Thread: George Bush: the great pretender

From The Sunday TimesJune 1, 2008

George Bush: the great pretender

In an extract from a book that has rocked the White House, Scott McLellan, George Bush's former press secretary, accuses his boss of manipulating the truth to launch the Iraq war



Perhaps God’s greatest gift to us in life is the ability to learn from our experiences, especially our mistakes, and to grow into better people. I have written a book about the slice of history I witnessed during my years in the White House and about the well intentioned but flawed human beings — myself included — who shaped that history.

In my efforts on behalf of the presidential administration of George W Bush I fell far short of living up to the kind of public servant I wanted to be. As press secretary, I spent countless hours defending the administration from the podium in the White House briefing room. Although the things I said then were sincere, I have since come to realise that some of them were badly misguided.

More significant, however, is the larger story in which I played a minor role — the story of how the presidency of George Bush veered terribly off course.

Bush is a man of personal charm, wit and enormous political skill. On paper, the team he assembled was impressive. Dick Cheney, the vice-president, was a serious, vastly experienced hand in the top levels of government. Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, had already enjoyed one successful run at the Pentagon. Colin Powell, the secretary of state, was easily the most popular public figure in the country and could well have been the first African-American president of the United States had he been interested in the job. Even Bush’s chief political adviser, Karl Rove, had a powerful reputation as a brilliant strategic thinker.

I believed in Bush’s leadership and agenda for America and had confidence in his authenticity, integrity and judgment, but today the high hopes that accompanied the early days of his presidency have fallen back to earth. Rumsfeld and Powell are gone, their tenures controversial and disappointing. Cheney’s role is widely viewed as sinister and destructive of the president’s legacy. And Rove’s reputation for political genius is now matched by his reputation as an operative who places political gain ahead of the national interest.

Through it all, Bush remains very much the man he always was — self-confident, quick-witted, down-to-earth and stubborn — though not quite the leader I once imagined him to be. It was the decision to go to war in Iraq that pushed his presidency off course. For Bush, removing the “grave and gathering dangerâ€

Would have been creditable and morally correct if Scott had come out years ago with these facts . Instead he goes for the book deal with discredits alot of his facts . Not sure yet if money was his drivng force cause the publisher he signed with is well known for small deals. If it where only bout the money he could have done much better . Playing both ends to the middle mentality maybe ?
Thought i can't stand our King Dubya , this book is a late slap in his face imo

Bush is so deep in his lies, he has no idea what truth is anymore!

I'm a conservative Republican and I want him, Chaney and Rove in Prison... just think what the Democrats want