a couple of thoughts about mcclellan

The Interwebs are full of commentary about former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, who has written a pretty frank - and therefore damning - book about his time in the de facto Bush White House.

Most of what he says doesn't surprise me. The White House was set on war with Iraq from day one. Bush is not dumb, but it intellectually lazy, disengaged, and not prone to growth. Rove and Libby lied about Valerie Plame. And it was a permanent campaign.

It is surprising that McClellan has written all this. He says the longer he has been outside the White House "bubble" the more clearly he sees what was really going on. And the more "disappointed" he has grown - and clearly, disenchanted too.

It's rather insulting that the GOP's line, as they circle the wagons against McClellan's charges, has been to imply that "it doesn't sound like Scott."

That is half true. It doesn't sound like the Scott they worked with in the White House (before he was fired). That's because Scott has purged the kool-aid from his system and is speaking with the freedom afforded somebody who has moved beyond the bubble and clearly doesn't bank on making a career of it in Republican politics.

I won't defend McClellan for his role in lying for Bush/Cheney. But I'll give him some credit for having examined his conscience and realized that much of what was going on was wrong. If not actually illegal.