Scott McClellan’s Book

In as much as I’ve been a critic of the Bush administration, this new book by former Press Secretary Scott McClellan feels mildly vindicating. I just listened to him on Countdown with Keith Olbermann giving a candid set of revelations about what he knew and when he knew it during his tenure with in the White House:

• The President admitted that he authorized Scooter Libbey’s leaking of Valerie Plame’s name
• Reported that the administration propagandized the rationale used to support military intervention in Iraq
• Said the press did not perform its duty in scrutinizing said rationale
• Admitted many people were “right” in their criticisms of Bush’s involvement in Iraq

Amidst the many unfortunate realities this nation has lived in over the past 7+ years, I carry a small sense of hope that has been strengthened. In this age of media and transparency, enough information was shared that many people were accurately critical of the Iraq war. I see transparency increasing, powered by this online set of media, that it will be increasingly difficult for future leaders to hide vital information from the nation. We knew it all along, that Bush and his administration was lying to us. Here’s hoping we have the courage to speak up next time we see it.

I’m headed off to buy this book now in the hour I have before the Lost season finale!

Update: I never actually got that book.  As I was headed out the door a blast from the past was knocking on it and I didn’t get a chance to head out that evening.  Nonetheless I’d still like to read this account.  In the meantime I did get Angler, the descriptive narrative of the Cheney vice presidency.  Equally informative, if not a hell of a lot spookier, the Cheney book is.  Which is probably a good way to compare Cheney to Bush, Jr. in general …

Happy “Law Day”

As stated by Presidential Decree, today is Law Day here in the United States.

What is Law Day you ask?  According to Mr. Bush, today, “we pay tribute to the men and women in America’s legal community. Through hard work and dedication to the rule of law, members of the judiciary and the legal profession help secure the rights of individuals, bring justice to our communities, and reinforce the proud traditions that make America a beacon of light for the world.”

Awesome, a whole day to honor lawyers.  Gotta tell you, didn’t see this one coming from a town like Washington.

By itself this wouldn’t be so bad, except that this holiday (established by President Eisenhower) supplanted May Day, or the International Workers’ Day, which was seen as communist.  (A nonstarter in 1958.)  Clearly our government has learned many of it’s tactics on the kindergarten playground.

I guess during the Cold this made some sense, as clear lines of demarcation between capitalist/communist, good/bad had to be drawn.  Right?  But as opined in this 2007 editorial, celebrating the rule of law has its own sense of irony here during the first decade of the 21st century.  The piece cites the “enemy combatant” and “unitary executive” doctrines as efforts to undermine the rule of law in this country.  Oof, today’s decree is looking more and more ironic!

So what do we do on Law Day?  Besides feeling discouraged by the state of our government’s paradoxical stances, you could:

• Participate in a Law Day 5K Run/Walk
• Go see Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
• Read Lawyer Jokes

Happy Law Day everyone!

(For more information on the efforts of the current executive branch to consolidate power within the Presidency, check out this Frontline piece entitled “Cheney’s Law.”  Click here for the full video.)