June 02, 2008 06:40 PM
Jon Stewart to Scott McClellan: "You talked about Fight Club"
Last night on "The Daily Show," Scott McClellan went two rounds with Jon Stewart to discuss his new book, What Happened, and, as always, was asked some of the toughest, most pointed questions of his entire media tour. In the second segment, Jon hammered the former press secretary on the book's theme of media complicity.
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"The entire Presidency was a facade of public manipulation. Doesn't he say 'I know what's best for the country,' and your job is to help me sell that to the American people without them realizing what we're really doing? Isn't that the gist of how Washington works now?"
You can catch the entire first part here.
McClellan was trying to remain on message much more in this interview than in the Olbermann interview. on the basis on the Olbermann interview I was intrigued about the book, but this one sussed out the REAL McClellan, the press hack.
As Stewart tried doggedly to talk about lies and deception, McClellan veers back to "the washington game" and so forth, trying hard to stop the blame from landing on him and Bush. Fundamentally, this book would be much more convincing and resonant if it just started with "I lied to you. And so did the president." Avoid all this bullshit about "wanting to believe" and "making the best case" and admit that the white house suppressed bad truths, trumpeted knowingly false information and fired critical officials in order to better lie about the iraq war. It is that simple. Stewart tries to get him to say that but he is pretty defiant.
We shouldn't need Jon Stewart or Kieth Olbermann to do this. This should be standard fare from regular journalists. Watch the first half and you'll see what is being missed in most interviews.
Simply speaking, Stewart said that he broke the Bush rule and wrote the truth about what happened instead of leaving and turning into a clay lump of silence. McClellan has a mind and exercised it. Bush supporters aren't supposed to have minds and independent thoughts
"We shouldn’t need Jon Stewart or Kieth Olbermann to do this."
Yeah, well, we also shouldn't have a citizenry so complacent that they willingly allow their government to lie them into a war where our children will be killed for lies and profit and where the leaders do everything they do only to enrich themselves and undermine everything this country was founded on.
We got the leaders we deserved, and we still let them get up every day, go back to the White House and do even more.
That's not Scott McClellan's fault, he's just one more despot's flunkie. We're the ones still not rising up and demanding an end to it.
Part 2 here http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=170970&title=scott...
I can't believe I'm saying it, but post Tweety's interview. Surpisingly enough he did a good job in getting to the real issue, that is Cheney.
Steward did good too, as expected. I was happy to hear him call this for what it was/is- homicide.
First time I'd watched him. Still making excuses Scotty. I did love the way Stewart 'eppeppeppeppeppepped' him in to re-listening to the question, repeated slowly. And then re-eppeppeppeppeppepped as necessary.
nel @ 4:
actually it just runs on after part one, sorry to waste cyber ink
McClellan,
"You can't win by being as open and forthright"
What he meant was "we" (GOP) can't win and truer words were never spoken.
"As always"?
Hardly. Stewart usually softball in interviews.
Now Colbert....
Does anyone feel like they're seeing the really Scotty for the first time?
Let's be clear why Stewart gets to do what he does.
He's good. He attracts viewers.
But ultimately, he makes money for his corporate masters.
Those folks can swing either R or D.
I love the juxtaposition of the media's pathetic "we didn't do anything wrong" tui-culpas with the fact that the toughest interview questions McClellan faced on his tour came from the guy who follows foul-mouthed cartoons.
Jon Stewart is one of the best interviewers we have on the air today, sadly. Oh, so very sadly.
"I think we in the media did ask all the tough questions in the runup to the war. For example: should America be terrified? Or horrified? Or just scared?"
I always liked Scott McClellan best from all the Press Secretaries, but what he is now doing with coming forward with this book is downright dishonest.
He carried Bush's water for a long time when most of the world could see the garbage Bush was feeding us. No way is Scott that stupid not to have seen it then.
All Proceedings from the book, should go to the troops who are lucky enough to return.
Scottie says he admires Bush---The lies never stop! What if he said--impeach/hung the dumwit?-- Not all Car crashes are accidents .
Scottie is the MAN!!!! Hard to believe I would ever say that.
Scott seems like a likable person. I think his book is a great catalyst to take a long hard look at the propaganda machine. If it leads to indictments that's even better. I'm glad he wrote the book and is shaking up the wingnuts.
I also think he was skewered ever so nicely by Stewart. good job.
Just watched part 1... I think John Stewart needs more power in the US, or something. The "willful deception" and "forethought" arguments that start at about the 5 minute mark are simple and perfect.
Carol @ 13:
I think that's the point (haven't yet read the book, but going on excerpts.) He DID see it at the time. He's not saying he was blind to the mechanizations, he said he thought they were appropriate.
