Friday, May 30, 2008

...and Justice for all?

Recently, ex-White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan released a book "What Happened" in which he explains the circumstances that led to his resignation and complete change of heart from where he once stood, as a loyal supporter and employee of George W. Bush. Well, he may soon have the chance to put his story to an even more practical use than telling Americans what most of us already know - he may have the opportunity to speak before the House Judiciary Committee.

Earlier Friday, McClellan said he would be willing to comply with a possible congressional subpoena to discuss the administration's handling of prewar intelligence, telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer he'd be "glad" to share his views if asked to testify.

Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Florida, said Friday that McClellan, who left the White House in 2006, would be able to provide valuable insight into a number of issues under investigation by the House Judiciary Committee.

The committee is looking into the use of prewar intelligence, whether politics was behind the firing of eight U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, Wexler, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said.

In the book, McClellan says President Bush told him he had authorized the leaking of Plame's identity to the press.
How about that? One Republican in Capitol Hill grew a conscience. Who would have thought it would be the one who paid the bills by lying for the President for almost four years? Even the wicked can be redeemed, it seems, and I am happy to give McClellan the chance to make things right. He's already off to a god start. Below is an excerpt from the book:
The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. 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.

I'm eager to see where this one goes. I do so enjoy seeing bad people get their comeuppance, and after this Administration has mandated torture, torn the Constitution to shreds, and committed us to a needless war which has cost hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, our President's penance is long overdue.

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