Video: Rove on McClellan
posted at 10:00 am on May 28, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Karl Rove had only a few minutes before his Hannity and Colmes appearance last night to read the Politico story on Scott McClellan’s new book, What Happened, McClellan’s memoir of his time as Bush administration press secretary. Rove gives an effective rebuttal to McClellan’s allegation that he and Scooter Libby held “secret” meetings about the Plame affair, noting that he met regularly with Libby, and that they had both been advised not to talk about the issue:
Rove makes a pretty good point about these meetings. If they were so secret, how did McClellan discover the topics discussed? He apparently jumps to at least a few conclusions, if the excerpts prove correct. Rove also questions whether McClellan was even present for some of the meetings he describes in the book.
The Libby-Rove colloquy is especially devastating. If McClellan had never noticed Rove and Libby spending any time together before the Plame controversy, then how much access did McClellan really have? Rove’s explanation of all their joint efforts seems a lot more plausible than McClellan’s assertion that they had little noticeable contact with each other, which led him to the conclusion that they must have held secret strategizing sessions rather than the normal conduct of business.
Rove says that what he read in Politico doesn’t sound much like the man he knew for several years. Take a listen at the end to hear the comparison Rove makes, which won’t make our friends on the port side of the blogosphere very happy.
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too bad the bush administration didn’t have the guts to fight back against the liberal lies for the past few years…
right4life on May 28, 2008 at 10:13 AM
McClellan must want a gig with PMSNBC.
Akzed on May 28, 2008 at 10:13 AM
A White House Press Secretary that writes tell-all allegations six months before the President he served leaves office is a professional disgrace and shows just what a low class snake the man is when it comes to personal ethics.
I know that McClellan was an ineffective Press Secretary but he held a position of trust in the Bush White House. To turn that trust into a bash-Bush book for profit is an act of betrayal.
highhopes on May 28, 2008 at 10:15 AM
“I thought every time he was up there, he was about to wet his pants…”
Laura Ingraham on Scott McTellan
30 seconds ago
carbon_footprint on May 28, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Ari Flescher is on Fox News right now saying Scott told him last night the editor “tweaked” this books before it went to press.
Scott is in full make lots of money and CYA mode at the same time mode.
EJDolbow on May 28, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Of course now that Scott is anti-Boosh the MSM is going to give him attention and treat him respect. Whereas, when he was PS, he was just another Bush crony.
carbon_footprint on May 28, 2008 at 10:21 AM
Pass the popcorn. This is going to be fun.
rockmom on May 28, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Beam me down, Scotty!
Seixon on May 28, 2008 at 10:24 AM
this guy, scotty, is a real prick. now who’s your friends?
jimmer on May 28, 2008 at 10:25 AM
I think we need to check Scott McClellan’s bank account for transfers from George Soros.
kirkill on May 28, 2008 at 10:30 AM
good point on the Corner, contrast this with the MSM coverage of Feith’s book…
jp on May 28, 2008 at 10:31 AM
This will be like a lot of other quick reviews of books. Taken out of context and slanted to make Bushco look like they did something underhanded. Hold your fire kids.
PappaMac on May 28, 2008 at 10:34 AM
McClellan couldn’t speak to save his @$$. What makes anyone think he can write?
Steve Z on May 28, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Anyone check to see if someone else like Character Assassin Extraordinaire David Brock didn’t actually ghost-write this book for McClellan? It’s seems odd that McClellan had access to secret information that your average garden variety press secretary normally wouldn’t have access to. Someone like Brock on the other hand would have connections to fall back on.
pilamaye on May 28, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Carol was somewhat ethically challenged – I see alot of Grandma in this b ook – its funny – most of those who rteceived huge tax breaks from the comptroller were also the main unlimited contributors to her numerous election campaigns
Also she paid her son Bradley 10 large a month to be her campaign manager
http://txprod.ethics.state.tx.us/public/331269.pdf
Yes its in schedule F page under payroll expense – including I might add several months AFTER the campaign was over
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
EricPWJohnson on May 28, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Remember Scotts mom wanted to be the Republican Ann Richards – she was angry GWB ran for Governor, and she was outraged that no one supported her after her son gave soo many years of service to Bush in her race against Perry
This is actually about Grandma and George not Iraq, Scooter Libby, and Sctt
EricPWJohnson on May 28, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Maybe McClellan and Brownie and can get together and start a new career together with the Arabian Horse Association.
wise_man on May 28, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Maybe someone wants to go check out Brock’s Media Matters and see if they will give McClellan a positive book review. I’d go to Media Matters and take a look, but vomiting on my keyboard is not something that I really want to do right now.
wise_man on May 28, 2008 at 10:52 AM
The left enjoys wasting their money. It became apparent a long time ago that McClellan knew he didn’t have the respect he wanted. He thinks he was owed. Good luck, Scotty, you chose your bed.
