized to Scotty for Smith's "character assassination".

Conyers went on to say Congress must be a check and balance on the President, and his release of classified information. He said the actions of the administration may constitute obstruction of justice, charges that shouldn't be taken lightly. He showed an image of Dick Cheney's handwritten notes, the ones we're all now familiar with.

Scotty opened with everything you've heard him say in interviews: Government should be about transparency, not spin and manipulated messages, that he's been a victim of the "gotcha" mentality since his book came out.

Conyers asked if Bush and Cheney asked him to vouch for Libby's not being involved in the Plame leak. Scotty said Andy Card saidBush and Cheney wanted him to vouch for Libby, and provide the same assurances for Libby as for Rove. Scotty asked Libby, and he told him point blank he was not involved.

Conyers: Did the President and Vice President know about the leak or about Libby's involvement?

Scotty: Bush: no. Cheney, I don't know. There's a "cloud over his office" because Libby put it there by lying.

Scotty told Jerry Nadler that the administration misled and misrepresented to America the case for war, to make the strong case for war, but not to intentionally mislead. He didn't know if Libby's commutation was to withhold information.

Interesting sidebar, not completely off topic, new lows for Bush: According to a new American Research Group poll, just 25% of Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling his job and 71% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 23% approve and 73% disapprove.

Bush's overall job approval has dropped from 28% in May as Republicans and independents are less apt to say they approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president. Among Republicans, just 61% approve of the way Bush is handling his job, down from 70% in May.

CSPAN Alert! Scott McClellan v. John Conyers

By GottaLaff

On CSPAN 3:

09:30 AM EDT 3:00 (est.) LIVE

House Committee CIA Leak Investigation Judiciary John Conyers Jr., D-MI Scott McClellan , White House The beginning and end of this live program may be earlier or later than the scheduled times.

Scotty McClellan to testify in CIA leak case

By GottaLaff

Scotty gets his day in... committee:

President Bush's former spokesman, Scott McClellan, will testify before a House committee next week about whether Vice President Dick Cheney ordered him to make misleading public statements about the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity.

McClellan will testify publicly and under oath before the House Judiciary Committee on June 20 about the White House's role in the leak and its response, his attorneys, Michael and Jane Tigar, said on Monday.

In his interviews, Scotty said that he's said everything he has to say via his book. But little moments of truth manage to sneak in when jittery witnesses are confronted by the House Judiciary Committee, as we've seen in previous testimony. I hope some nugget slips out. Or an entire vein. Someone, some time has to nail this White House.

Scott McClellan Spares David Gregory, Helen Thomas

By Paddy


This is unexpected. Guess he figured he'd need that "liberal media" if he wanted to sell his book. On a related note, Scotty is on "The Daily Show" tonight. Could get interesting.

Politico has obtained a copy of Scott McClellan's book proposal, and besides noting the "softer" tone of the pitch on the Bush administration, there are a number of differences between how McClellan ultimately takes on the media in the book.

(snip)

He also hints at a chapter devoted to former White House correspondent David Gregory, who he sparred with at times in the briefing room. "I will take a look at notable personalities in the White House Briefing Room, including David Gregory and Helen Thomas. I anticipate an entire chapter about the former," he wrote in the original proposal.

Scotty = Bush = Iraq War

By GottaLaff

Some of you have asked, "Why all the fuss about Scottie McTellAll's book? We've heard it before." Here's one reason:

So why the fuss? Mr. McClellan isn’t a sizzling TV personality, or, before now, a household name beyond the Beltway. His book secured no major prepublication media send-off on “60 Minutes” or a newsmagazine cover. But if the tale of how the White House ginned up the war is an old story, the big new news is how ferocious a hold this familiar tale still exerts on the public all these years later. We have not moved on.

Americans don’t like being lied to by their leaders, especially if there are casualties involved and especially if there’s no accountability. We view it as a crime story, and we won’t be satisfied until there’s a resolution.

That’s why the original sin of the war’s conception remains a political flash point, however much we tune out Iraq as it grinds on today. Even a figure as puny as Mr. McClellan can ignite it. The Democrats portray Mr. McCain as offering a third Bush term, but it’s a third term of the war that’s his bigger problem. Even if he locks the president away in a private home, the war will keep seeping under the door, like the blood in “Sweeney Todd.”

