2008 Woodie Awards
Judas cashes in on some trade secrets
Nandini Jammi
Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: Opinion
Who else was excited when they heard former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's memoir was going to tattle on the president and the rest of his cronies? Who else realized minutes later that McClellan was one of the most public of those same cronies? The one who, with a slight tinge of fear, would look into the eyes of White House correspondents during a press conference and spit out carefully sliced and diced White House soundbites? Call this pudgy and possibly opportunistic man what you will, but in his role as press secretary, he was most certainly a traitor. But it seems people can't quite agree on who he betrayed. I'll tell you who he betrayed: everyone.
Rob Stutzman, a former communications director for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, pulled out the biblical rhetoric against McClellan when he compared McClellan to Judas, claiming that he violated a covenant when he aired the president's dirty laundry.
Stutzman said that, "to be effective, a president must be able to rely upon the confidence to interact with his or her senior staff in candid and intimate ways. To effectively deliberate requires an environment of safety, of which the greatest element is the confidence of privacy and candor." Nice argument, Mr. Stutzman, but this isn't a sixth grade girls' slumber party.
Our leaders have had their share of candor and privacy in their closed-door meetings. What have they come up with? Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, hypothesized with McClellan on Monday's show what goes on behind closed doors: "It was done with a forethought. They sat in a room with each other and said, 'Don't tell them any of the bad consequences that could come of this war because we really want to do this.'" McClellan replied, "I don't think it was just like that."
How cute of him to smile as he protested his very role in the affairs: McClellan was the man who went public with the information. He admitted to Stewart, "You can't win by being as open and forthright as you should be. And that's the big problem." However, he excuses himself from responsibility. McClellan said he got "caught up in the … bubble." The bubble made him do it!
Rob Stutzman, a former communications director for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, pulled out the biblical rhetoric against McClellan when he compared McClellan to Judas, claiming that he violated a covenant when he aired the president's dirty laundry.
Stutzman said that, "to be effective, a president must be able to rely upon the confidence to interact with his or her senior staff in candid and intimate ways. To effectively deliberate requires an environment of safety, of which the greatest element is the confidence of privacy and candor." Nice argument, Mr. Stutzman, but this isn't a sixth grade girls' slumber party.
Our leaders have had their share of candor and privacy in their closed-door meetings. What have they come up with? Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, hypothesized with McClellan on Monday's show what goes on behind closed doors: "It was done with a forethought. They sat in a room with each other and said, 'Don't tell them any of the bad consequences that could come of this war because we really want to do this.'" McClellan replied, "I don't think it was just like that."
How cute of him to smile as he protested his very role in the affairs: McClellan was the man who went public with the information. He admitted to Stewart, "You can't win by being as open and forthright as you should be. And that's the big problem." However, he excuses himself from responsibility. McClellan said he got "caught up in the … bubble." The bubble made him do it!
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