|
What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception | 
| Author: Scott Mcclellan
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $7.49
You Save: $20.46 (73%)
New (78) Used (39) Collectible (3) from $7.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  196 reviews
Sales Rank: 1334
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st. EDITION
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 1586485563
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN: 9781586485566
ASIN: 1586485563
Publication Date: May 28, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New - Fast shipping from trusted wholesaler with many exclusive publisher contracts.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Scott McClellan was one of a few Bush loyalists from Texas who became part of his inner circle of trusted advisers, and remained so during one of the most challenging and contentious periods of recent history. Drawn to Bush by his commitment to compassionate conservatism and strong bipartisan leadership, McClellan served the president for more than seven years, and witnessed day-to-day exactly how the presidency veered off course. In this refreshingly clear-eyed book, written with no agenda other than to record his experiences and insights for the benefit of history, McClellan provides unique perspective on what happened and why it happened the way it did, including the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, Washington's bitter partisanship, and two hotly contested presidential campaigns. He gives readers a candid look into who George W. Bush is and what he believes, and into the personalities, strengths, and liabilities of his top aides. Finally, McClellan looks to the future, exploring the lessons this presidency offers the American people as we prepare to elect a new leader.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 191 more reviews...
 Fantastic Book October 9, 2008
As someone who is left-leaning I tried to read this book without any preconceived notions. Mr. McLellan's book is an extremely well written history of what happened during his time working for George W. Bush. When there are facts to be presented, he presents them as neutral as possible. When he gives his own opinion, he clearly states that it is his opinion, and shouldn't be taken as fact.
The first half of the book was basically praising Bush and explains why Scott joined him in the first place. The second half explains, in detail, what went wrong.
This book actually gave me a little bit more respect for Bush, as the mistakes he made could have been made by many people, myself included. However, we expect more out of the President of the United States, and he should not be excused for what he did.
Whether you're a hard-core conservative, a hard-core liberal, or some where in between, I highly recommend this book.
 What Happened? McClellan Happened October 9, 2008
Scott McClellan's White House memoir is a somewhat erratic telling of his years working for President Bush. On the one hand, McClellan criticizes the mindset of the permanent campaign with its distortions and manipulations.
On the other hand, those same principles are okay with McClellan when it comes to elections. That distinction may sound great on the surface, but given midterm elections and even off year elections that occur in states like Virginia and Mississippi, where President Bush was happy to involve himself when he was popular, when is it not an election?
McClellan is also deeply torn on how responsible President Bush himself is for the problems that have plagued his presidency. With candor, McClellan admits that President Bush was not intellectually curious enough at times. He also admits that President Bush told him to do things that were incorrect, like speak up for Karl Rove during the Valerie Plame leak investigation. But at other times McClellan talks about President Bush's abilities honesty, how he would not intentionally mislead him, and so on.
The former press secretary has some blinders when it comes to President Bush. He says that he truly believed President Bush could unite the country as President. McClellan must have been watching a different guy then over half the voters were in November of 2000. McClellan also blames the media for not doing its due diligence in questioning the Iraq war, which is ironic since it was his own press operation that stifled the media. McClellan also likes to treat the Bush Administration's permanent campaign mentality as an extension of the Clinton Administration, basically failing to acknowledge how much more pervasive the take no prisoners political operation was in the Bush White House. For example, McClellan talks about the need for a more bipartisan cabinet, noting that Norm Mineta, President Bush's first Transportation Secretary, was too much of a token appointment. McClellan talks about the need for a Secretary of State, Defense, or Treasury from the other party. Which is exactly what Clinton did when he appointed Maine Republican Senator Bill Cohen as his third and final Secretary of Defense.
Unlike many partisan Democrats who praised McClellan for speaking out when the book was released, I give him no credit. Had he really felt strongly about the issues raised in the book, he should have resigned the first time he was asked to lie, or mislead. In fact, McClellan never quit but was fired. He makes some statements in the book that he had planned to resign in the coming months anyway, but these internal thoughts probably went through his mind throughout his years in the White House and I give them no credence. It is easy to see why McClellan was fired. He was press secretary during some of the Administration's roughest events and did not come off well on television. Ari Fleischer was abrasive, but effective. The late Tony Snow and Dana Perino have been press secretaries during periods of time when President Bush was less popular and more ineffective, but that has served to lower the stakes on their role. McClellan was there at a crucial time and did not serve the President, or the people, well. His book just confirms that.