That's a much bigger indictment than "I was duped." I can believe he was duped about the Plame thing, because he did seem at the time to take that one really, really hard.
What's dishonest here, and Stewart nailed him for it, is that he's STILL using weasel-words to try and gently encourage a "change of tone" in Washington.
That would have been more appropriate in, say, a post-Watergate or post-Lewinsky environment, where the biggest question is "how can we keep partisan nastiness from obscuring the truth when someone gets caught with their hand in the cookie jar?"
But this isn't about ducking and spinning to avoid personal or campaign-level embarrassment. Those may be petty crimes, but marching a country to war on the basis of a doctored sales pitch isn't just a little stumble in your personal ethics. It's a high crime that you should go to jail for for a long time.
You can argue that breaking into a hotel room should merit some kind of suspended sentence. You can argue that lying under oath about a sexual encounter that was probably not material to the issue at hand merits some kind of slap on the wrist, but not really jail time.
Thousands of people did not die, trillions of dollars did not disappear, our international prestige was not significantly damaged because of Nixon or Clinton. But this is different. This would be like, say, oh, i don't know, finding out that the Gulf of Tonkin incident wasn't on the up and up or something.
Someone. Needs. To. Go. To. Prison. For. "What Happened."
And how come Stewart didn't ask Scottie about his political aspirations? Why hasn't anyone? He is the son of a politician(Carol Keeton-Rylander was the name I last knew her under) after all.
I can't wait for Dana Perino's book, "What Happened While I Was Whacked Out on Thorazine?"
C.M.A.
Boy, he's so gooooood! That edgimacation done him good, unlike us middle-class low lifes, on the internets, who have been saying all along, from day one,...IT'S ALL A PACK OF BS LIES!
I hope I never get that highly edgimacated that I can't tell from which hole the crap is comming out from, ...from the "inside" of the port-a-potty.
Way to go $lick. Enjoy the "bloody" $$$$$.
Donate the proceeds of the book to bringing back the unjustly and unnecessary dead, as a result of your parties pre-planned, occupation plan, to create a "wonderfull"....New World Order.
"bring back the dead"??? Oooops! Too late!
'm I STUPID!
I think it sounds like he is trying to get out ahead of criminal liability. Did you see him squirm when Jon said "Homicide vs Manslaughter"? These guys are in VERY big trouble if McSame loses. Scotty is smart enough to know it. "I would be happy to testify in Congress" says it all.
Go ask Australia's John Howard if he's ever heard of the International Criminal Court.
And whats the first rule of fight club??? Yea, anyone who ever saw the movie knows that answer... I still don't like Scottie, but I'm glad he broke the rule. The nation so needs this curtin pulled back and these ... these...Crimminy, I've done run out of colorful expletives to use as discription, but whatever 'they' are, they need exposed for the hell they have and continue to put this nation thru... Also loved the little rocking chair and figurines at the end.. I would have loved to have seen that part of the interview but this snippet stopped just when that bit was getting interesting.....Oh well.....JD
Scott's naive if he thinks "the washington game" is going to change, b/c it isn't washington he dislikes, its plain ol human nature.
People will forgive you for lying to them.
But they will NEVER forgive you for telling them the truth.
Based on that principle Bush will never go to jail. People forget facts but they remember their emotions. Its just politics / advertising 101 - and everyone does it, including Obama.
McLellon must surely be going thru a big epiphany right now to realize that Bushie can't complete or get out of anything, either a double door, or just a spoken sentence. Oh right, and the endless war/occupation in Iraq.
Funny how Stewart got Scott squirming way more than Bill'O did. Jon got him on the defensive with the fact that intentioanlly NOT telling the people counter or negative information is just like lying, while O'Liely simply yelled and screamed at him "IT'S YOUR OPINION!"
O'Reilly couldn't be this smart and cool if he was taught........he's wired differently...bad wiring at that.Stewart is a master.....good interview Jon.
Where's Cheney with the gun, the same place he was in `63, the grassy knoll.
Has any of the interviewers asked McClellan if his book was vetted by the White House, and if there was any material removed due to vetting?
I'm liking a lot of what Scott McClellan has to say, and can appreciate that he is probably walking on eggshells during interviews. He can't give us a full, public mea culpa. The right-wing would exploit any admissions of guilt in an effort to undermine McClellan's message, and the more complicit (and most vocal) media outlets would play right along.
it was brilliant.
why not more comments?
hE'S CHERRY PICKING his criticism of BuSh very carefully , avoiding the REAL reason for illegally invading IRAQ , OIL and PERMANENT BASES to project U.S. military in the region and anything short of that is useful infotainment to keep the masses occupied , with contrived fights .
