McClellan’s Double-Talk on Newsweek Catches Up To Him
By on May 24th, 2005 at 5:29 pm
McClellan’s Double-Talk on Newsweek Catches Up To Him
Editor and Publisher catches Scott McClellan in his web of duplicity on the issue of whether he blamed Newsweek for the Afghanistan riots:
At a White House press briefing Monday, Press Secretary Scott McClellan, pressed by reporters and with Afghan President Karzai in disagreement, retreated on claims that Newsweek’s retracted story on Koran abuse cost lives in Afghanistan.
He also claimed that he had never said it did, even though a check of transcripts disputes that. On May 16, for example, he said, “people have lost their lives.” On May 17, he said, “People did lose their lives,” and, “People lost their lives” due to the Newsweek report.
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Scott, ohh Scott. It is time Scott, to resign.
May 24th, 2005 at 5:34 pmI would rather keep Scottie in place. At least no one takes anything he says seriously. A new press secretary would be assumed to be truthful for too long.
May 24th, 2005 at 6:02 pmClintons press secretary’s had it all over the bush boys. I mean even Ari was like talking to a wall. He wouldn’t stray off talking point no matter what.
Damn I miss Bubba.
May 24th, 2005 at 6:15 pmMost of the press is pathetic. What we need is one of our own in there to ask questions with an opening like, “although my colleagues have failed to ask….” and, “my fellow friends of the White House press corps don’t seem to have the guts to ask, I’ll have to…”
If Guckert/Gannon got to ask those stupid, kiss-ass questions, why can’t we get one in there… And, he/she will be performing a indispensable duty in a democracy: to question the rulers!
Sometimes shame & embarrassment may work better than an appeal to someone’s integrity and duty to inform the public. We should try it. I’m sure Think Progress can find a person up to the job….
May 24th, 2005 at 6:22 pmNo disrespect and no desire to hijack the topic, but two points.
First, the scapegoating of Newseek is done–mission accomplished. Last Monday through Friday was all the redmeat bashing a wingnut could have hoped for.
Even Slate in their blog roundup just largely reported the “Newsweek lied, people died” line.
McClellan’s stand-off now means nothing in that regard. So, second, why is he doing this–agreeing now with the Karzai line?
13 May 2005, ed CSM Afghanistan riddled with drug ties, excerpt: “Abdul Karim Brahowie, Afghanistan’s minister of tribal and frontier affairs, says that the government has become so full of drug smugglers that cabinet meetings have become a farce. ”
24 May 2005 ed, CSM Afghans left out of their own rebuilding, excerpt: “Along a construction detour for the new highway between Kabul and Jalalabad, four unemployed Afghans stare out as trucks struggle up a dusty hill. The men are angry that the two Chinese firms in charge of the paving project haven’t employed them or many of their compatriots.”
24 May 2005 ed, CSM Female TV host’s killing sends chill through Kabul, excerpt:”The past month has seen a half-dozen high-profile killings of women in Afghanistan, including an execution for suspected adultery and the discovery of three corpses with notes warning women against working for Western aid agencies.”
Not that Laura Bush bothered to chat about this.
Moreover, the nacro-trafficking and instability in Afghanistan is spilling over to Iraq: is spilling over to Iraq: “Drug traffickers from Afghanistan have begun crossing Iraq to get to Jordan.”
Okay. Bush doesn’t want the American people to realise that his first experiment in democracy, Afghanistan, borders on being a failed state. Please note also that Taliban-like groups still control significant parts of the country.
If he smacks Karzai down too hard, Bush admits failure. Worse, he justifies a simmering insurgency in Afghanistan–one which does include Islamic extremists.
Karzai needs international aid and US support. Otherwise, Karzai’s head would be on a stick in fairly short period of time. Not that he’s terribly unpopular–just that he, without US muscle, has very little actual power.
To get aid and support, Karzai has to walk a fine line. Yes, Afghanistan has real problems–and my political opposition, not coincidently, is behind or even the source of many of those problems. Including the riots, mistakenly blamed on the Newsweek story.
Karzai talks tough but gives Bush a pass on Bagram. Bush gives Karzai a pass for now on Afghan government’s failure to control the narco-trade.
McClellan, his job done regarding Newsweek, falls into step supporting our man in Afghanistan. Karzai’s enemies are our enemies, for now.
Let’s hope Karzai (1) doesn’t turn on the Afghani people [like our man in Uzbekistan did to his]; and (2) does help curtail the opium production.
McClellan, team player that he is, keeps the Afghanistan realities out of the media and largely unknown to the American people.
Credit or fault the man for doing his job on team Bush43.
May 24th, 2005 at 7:10 pmAh yes, the pot calls the kettle irresponsible.
The real issue isn’t so much the lack of apologies from the White House for its own egregious errors per se, but that the administration itself is totally dependent on
May 24th, 2005 at 9:06 pm…single sources itself.
May 24th, 2005 at 9:06 pmHi all ,
I have been working my way within the blog community here in San Antonio and have managed to be a contributor to The Jeffersonian Blog. I put my first post up tonite. Feel free to check it out and post a comment on it if you like, and dont forget to check out the other posts
by the founder Cincinnatus.
http://thejeffersonian.blogspot.com/
GO VOTE!!
May 25th, 2005 at 2:29 amRobert Abraham
Where’s Spider Jerusalem when you need him? “Laying open the guts of the world and sniffing the entrails.” I can just see the monstering that would ensue after this:
Scottie! Is it true you’re not telling the truth?
Scottie Mac! Will this affect your sodomizing your wife?
Scottie! Do you know of anyone in this administration more incompetent than you?
THAT would be a White House press conference.
“If you loved me, you’d all kill yourselves tomorrow.” -Spider Jerusalem
May 25th, 2005 at 8:46 amTime for Spikey to do a Lewinsky on Scotty and Gucky.
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