May 30, 2008
Stupidity is a Strategy
The press is all aflutter with the release of Scott McClellan's new book, What Happened, wherein he basically admits that the Bush administration directed him to lie through his teeth about just about everything. In the opinion of Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post, "The question is inescapable: Now he tells us?"
No, dear sir. The inescapable question is, "Are you actually surprised?" As McClatchy news reminds us, this was all obvious from the beginning and throughout the whole sordid mess, for those with a will to see it. And as Laura Rozen notes, McClellan hewed to the administration's line like it was his job because it was his job.
I watched many of McClellan's press conferences during his tenure. He was a terrible liar. You could see the sweat rolling off him as he stammered his way through deflecting pointed questions. I was surprised he lasted as long as he did. It boggles me that anyone could look at the guy and not know he didn't believe anything he was saying, and that he wasn't at least a little troubled by the fact.
So this whole faux shock schtick is just ridiculous. If you didn't know you were being lied to, it's because you chose not to know. The evidence was there.
Posted by ben at May 30, 2008 03:11 AM