My Summer Reading (Part 2)
In my last blog I talked a little about the threat posed by the Internet as it was presented in the fictional political thriller “The Whole Truth” by author David Baldacci. While his book is fiction, Mr. Baldacci is quick to point out that this whole idea of “perception management” – of manipulating news for the benefit of a few people – is very real.
I just finished reading “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” by former White House press secretary Scott McClellan. This book created a small firestorm when it was first released in June and the Bush administration was quick to paint Mr. McClellan as a disgruntled former employee with an axe to grind. I thought Scott’s book was very fair to the President, although it did point out the failures of the administration to be open and honest with the American people.
Scott’s big issue, and one which he believes was largely responsible for the downfall of the Bush administration, is the “perception management” and the permanent campaign mentality that, he says, has permeated the Washington political culture for the past dozen or so years, going back to the Clinton years (although its genesis goes back to Nixon and his blatant use of government agencies to maintain political power).
Scott covers his years in the White House and the signature events that marked the Bush administration in some detail – the decision to invade Iraq and the campaign to sell that decision to the American people, the Valerie Plame scandal that reached into the highest levels of the White House, the Katrina response disaster and others. It is insightful and a fascinating read. But his real focus is on what he calls Washington’s culture of deception and its reliance on the permanent campaign. By permanent campaign he means that after the election was won, the political campaign continued with Karl Rove and his staff instrumental in “managing” the news, polls and public perception to achieve the administration’s goals. There was no attempt to work across party lines to build consensus for legislation in Congress. Instead the plan was to force Congress to yield to the administration’s plans by building public support that would then pressure legislators to back the administration’s legislative goals.
Scott feels that this culture of deception is crippling our country’s leadership. The permanent campaign needs to come to an end and we need to foster a culture of cooperation and compromise that will benefit our country. I encourage you to read Scott McClellan’s book. I think you’ll come away with a greater understanding of all that has happened in the past decade and what needs to be done to create a better America.
Blessings,
Steve