Mr. McCain and his party are in denial about this. [...]

Contrast the minimal attention General Petraeus received for his current news from Iraq with the rapt attention Mr. McClellan is receiving for his rehash of the war’s genesis circa 2002-3, and you can see what has traction this election year.

And here's an election year bonus!

There are other signs of Iraq’s durable political lethality as well. Looking for a bright spot in their loss of three once-safe House seats in special elections this spring, Republicans have duly noted that the Democrats who won in Louisiana and Mississippi were social “conservatives,” anti-abortion and pro-gun. They failed to notice that all three Democratic winners, including the two in the South, oppose the war. Even more remarkably, new polling in Texas finds that an incumbent Republican senator and Bush rubber stamp, John Cornyn, is only four percentage points ahead of his Democratic challenger, Rick Noriega, a fierce war critic who served in Afghanistan.

Scotty = Iraq occupation = Bush's failure = deaths = unresolved = traction.

Cheney's notes v. Scottie's words

By GottaLaff

Fernando and I have been wondering why Scottie's quote from George Bush ("He was saying that you, yourself, was the one that authorized the leaking of this information. And he said 'yeah, I did.'”) is such a revelation. Anyone remember this?

Last year, during the federal criminal trial of Libby, Cheney's handwritten notes were introduced into evidence. The notes revealed that Bush played a larger role in the campaign to discredit Wilson than he had previously acknowledged. To provide some context to McClellan's public comments on the issue, The Public Record is republishing a story by Jason Leopold from the trial of Scooter Libby that explains Bush's role.

Cheney's Handwritten Notes Implicate Bush in Plame Affair
By Jason Leopold
January 31, 2007

Copies of handwritten notes by Vice President Dick Cheney, introduced at a trial by attorneys prosecuting former White House staffer I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, would appear to implicate George W. Bush in the Plame CIA Leak case.

So why was Puffy McMoonFace's book the newsmaker? My take, as I told Fernando, is that:

• It came from a Bushie's mouth, directly... literally, Bush's mouthpiece. Someone he trusted, so the impact was palpable. We could watch him speak, and we could hear his words.
• He repackaged an "old product", that Bush was implicated, and breathed new life into it.
• Therefore, it's "new!" and "different!", like laundry detergent! or... confessions!
  

Other than that, I'm not sure why this particular thing is getting the play that it is, when it is. Any ideas?

Scottie didn't fail Richard Clarke

By GottaLaff

I heard Richard Clarke on my way home, talking to Rachel Maddow. His book, what little I heard them discuss, sounds intriguing. Hence, this Quote-O'-the-Day:

"I think I can forgive you now."

-- Former White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke, quoted by ABC News, after receiving an apology from former White House press secretary Scott McClellan for bashing his 2004 book, Against All Enemies.

Study: Bush Even Less Popular After McClellan TV Appearance

By Paddy


Is that even possible?

NEW YORK- Americans' opinions of President Bush dropped even lower after viewing the Scott McClellan interview on The Today Show, according to a study conducted yesterday by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

(snip)

For instance, the study found that the proportion of Democrats having "very unfavorable" views of Bush rose from 61% to 64% after seeing the show, and the number of Republicans feeling that way increased from 12% to 14%. Another 22% of Democrats and 24% of Republicans now view the president in a "mostly unfavorable" way.

Corporate pressure on TV reporters confirmed

By GottaLaff

CNN's Jessica Yellin, of TBPNTOTV!!!, tells Anderson Cooper of the corporate pressure she was under to cover the White House and the Iraq invasion in a positive light.



Seeing these side by side has more impact, does it not? I wonder who else will pile on to the belated revelations of Scott McLellan. Certainly not Brian Williams or Charlie Gibson.

Lo and behold, Katie Couric reveals a similar truth:



Today, however, Jessica Yellin felt the need to clarify:

Also, let me say: No, senior corporate leadership never asked me to take out a line in a script or re-write an anchor intro. I did not mean to leave the impression that corporate executives were interfering in my daily work; my interaction was with senior producers. What was clear to me is that many people running the broadcasts wanted coverage that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the country at the time. It was clear to me they wanted their coverage to reflect the mood of the country.

