Perhaps I am being unfair to Scott McClellan by observing that he might be motivated only by money in writing his book. Perhaps one does have to be outside of the White House bubble to gain some perspective on it. However, I have little respect for all of the White House rats that are now trying to distance themselves from the Administration with Simon & Shuster mea culpas.

Be brave and do it when it matters. All of these people should have said something when it was happening -- i.e., when it might have made a difference. It does little for us now. Powell, Greenspan, and now McClellan actually dropped in my estimation when they came out against the Administration.

I would much rather here from those (and they DO exist) who took principled stands when it mattered, resigned when conscience dictated they do so, and did what they could to bring attention to the issue. THOSE are the heroes.

While I appreciate the insight, Scottie remains in my eyes the sweaty guy behind the podium that lied and obfuscated the truth with ease. From the press, from you, for the White House.

Overlander:

"McClellan has totally devalued himself as a professional liar. That means he'll never work in his chosen profession again. I'm going to buy his book because I believe repentance should be rewarded."

I'm not sure that it's repentance you are rewarding. I'm not saying don't buy his book, but in my opinion the "mea culpa" is in there to sell books, not because Scottie found God. My guess is you're rewarding self-interest, not repentance. And while it is "brave" for Scott to come out now with all these revelations, knowing that he would be excoriated by the Washington Sound Machine, let's be honest -- his whole job description when he was the White House spokesperson was to take abuse from people who were supposed to be critically analyzing and challenging him on his statements. How is that different from what's happening to him now, but for the fact that the White House Press Corps (by Scottie's own admission) sucked at that part of their job? Please. The outrage that he expresses now should have been expressed when it was happening -- you know, when it might have mattered somewhere other than on Amazon's Top Sellers list.

Revelations such as these are depressing. The media's failure to question the war now seems like a conscious and deliberate choice, which puts it beyond just intellectual laziness.

Can I also say that I hate McClellan, Powell, Greenspan, and those of similar ilk that are all too willing to say now that what the Administration was doing wrong. Cowards. All of them. IF they thought that, the time to speak up was when it was happening, not when you're trying to F*ing peddle your book.

Has returned. The last time I felt it, I was sitting on my couch at 3 a.m., watching the election returns in 2004. I did not go to work that day. I spent it instead thinking how I could possibly be so out of touch with the rest of America, and how could an intelligent people of such a great nation re-elect such a destructive fool. As the media narratives play out, the fact that we're STILL talking about Reverend Wright makes me fear that the headway it appears we made over the last few years is entirely illusory. The real issues are again being marginalized - the election is taking on the appearance of a popularity contest again, to the detriment of all involved.

I don't think I could take another night like that night in 2004, and it seems a little more possible today than it did a few days ago. Sigh.

Seriously, it's like honesty and truth are given no societal value in public and political discourse anymore. If you made up a false anecdote to make your far more misleading point, just admit it already. I have no interest in watching yet another attorney general try to dance through self-laid minefields to avoid admitting what everyone knows. It's nauseating.