Scott McClellan

Infobox Politician
name = Scott McClellan

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caption = Scott McClellan in the press room of the White House
width = 250 px
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order = 25^th
office = White House Press Secretary
term_start = July 17 2003
term_end = April 26 2006
predecessor = Ari Fleischer
successor = Tony Snow
constituency =
majority =
birth_date = birth date and age|1968|2|14
birth_place = Austin, Texas, U.S.
death_date =
death_place =
party = Republican
relations =
spouse = Jill Martinez
civil partner =
children =
residence =
occupation =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Scott McClellan (born February 14, 1968) is a former White House Press Secretary (2003–2006) for President George W. Bush, and author of a controversial book about the Bush Administration entitled "What Happened". He replaced Ari Fleischer as press secretary in July 2003 and served until replaced by Tony Snow on April 26, 2006.

Family

Born in Austin, Texas, McClellan is the youngest son of Carole Keeton Strayhorn, former Texas State Comptroller and former 2006 independent Texas gubernatorial candidate, and attorney Barr McClellan. McClellan's brother Mark headed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and was formerly Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration. McClellan is the grandson of the late W. Page Keeton, longtime Dean of the University of Texas School of Law and renowned expert in tort law. He married Jill Martinez in November 2003. [cite news
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/21/AR2005122102272_pf.html
title=Unanswer Man
publisher=The Washington Post
last=Leibovich
first=Mark
date=December 22 2005
accessdate=2008-06-25]

Career

After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, where he was president of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Alpha Chapter, McClellan was the three-time campaign manager for his mother. In addition, he worked on political grassroots efforts and was the Chief of Staff to a Texas State Senator. [ [http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/scott-mcclellan-bio.html#c White House bio] . ]

Karen Hughes, then Governor of Texas George W. Bush's communications director, hired McClellan to be Bush's deputy press secretary. McClellan served as Bush's travelling press secretary during the 2000 Presidential election. McClellan became White House Deputy Press Secretary in 2003. McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer, who stepped down as White House Press Secretary on July 15, 2003. McClellan announced his resignation as Press Secretary on April 19, 2006. On April 26, it was announced that Tony Snow would succeed him in the position.

Memoir and criticism of Bush administration

McClellan criticized the Bush administration in his 2008 memoir, "What Happened".cite book |title=What Happened |isbn=978-1586485566] In the book, he accused Bush of "self-deception"cite news | last = Bumiller | first = Elizabeth | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/washington/28mcclellan.html?pagewanted=print | title = In Book, Ex-Spokesman Has Harsh Words for Bush | work = The New York Times | date = 2008-05-28 | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] and of maintaining a "permanent campaign approach" to governing rather than making the best choices.cite news | last = Allen | first = Mike | url = http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10649.html | title = Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House | work = The Politico | date = 2008-05-27 | accessdate = 2008-05-27 ] McClellan stopped short of saying that Bush purposely lied about his reasons for invading Iraq, writing that the administration was not "employing out-and-out deception" to make the case for war in 2002, [cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/27/AR2008052703679_pf.html | work = The Washington Post | title = Ex-Press Aide Writes That Bush Misled U.S. on Iraq | first = Michael D | last = Shear | date = 2008-05-28 | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] though he did assert the administration relied on an aggressive "political propaganda campaign" over well-established facts to sell the Iraq war. [cite news | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/05/28/2008-05-28_exaide_scott_mcclellan_rips_bushs_iraq_p.html | work = Associated Press | title = Ex-aide Scott McClellan rips Bush's Iraq 'propaganda' | date = 2008-5-28 | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] His book was also critical of the press corps for being too accepting of the administration's perspective on the war and of Condoleezza Rice for being "too accommodating" and overly careful about protecting her own reputation.

In a Washington Post article on June 1, 2008 McClellan said of Bush: "I still like and admire George W. Bush. I consider him a fundamentally decent person, and I do not believe he or his White House deliberately or consciously sought to deceive the American people." [cite news| last = Yardley | first = Jonathan | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052901727.html | work = The Washington Post | title = Culture of Deception | date = 2008-06-01 | accessdate = 2008-06-21 ]

Speaking frequently on the TV circuit, McClellan told Keith Olbermann in an interview on June 9, 2008 regarding the Iraq War planning: "I don`t think there was a conspiracy theory there, some conspiracy to deliberately mislead. I don`t want to imply a sinister intent. There might have been some individuals that knew more than others and tried to push things forward in a certain way, and that`s something I can`t speak to. I don`t think that you had a bunch of people sitting around a room, planning and plotting in a sinister way. That`s the point I make in the book. At the same time, whether or not it was sinister or not, it was very troubling that we went to war on this basis." [cite news | url = http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/06/mcclellan_white_house_heads_in.html | title = McClellan: White House 'Heads in sand']

