McClellan was one of the president’s earliest and most loyal political aides, and most of his friends had expected him to take a few swipes at his former colleague in order to sell books but also to paint a largely affectionate portrait.
Instead, McClellan’s tone is often harsh. He writes, for example, that after Hurricane Katrina, the White House “spent most of the first week in a state of denial,” and he blames Rove for suggesting the photo of the president comfortably observing the disaster during an Air Force One flyover. McClellan says he and counselor to the president Dan Bartlett had opposed the idea and thought it had been scrapped.
But he writes that he later was told that “Karl was convinced we needed to do it — and the president agreed.”
“One of the worst disasters in our nation’s history became one of the biggest disasters in Bush’s presidency. Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush’s second term,” he writes. “And the perception of this catastrophe was made worse by previous decisions President Bush had made, including, first and foremost, the failure to be open and forthright on Iraq and rushing to war with inadequate planning and preparation for its aftermath.”
I don't know how someone can be "in a state of denial" if they mention Hurricane Katrina while delivering a speech on Medicare in Rancho Cucamonga*, or if they cut short their vacation and fly back to Washington, taking the time to descend to 8000 ft for a little window seat photo op, and then proclaiming "It must be twice as bad on ground."
Then again, a day and a half later, Bush's staff still thought it was necessary to force the President to watch a DVD compilation of news clips, so that he could come to grips with the "reality" of the situation in that part of the world: It was even worse than "TWICE as bad" there!
Evan Thomas wrote:
The reality, say several aides who did not wish to be quoted because it might displease the president, did not really sink in until Thursday night. Some White House staffers were watching the evening news and thought the president needed to see the horrific reports coming out of New Orleans. Counselor Bartlett made up a DVD of the newscasts so Bush could see them in their entirety as he flew down to the Gulf Coast the next morning on Air Force One.
How this could be-- how the president of the United States could have even less "situational awareness," as they say in the military, than the average American about the worst natural disaster in a century-- is one of the more perplexing and troubling chapters in a story that, despite moments of heroism and acts of great generosity, ranks as a national disgrace.
Ah well. It happens. An Iraq here, a Katrina there... what's the big deal, as long as we make time for cake?
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Has Scott McClellan ever commented on his (estranged) father's JFK conspiracy book? He refused to say anything when he was Press Secretary, but hinted that he might talk about it after he left the White House. I recommended Barr McClellan's "Blood, Money, Power", with some reservations, here.
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* Bush actually did the Medicare speech with Scott's brother, Dr. Mark McClellan who was FDA commissioner at the time. Here's how Bush introduced him:
I put a good man in charge of this program, and that's Dr. Mark McClellan. He's from Texas -- (laughter) -- which means he knows how to get something done. He's got him a Ph.D. --
Labels: Bush, Federal Flood
