First, the man in his own words:
It's been less than 2 days since the Politico first ran excerpts of the book, and already opinions have hardened. Virtually no one has actually read the book yet - how could they? It hasn't even been released! - and yet everyone has already made up their mind. Scott is a hero! Scott is a liar! What took you so long, Scottie?
It's that last reaction that most baffles me. Think through the reaction of people in the Bush administration to this book. Karl Rove's reaction, in particular: "This doesn't sound like the Scott McClellan I know."
When McClellan left, he was a loyalist. A year later, he had a change of heart. Freed from the crush of events that must be life inside the White House, he had time to sit and reflect on the things he had said and done. And as the above interview makes clear, the conclusions he came to surprised him.
It's a simple, logical explanation, and yet almost no one seems to believe it. On the one hand, you've got right wing commentators suggesting that he has sold out, betraying his friends to make a quick buck (never mind that he received a tiny advance). On the other, you've got commentators on the left suggesting that these are truths McClellan should have spoken sooner. But what if what he is saying is the truth? What if it took time away from DC for him to see just what a mess he had helped to create?
In his own words, he - like so many other Americans - gave the president and his team the "benefit of the doubt." Now he regrets that, and so he is stepping up to make amends. He still respects and admires the president, but his loyalty is to his country first and his president second. Isn't that something that all of us, no matter our partisan affiliation, should applaud?
I'll be honest: I used to have very little respect for McClellan, but his interview has changed that quite a bit. I wasn't planning on reading this book, but I think I may have to.
UPDATE: Marcy Wheeler made a very, very important catch in McClellan's interview. For those who think this book tells us nothing new and important, go read. Watching the interview for a second time, I think Wheeler is right: McClellan just put President Bush at the heart of the Plame leak. Scooter Libby wasn't protecting Cheney. He was protecting Bush. Go. Read.
UPDATE II: Kos gets it exactly right:
Karl Rove:
This doesn't sound like Scott, it really doesn't, not the Scott McClelland I've known for a long time. Sounds like a left-wing blogger.Of course it sounds like us. We've been right all along.
That's the advantage of trafficking in reality -- history has a habit of vindicating our words.
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