Connie on May 28, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Scott took the blue pill,.. in every sense of the metaphor.
Alden Pyle on May 28, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Someone should check the trunk of his Yugo for a freezer bag full of cash.
wccawa on May 28, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Google Scott McClellan’s mother, Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn and her history with the Republican Party in Texas.
pabarge on May 28, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Good grief. Has there ever been another president who has had so many former “colleagues” come out with a book trying to cash in by betraying his trust?
I have to admit, I’ll never read this book, and the actual content may differ slightly from the content the MSM is focusing on. This is a sickening trend though, and not just in politics.
I’m so sick of seeing people trying to cash in by betraying someone else’s confidence. Unfortunately, there is an insatiable market for this kind of crap. I won’t be a party to it.
This is disgusting trend that I hope reverses itself soon. So many people are obsessed with gossip and voyeurism, thirsting for dirt and access to secrets, whether they are manufactured or not. Reality TV, network news, youtube videos, tell-all books, supermarket tabloids – the lines have been blurred.
Looks like just another weasel with no character, pandering to the gossip obsessed MSM and the millions of dimwitted lemmings who crave this rubbish.
reaganaut on May 28, 2008 at 11:00 AM
After McClellan is exposed as a fraud, he’ll just happen to notice his newly-found friends on the left no longer have any use for him.
Have a nice life, you little sh*t.
Remember when Gary Aldrich came out with his book and Steffie eagerly declared “we killed it”? Just imagine the howls if the WH tried to squelch this.
JammieWearingFool on May 28, 2008 at 11:09 AM
I am from Texas and I have heard that name often; had no clue she was McTellan’s mother.
carbon_footprint on May 28, 2008 at 11:13 AM
In a related story, “Clueless,” starring Alicia Silverstone.
thirteen28 on May 28, 2008 at 11:14 AM
We see this time and time again, Some little crap in the government wants to make money, so they put together a book, “Leak” a big story and then the book comes out and its all the same stuff we knew.
McClellan wants to make money so he’s going to pander to the left, those who will toss the money out to say “Ha see I told you, Bush lied, he wears briefs not boxers, IMPEACH.”
I was never in the Meetings with Scooter and Rove, Yet I have a feeling they discussed poker tactics to beating Dicky, my book comes out June 11th. Buy My Book, Buy My Book.
Rbastid on May 28, 2008 at 11:17 AM
McClellan is assuring that his book is a New York Times best seller by feeding the hate frenzy of the left. Who is going to believe an egomaniac with an inferiority complex? If he admits being a liar to the press as press secretary, what reason do we have to believe him now? Just another scumbag opportunist.
volsense on May 28, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Publishers didn’t use to go for books like this – under Reagan the firsty books started to appear, George Bush Senior gave Democrats just about everything they wanted and he won a war so he was untouchable – Clinton had many – it started with Bill and is Creshendoing with GWB
God Save the next schmuck who becomes president
EricPWJohnson on May 28, 2008 at 11:31 AM
The caliber of people surrounding the office of the President never fails to EXACTLY meet my expectations.
Recall that Hillbillary had Dick Morris. The little weasel is making a very lucrative living on FoxNews. Is anyone really surprised that W. had Scott McClellan? We’ll have the opportunity to watch him on MSNBC for many years to come.
My collie says:
That’s politics. How could anyone expect anything different?
CyberCipher on May 28, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Some people sell out their white grandma’s, some people sell out their boss. Shows what kind of character, or lack thereof, they have.
ctmom on May 28, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Hmm… this is a Book Review… ie, an opinion piece…
Going to be interesting to see how accurate it is.
Take a slightly bitter comment, put it through lefty goggles, and you now have a bombshell insider expose.
Romeo13 on May 28, 2008 at 12:08 PM
This guy was a poor WH Press Secretary. And now he shows he has no class, to boot. Where did Bush find all these losers?
james23 on May 28, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Perhaps Bush’s biggest shortcoming has been to focus on loyalty rather than performance. McClellen was obviously weak, Harriet Myers, Brownie, Rumsfeld all were given too much opportunity to let the President down.
dedalus on May 28, 2008 at 2:13 PM
“…There was one problem. It was not true.
J_Gocht on May 28, 2008 at 2:40 PM
Exactly.
Jaibones on May 28, 2008 at 2:57 PM
As James Cagney would have said:
McClellan…YOOOU DIRTY RAT!
byteshredder on May 28, 2008 at 9:11 PM
McClellan stank as press secretary – compared to the masterful Tony Snow and the above-average Ari Fleischer, it was painful to listen to the press corps play Kick the Puppy with Scott.
sulla on May 28, 2008 at 11:39 PM
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