The REAL title of his book should have been , " THE SON OF A BITCH DID FOR OIL " , because THIS canard that bush invaded a country , killed hundreds of thousands of people and privatized IRAQ so U.S. corporations could take over their BANKS , TELECOMS , IS A LOAD OF bs .
You shouldn't reference the Fight Club part of the conversation since you didn't provide that clip.
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beltman713 @ 28:
He's in the conservatory with the lead pipe.
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carefulwiththatAXEeugene @ 30:
People only complain about bad things?
If it turns out that McClellan has really found his moral bearing and has emerged from this as someone who understands how the White House's message can be corrupted and misused, then maybe he would make a good candidate for Obama's Press Secretary.
I will go to my grave believing that Scottie boy was/is a willing stooge. His 'higher' calling, NOW, to warn us all to change D.C., is nauseating. He sold his sould then. He sells a book now. Stupid, empty, little man.
But Fred Schneider reading from McHellbound's book was a hoot. He should Schneiderize more books on tape.
I think he is right.
Having power changes your very perception of reality. Bush and Co are on a complete power trip, completely positive that everything they do is for the greater good. And certain members of the 'and Co' are profiting.
Gosh... am I beginning to find Scottie... kind of... sexy?!!!!
Someone should ask Scotty about all the other propoganda in the Bush administration. It should be documented in this context so people will understand. They were producing their own commercials with fake journalists. How did Jeff Gannon get a press pass? Fake press conferences. Phony news papers in Iraq, the same people sending news inside the US. Those are just the ones I can remember.
Why are none of the interviewers challenging the idea that the Presidend authorized the plame leak, but its NOT treason? He has the power to declassify. OK. He also has the power to launch nukes, but if he launches nukes against a US city, to keep them from voting for democrats, I think you could call that TREASON. Outing a covert agent for political propoganda purposes, compromising her work in the anti-proliferation group, I am pretty sure that is treason. Why the hell aren't they talking about that on the news?
Comparing O'Reilly and Stewart on McClellan Interview
Both Bill O'Reilly and Jon Stewart are among the plethora of media personalities interviewing Scott McClellan on his new tell-all book, "What Happened".
This segment takes a brief look at the differing styles and values of O'Reilly versus Stewart. Could the contrasting styles and priorities be seen as classic models of the authoritarian versus the liberal ethos?
People who suddenly think McClellan's a good guy have been hoodwinked- this book is pure disinformation , painting Bush as incompitent-thats what they want you to think- If people think Bush is inept, they will be less apt to see the truth that Bush and his caball planned, carried out and covered up the 9/11 attacks-
Bush is alot smarter than p[eople think, how else would he have been able to pull off 9/11 and cover in up?
Favorite quote:
"I could never top Fred Schneider," Scott McLellan on The Daily Show.
I agree 100%!!! I was watching this and shouting at the TV like Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST SAY IT?! JUST SAY IT! TELL ME!!!". What does it say about this country that you can get more truth from a "comedy" show than you can from the nightly news?
Well, I watched both segments and came away with the view that McClelland refuses to accept responsibility for his part in perpetrating a series of criminal offenses on the People of America and the World. He keeps saying the criminal behavior of him and his friends is the way "everybody" does it. Well maybe the CLINTONS did that. But that is because they copied the masters at organized crime: The Bush Crime Family. McClelland is a criminal and no book is going to excuse that. His crimes caused the death of millions of people in at least 3 countries.
It is all unforgivable and inexcusable and all these people belong at the business end of a hanging noose.
Now for a moment I want to criticize John Stewart's site. I tried to leave a comment there but everytime you want to sign up if you forget an element, they send you back to an empty page to re enter every element of your membership request. If your handle is used, you're out of luck, empty screen again. Comparing the site to the people who built the site at Crooks and Liars is like comparing pure *rap with pure gold. It is easy to jump in and participate at Crooks and Liars and it is harder than climbing Mt. Everest to participate at Stewart's site. That's why he only has four comments on the show. Nobody can get through the brick wall he has set up. You think he hates email or something?
A big BOO to John Stewart for that one!
McClellan is trying to have it all ways: he was only doing his job; but now that it's not his job, he wants to talk about how much his job stunk and collect book royalties and hugs from us liberals; but he doesn't want to call names and point fingers and piss off his former employers because they were sincere, albeit mistaken. I think he misjudged his audience like Tenant did. Everybody knows the thing to have done if his conscience bothered him was to quit.
Great show. I love watching the interviews. They can be so tense sometimes.
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