One coda there is an excellent story in the book about President Bush calling McClellan's wife after McClellan was fired. It is a human moment for the President and makes you understand why McClellan has blinders for him.
WHAT HAPPENED October 7, 2008
BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR MY HUSBAND. HE WANTED TO READ ABOUT THE INSIDE DIRT IN DC. THIS BOOK SHOULD DO IT!
 Not bad, but not particularly insightful October 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you're looking for a scathing critique of the Bush administration from an embittered turncoat, this ain't it. Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan comes off as merely disillusioned about Washington -- maybe a little peeved at Karl Rove, distrustful of Dick Cheney, and certainly disappointed in his one-time idol, George W. Bush -- but that's about all. He picks over the minutiae of the cooked pre-war intelligence on Iraq and the Valerie Plame scandal--his main bugbear as he was forced to lie conspicuously about it--without really denouncing them. His writing is as cautious as it is bland.
McClellan says he wrote this book to try to set the record straight, to recapture some of the personal integrity he feels the job cost him. Yet he seems unwilling to blame or condemn much beyond repeating how the "perpetual campaign mentality" and Washinton's deepening partisan schism makes for less effective government. He adds little to the public discourse on derisive partisan politics, nor does he make it interesting with pointed insider detail. McClellan seems reluctant to make enemies, so he spends 300 pages exorcizing his own small demons instead of fighting the big dragons.
The moments in this book I found most enlightening are the small personal observations he makes about Bush. His mean-spirited sense of humor. The way he belittles dissenters. His refusal to re-think any decision. His capacity for self-delusion. These bits of insight McClellan makes almost inadvertently -- remember, he claims to like and admire Bush for the most part -- speak volumes. Otherwise, this book -- like the career of McClellan itself -- is just a footnote to the great Machiavellian machinery of the Bush administration. History will forgive and forget mild-mannered Scott McClellan. The Bush-Cheney-Rove trinity will not likely get off so easy when at last the full account of "what happened" is written.
- mattmchugh.com
READ IT FOR WHAT IT IS. October 2, 2008
7 out of 14 found this review helpful
I really dislike tell all books, and tell all books concerning politics in particular. After reading this one, my opinion of this genre has not changed all that much. I will state from the start though, that I am probably one of the most apolitical humans on the face of the earth. My only interest in our current political process, as opposed to our history in this area, is that I hold both the extreme right and the extreme left in extreme contempt. My opinions of George Bush, his administration, et al, are of little consequence here, and I certainly am not going to bore you with my pontifications in that area. That being said....
I did find this book interesting in that it gives a good view on one man's view, and I emphasize, "one man" of the political process in our nations capital at this time. I found the workings of the Bush administration, congress, the press and all those associated with the entire process fascinating. There was interesting bits and pieces scattered throughout the book. I am certainly not going to summarize the happenings of this entire affair. If you don't know what happened, and where it led, and is possibly leading, then you have probably been living under a rock. If you believe ever word McClellan has written, well then, you have a problem. On the other hand, I do get the feeling that the author tried his best to come across in a truthful manner, addressing the situation as he saw it. I feel he is sincere in his personal assessment of the situation.
The book is rather poorly crafted and is so repetitive throughout that it makes you want to scream at times. Scott McClellan portrays himself as misled Boy Scout, and perhaps he was. I find it difficult to fully believe that a man that can reach his high position was as blind and naive as he claims. Perhaps this is true though. There again, on the other hand, he does not cast full blame on anyone but himself in this area. In some eyes he is certainly a little turn coat weasel, but I feel an honest weasel, never the less.
I actually enjoyed this read despite the poor writing, which does become rather boring at a certain point. Overall this is a pretty light weight read and I personally doubt if it is going to be used as a source document my many historians in the future when picking this particular era apart.
For a quick read of one man's perceptions, for some political tidbits and some insight this is a good read. I of course feel in has to be countered with other works that are sure to come out in the near future, but fear that we will have to wait at least fifty years or so to be able to truly evaluate just "what happened. I am giving this one four stars because it did have some value as to information but knocking off at least one star due to poor quality of the writing. Where were this man's editors?
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