As a result of his assertions in his book, McClellan was invited to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. [cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/09/AR2008060902586.html | title = McClellan To Testify About CIA Leak - Washington Post] When asked about his testimony McClellan said: "I don't have anything incriminating to say here if that's what you're looking for." [cite news | url = http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/06/mcclellan_there_is_plenty_of_b.html | title = McClellan "I share blame"] During the actual testimony McClellan said: "I do not think the president had any knowledge" [of the revelation of Valerie Plame Wilson's identity] ; "In terms of the vice president, I do not know." [cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/20/mcclellan.testimony/ | title = McClellan: Cheney should testify about CIA leak] While being questioned by Rep. Ric Keller, R-Fla., McClellan conceded that the president had never asked him to shade the truth, use innuendo or employ propaganda, nor ordered anyone else to do so in his presence. cite news| last = Gillman | first = Todd | url = http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/DN-mcclellan_21nat.ART.State.Edition1.4d9a43e.html | work = The Dallas Morning News | title = Parties clash on Scott McClellan's book, congressional testimony | date = 2008-05-28 | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ]

Response to criticisms

The Bush administration responded through Press Secretary Dana Perino, who said, "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. We are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew."cite news| last = Loven | first = Jennifer | url = http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_mcclellan_book;_ylt=AoDI.8.h932XBISkIsceQPis0NUE | work = Associated Press | title = White House calls McClellan's book sour grapes | date = 2008-06-21 | accessdate = 2008-06-21 ]

Reaction from other Republicans repeated these themes of confusion, surprise and sadness, but were often more severe. Critics included former White House staffers, including Karl Rove, Dan Bartlett, Ari Fleischer and Mary Matalin. Fleischer and Matalin have claimed that McClellan had not shared similar doubts during his tenure in White House, and that if he had held such doubts then he ought not to have replaced Fleischer as Press Secretary. Both also claimed that McClellan was asked to leave the White House as he was not contributing to policy discussions. Matalin also called him "Judas", although she stepped back from calling the book a "betrayal". [FOX News's cite episode| title = Hannity & Colmes, 2008-05-28| series = Hannity & Colmes| airdate = 2008-05-28] McClellan has responded by stating that his role as White House Press Secretary was not to make policy, that he was inclined to give the Administration the "benefit of the doubt", and did not fully appreciate the circumstances until after leaving the "White House bubble."cite episode
title = Countdown, 2008-05-29| series = Countdown with Keith Olbermann| airdate = 2008-05-29]

On May 28, 2008, "The O'Reilly Factor" host Bill O'Reilly presented a clip from an interview with Fleischer, based on his prior contacts with McClellan, suggested that the book was heavily influenced by the publisher's editor. On May 29, 2008, Karl Rove appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" and said that McClellan's book had no evidentiary basis to support his assertions. McClellan stated on MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" that "everything in the book is a clear reflection of my views and everything in the book is mine."

References

External links

* cite press release
url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030620-17.html
accessdate=
title=Personnel Announcement (announcement of McClellan's promotion to Press Secretary)
date=June 20 2003
publisher=Office of the Press Secretary, The White House

*cite press release|accessdate=
url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030620-19.html
title=President Thanks Fleischer, Taps McClellan as New Press Secretary (remarks from President Bush)
publisher=Office of the Press Secretary, The White House
date=June 20 2003

* cite press release
url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/briefings/index.html#2005
title=White House Press Briefings by Date - 2005
publisher=The White House

* cite news
accessdate=
url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/04/19/national/w073731D93.DTL
author=Associate Press
title=Text:President Bush and Scott McClellan (McClellan's resignation)
work=San Francisco Chronicle
date=May 19, 2006

* cite news|accessdate=
url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3182331.ece
title=Former aide accuses Bush on CIA leak
author=Doyle, Leonard
quote=And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the Vice-President, the president's chief of staff and the president himself.
date=22 November 2007
work=The Independent

* cite news|accessdate=
url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/30/mcclellan.wolf.interview/index.html
title=McClellan backs some of Obama's agenda
author=Hornick, Ed
quote=McClellan -- who has faced withering criticism from the White House and other Bush allies since his book was released -- declined to answer directly when asked if he still considers himself a Republican.
date=3 June 2008
work=CNN.com