What Happened
Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception,
by Scott McClellan


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

This book is the Big Political Hit of the summer: a negative expose from an White House insider of the leadup to the Iraq War and other events from the Bush era. Scott McClellan served as Deputy Press Secretary during 9/11, and then as Press Secretary spanning the period from PlameGate through the public disenchantment against the Iraq War. But while the book's popularity stems from its anti-war and anti-Bush reputation, it's really not very anti-Bush. McClellan is deeply respectful of Bush personally, and sticks to criticizing Bush's policies and Bush's advisors without much criticizing Bush. As McClellan describes it:

McClellan proposes a solution in his final chapter entitled, "Changing the Culture of Deception":

The president must demonstrate an unyielding commitment to three important principles: a high level of openness, forthrightness, and honesty when communicating with the American people; a spirit of inclusiveness and unity, which reaches across partisan divides and ideological differences to encourage cooperation among all groups and individuals; and a readiness to consistently govern toward the center, seeking common ground from which to solve problems rather htan appealing to a narrow base of opinion.

-- Jesse Gordon, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, July 2008

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     George W. Bush: 1990s: Sought to find common ground on divisive issues.     George W. Bush: First day as president: reinstate Mexico City Policy.

Crime     George W. Bush: Death penalty saves innocent lives through deterrence.

Drugs     George W. Bush: Former bad habits are message to learn from experience.     George W. Bush: Considered hypocritical for hard line on cocaine after using.     George W. Bush: Nov. 2000: DUI revelation probably cost Bush popular vote.

Energy & Oil     Dick Cheney: Criticized for task force secrecy, but focused on leak-limit.

Environment     George W. Bush: Katrina flyover image interpreted as detached & powerless.     George W. Bush: Katrina response overshadowed by FEMA botch-job perception.

Foreign Policy     Condoleezza Rice: Bush's views on foreign policy were one & the same as Rice's.

Homeland Security     George W. Bush: First reaction to 9/11: get military ready on many fronts.     George W. Bush: Believed military was needed for Katrina response.     Hillary Clinton: Led criticism about what Bush knew prior to 9/11.     Tommy Thompson: Pushed smallpox vaccinations in response to anthrax attacks.

Principles & Values     Bill Clinton: OpEd: To History, many Clinton scandals may be insignificant.     Dick Cheney: OpEd: Possibly knew about PlameGate, but encouraged lie.     George W. Bush: OpEd: White House had deliberately outed CIA agent Plame.     George W. Bush: The "sixteen words" became near-fatal blow to credibility.     George W. Bush: Rice & Cheney were most important advisors beginning in 1999.     George W. Bush: Held "strategery" meetings (admitted mangling English).     George W. Bush: 9/20/01: You're either with us or with the terrorists.     Newt Gingrich: OpEd: Contract agenda smart; but exaggerated scandal culture.     Richard Nixon: First President to keep permanent political operation.

Social Security     George W. Bush: Option to invest 2% to 4% of funds in "safe" stocks.

War & Peace     Colin Powell: Omitted shaky Niger uranium claim from 2003 UN speech.     Colin Powell: Only major adviser to Bush to question Iraq war.     Dick Cheney: OpEd: Saw 9/11 as an opportunity to take out Saddam.     Dick Cheney: On 9/11, said no Saddam-al-Qaeda link; but yes by Dec. 2001.     Dick Cheney: 2002: Saddam is a madman pursuing nuclear weapons.     Dick Cheney: 2003: Accused of falsifying Niger uranium to justify Iraq.     Dick Cheney: PlameGate: discredit Niger report by revealing CIA operative.     Dick Cheney: OpEd: VP's office knowingly misled public about PlameGate.     George W. Bush: Iraq was top issue at start of presidency, even before 9/11.     George W. Bush: Feb. 2001: Bombed Iraq; routine enforcement of no-fly zone.     George W. Bush: Campaign to sell the Iraq War began with 2002 UN speech.     George W. Bush: Adviser resigned after revealing Iraq might cost $200B.     George W. Bush: OpEd: Bush had decided by Nov. 2001 to invade Iraq.     George W. Bush: 2003: No difference if Saddam had WMD or trying to get WMD.     George W. Bush: No difference between war of necessity and war of choice.     George W. Bush: No difference between war of necessity and war of choice.     George W. Bush: 2004: Unwilling to admit mistakes in invading Iraq.     George W. Bush: Pardoned Scooter Libby for PlameGate & leak of CIA identity.     George W. Bush: OpEd: Selling war instead of open debate damaged presidency.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Bill Clinton Colin Powell Condoleezza Rice Dick Cheney George W. Bush Hillary Clinton Newt Gingrich Richard Nixon Tommy Thompson