Sunday, June 1, 2008

Scott McClellan - Like father, Like son

Scott McClellan was on Meet The Press today discussing his book about his years as White House spokesperson titled "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."

In response to a question from Tim Russert essentially asking him what changed? Why did you write this book? McClellan gave this reply.

MR. McCLELLAN: I, I tell you, I have--I continue to have a lot of affection for the president. I--as I say, this was a struggle to write. These were not easy words to write, but I have a responsibility to the American people. I have had a career in public service. This book is an extension of my career. I was raised on the values of speaking up and making a positive difference in a very political family that believed in the importance of public service. And that was taught to me at an early age, and now this is my time to share my experiences with the American people. And I think others should come forward and share their candid insights about what they learned and what they, what they lived and what they learned from it.

The part I want to emphasize is that Scott says in this quote that his family greatly influenced him. Very few people realize that Scott's father, Barr McClellan, also wrote a book on the subject of an American President. In fact the subject of the book is the relationship between two American Presidents, JFK and LBJ.

The title of the book is "Blood, Money and Power: How LBJ killed JFK". Read it. This is no fictional account. This is based on evidence that Barr collected over the years. He had some inside information as a member of the Clark law firm. He reveals a ruthless LBJ who was no stranger to murder in his earlier political career. The fact that it is a true story only makes it more frightening.

So my guess is that Scott's book arose out of conversations with his father after leaving the White House. I had already formed this opinion before watching the Meet The Press interview. The brief statement regarding his family during the interview only served to confirm my suspicions.

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