Hmm. I could have sworn I heard her say, at about :35 into the clip, that "the press corp was under enormous pressure from corporate executives, frankly..." What could have changed between yesterday and today? Certainly there's been no pressure from corporate executives, so it couldn't possibly be that. Nope.

Scott McLellan on Bush leaking 2002 NIE on Iraq

By GottaLaff

Via TPM, here's the video of Scott McLellan discussing Bush's leak of the 2002 NIE, that I posted about here.

Bush "secretly declassified" 2002 NIE to leak to reporters

By GottaLaff

Scottie claims that George Bush admitted that he was the source of the leak of the 2002 NIE. Thom Hartmann was all over this today. He is convinced that this finally gives the House grounds for impeachment, and that Scott McLellan is the next John Dean:

During his “Today” show appearance this morning with host Meredith Viera, former press secretary Scott McClellan confirmed that President Bush himself had authorized the leak of the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq:

MCCLELLAN: But the other defining moment was in early April 2006, when I learned that the President had secretly declassified the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq for the Vice President and Scooter Libby to anonymously disclose to reporters. And we had been out there talking about how seriously the President took the selective leaking of classified information. And here we were, learning that the President had authorized the very same thing we had criticized.

VIERA: Did you talk to the President and say why are you doing this?

MCCLELLAN: Actually, I did. I talk about the conversation we had. … And I told the President that that’s what the reporter was asking. He was saying that you, yourself, was the one that authorized the leaking of this information. And he said “yeah, I did.” And I was kinda taken aback.

You can watch the video here. I was unable to load it.

"Yeah, I did." Yeah, he did. Impeach. Finally. Please... before he starts that Iran war he's always wanted.

Ex-White House spokesman says he had hoped Bush would change D.C.

by Paddy



Wow, not sure if Scotty was naive or stupid.

Wexler wants McLellan to testify

By GottaLaff

I've always had a soft spot for Robert Wexler. First, he called for Cheney's impeachment, and now this:

Calling the revelations in Scott McClellan’s book “earth-shattering,” Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) has called on the former White House press secretary to testify under oath before the House Judiciary Committee.

Ruh-roh! Did he say... "under oath"? Well, miracles can happen. Maybe Scottie will be one of the few who doesn't evoke the ol' executive privilege.

In a statement released Wednesday, Wexler said McClellan’s admissions “allege facts to establish that Karl Rove and Scooter Libby - and possibly Vice President Cheney - conspired to obstruct justice by lying about their role in the Plame Wilson matter and that the Bush Administration deliberately lied to the American people in order to take us to war in Iraq.”

Wow, those are really, really bad things. Scottie said so. And Scottie knows stuff.

Now that he's come out of his shell, he could be the life of the (Democratic) party.

The White House is [bleep!] over "traitor" McLellan's book

By GottaLaff


Tsk tsk. Scottie's little book has the Bush Gang all a-dither and a-froth. The White House has gone from this:

President Bush: “And I thought he handled his assignment with class, integrity. He really represents the best of his family, our state and our country.” [4/19/06]

White House Counselor Dan Bartlett: McClellan “served this country and this White House very well during very difficult times.” [On Hardball, 4/19/06]

Former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer: McClellan enjoyed “the trust and confidence of the president” and “was flawless in his performance, especially when you read the transcripts.” [4/20/06]

... to this:

CORKE: I have heard on background they are upset. I’m using the word upset because that’s not the word they used, and it is not the word I can say on TV. Another person said they are flat out angry about what transpired here. I heard the word “traitor” and “Benedict.”

Now these guys know how we've been feeling about them for the past 7-plus years. Welcome to our world, BushCo.

Laura Bush McClellan

By GottaLaff

ABC White House correspondent Ann Compton on being stunned at how Scott McLellan was in his new book:

“I would find it easier to believe that Laura Bush wrote this than Scott McClellan,” Compton added.

So Laura resents Georgie, too?