A Review I Wrote Some Time Ago.

The fact that Scott McClellan's book provides us with few of the "juicy details" of the intricacies and secrecy of the Bush White House is evidence of how in the dark the Press Secretary was kept at times. Having read the news reports about current and former Bush White House personnel being upset over the publication, I was at a loss to specifically identify which parts they so objected to. McClellan's book is far from an excoriation of the Bush Administration; McClellan consistently maintains an disposition of fondness for Bush, despite McClellan's disappointment over Bush's failure to live up to his original 2000 Election claims of overcoming "hyperpartisanship."

After completing McClellan's account, I end up regarding the book as an expression of disappointment and frustration, not bitter resentment. While I can readily fathom McClellan's irritation over being put in a difficult position of defending individuals despite their latently blatant lies, I do not conclude my reading with terrible degree of sympathy for his "plight." I discern a sense of naiveness with regard to the Washington political sphere as McClellan early on in the novel states his high hopes for an end to the "permanent campaign." Additionally, one must raise the question as to the actual veracity of McClellan's role in the mechanics of the Bush White House. Was he as innocent a figure as he presents himself? It will be interesting to see if another Bush Administration member publishes a novel that provides a sharply divergent account of "What Happened."

Despite these objections that I tend to have towards any single-person account, McClellan's book is a worthwhile read. While in the end the reader may not feel the book has entirely satisfied the claim made by the title, any insight into the opaque administration is welcome.