Revenge!

Many are searching for meaning in the release of former press secretary Scott McClellan's tell-all memoir. Everyone's coming up empty. The emerging consensus is that Scott exists in a credibility-free zone, having cirque-de-soleil'd the news once too far.

As near as Dark Steer can tell, Scott McClellan lied once in three-plus years of briefing the press. It's true that literally every other minute, something far afoul of the truth was gushing forth from that chinless wonder-worker. But only one definite lie. And that, to David Gregory about Scooter Libby not being involved in the CIA leak, wasn't even his.

Then it's possible that Scott McClellan is no more a congenital liar than any other press secretary. It was his job to massage fiction into fact. And the people attacking him are proving -- as Dickerson says -- the point of the Plame Leak, that the administration wastes its enemies.

Why publish now, when all Scott's revelations are old hat? When no one is interested in Libby-Plame-Niger-WMD? When it does no harm to the administration? When all Frank Rich's columns from the period can finally be read for free?

Scott indicts the press for being Bush's lackeys? The snivelling, perenially offended, namby-pamby Scott McClellan of old berates the Fourth Estate for failing its audience? Watching Scott anew, I wondered.

And that's when I remembered my Notorious B.I.G., his own poetry of nihilism: "I'm sick of niggas lyin', I'm sick of bitches squawkin'. Matter fact, I'm sick of talkin'." Clearly, this is a transformed man. Call him Scott Furens: altered by rage at the succession of blows to his self-image, sick of shovelling shit, lashing out at all. This is, after a fashion, the part where he paint hisself blue like Titus and start to head bussin'.


As with any revenge tragedy, the point of this Act V suicide attack is already moot. No harm could be done to Bush's credibility that hasn't been done already. Scooter Libby has been pardoned. Karl Rove is busy not testifying about other shit. And the beneficiary of all this violence done to his men's careers, to the rule of law and to our institutions himself gets to stand and introduce the war hero as our new Emperor. In Phoenix fundraising for McCain, the President might as well have called for Rome's scattered grains to become one sheaf, or called for the election of Lucius Andronicus, a uniter, not a divider.

Epilogue: snippets:

"David, it's not a question of whether or not I'd like to talk more about this."
2:43 P.M. EST October 31, 2005

"The President directed the White House to cooperate fully, and that's what we've been doing."
1:04 PM EDT July 18 2005

"MR. McCLELLAN: I'm saying that that is not the way that this President or this White House operates, and I've seen no evidence to suggest there's any truth to it.

Q Are you saying Novak was wrong in saying that it was two administration sources who were the source for --

MR. McCLELLAN: I have no idea who "anonymous" is. I often wish --

Q It's not anonymous. He says senior administration officials.

MR. McCLELLAN: That would be anonymous.

Q Well, that would be senior administration --

Q Like the guy who briefed us last week?"
12:58 PM EDT July 22 2003

"Q Scott, you have said that you, personally, went to Scooter Libby, Karl Rove and Elliot Abrams to ask them if they were the leakers. Is that what happened? Why did you do that, and can you describe the conversations you had with them? What was the question you asked?

MR. McCLELLAN: Unfortunately, in Washington, D.C., at a time like this, there are a lot of rumors and innuendo. There are unsubstantiated accusations that are made. And that's exactly what happened in the case of these three individuals. They're good individuals, they're important members of our White House team, and that's why I spoke with them, so that I could come back to you and say that they were not involved. I had no doubt of that in the beginning, but I like to check my information to make sure it's accurate before I report back to you, and that's exactly what I did.

Q So you're saying -- you're saying categorically those three individuals were not the leakers or did not authorize the leaks; is that what you're saying?

MR. McCLELLAN: That's correct. I've spoken with them."
12:58 P.M. EDT October 7 2003

"Q Does the President still consider it vital to find these crucial weapons to uphold his credibility? Or does he believe, like Wolfowitz, that it no longer matters, the question of finding weapons and --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think we made it very clear that we are confident that we will uncover the full extent of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction program.

Q Where are they?"
1:17 P.M. EDT July 23 2003

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