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Should Scott McClellan Resign?

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Tue May 17, 2005 at 09:59:49 AM EST
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Keith Olbermann writes about Scott McClellan's representation yeterday that Newsweek and its unconfirmed report of desecration of the Koran by personnel at Guantanamo was responsible for the recent riots and deaths in Afghanistan.

It was just last Thursday, at a military briefing, that General Richard Myers said the protests and deaths had more to do with the continuing political and reconciliation process in Afganistan than it did to Newsweek's article about the desecration of the Koran.

Q: Do either one of you have anything about the demonstrations in Afghanistan, which were apparently sparked by reports that there was a lack of respect by some interrogators at Guantanamo for the Koran. Do either one of you have anything to say about that?

GEN. MYERS: It's the -- it's a judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General Eikenberry, that in fact the violence that we saw in Jalalabad was not necessarily the result of the allegations about disrespect for the Koran -- and I'll get to that in just a minute -- but more tied up in the political process and the reconciliation process that President Karzai and his Cabinet is conducting in Afghanistan. So that's -- that was his judgment today in an after- action of that violence. He didn't -- he thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine.

Yesterday, McClellan said:

The Newsweek story... “has done damage to our image abroad and it has done damage to the credibility of the media and Newsweek in particular. People have lost lives. This report has had serious consequences.”

Today, McClellan said:

"We appreciate the step that Newsweek took yesterday," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "It was a good first step. And what we would like to see now is for Newsweek to work to help repair the damage that has been done, particularly in the region, and Newsweek certainly has the ability to help undo what damage can be undone."

Shouldn't we have a press secretary who doesn't lie to us? Olbermann says,

Ultimately, though, the administration may have effected its biggest mistake over this saga, in making the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs look like a liar or naïf, just to draw a little blood out of Newsweek’s hide. Either way - and also for that tasteless, soul-less conclusion that deaths in Afghanistan should be lain at the magazine’s doorstep - Scott McClellan should resign.

Update: Tom Burka of Opinions You Should Have wonders if the Newsweek retraction will prompt the Administration to retract its war on Iraq.

[Comments hijacked, now closed]

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    Should Scott McClellan Resign? | 19 comments (19 topical)
    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    nice bit of misdirection. I almost forgot about NEWSWEEK's blunders when I read it. almost.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#2)
    by Beck on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    When I hear McClellan speak all I can think is "what a snake". Same for the guy who was his predecessor. He has to talk in circles all the time because he is not allowed to speak the truth but he has to be careful not to tell an outright lie, so what comes out is a convoluted semantic charade.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    And what "blunders" might those be, Ed? The same type of "blunder" the Bush administration made in listening to a source that they wouldn't reveal to the press that gave them all of the eroneous information on WMDs in Iraq? Information that was the foundation for the debacle in said country and ultimately lead to the deaths of 1620+ service men and women? You know the "unconfirmed source" that turned out to be the serial liar and booze-hound Curveball? Are these the "blunders" you were speaking of? Or are you talking about not referencing within the Newsweek report the other sources where this allegation has also been reported upon and discussed? I didn't add any of these sources links because I believe this site and DailyKos have done a good job of providing other corroborating sources for the allegation of desecrating the Koran. So just what specific "blunders" are you referring to, Ed?

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    McClellan resign? Only if Keith Olberman does first!!!

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    I'll see you one better for the sake of consistency-If we got everything wrong, the end result of SH being gone is still a good thing(of course, I realize most posters here disagree while mouthing platitudes about human rights). NEWSWEEK got their story wrong, hence the retraction. Fake but accurate does not cut it but you can follow it as your guiding philosophy. NEWSWEEK being wrong, however, does not excuse or justify the reaction of the savages. In just recent history, Islamists have destroyed churches, desecrated jewish holy sites, destroyed Buddhist monuments and more examples than can be listed here. The rush to excuse their murders is appalling but expected here.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    Ed, I didn't see anyone excusing murders. Unless of course your excusing the murders of Iraqi civilians, because after all "the end result of SH being gone is still a good thing". Oh crap! I forgot you threw this little nugget of heartless *** logic in "(of course, I realize most posters here disagree while mouthing platitudes about human rights)". Damn you and rapier wit. You've ruined my it's wrong to dismember children rebuttal.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    As usual, Ed, your ilk tends to ignore calls for facts and instead heap on accusations. Like saying that most of the posters here on TL would rather have Saddam Hussein still in power, which I have yet to see once written here. But the truth and flat out lies don't bother your side, now do they, Ed? So what you are saying is the ends justify the means, even when said ends were never stated? Like the world would be better without SH and that is why we are going to invade a sovereign country. Because this is exactly what your Preznit said to the American people in the run up to this installment of GWOT, right? No, it isn't. But enough of the obfuscation, I would like to know exactly how Newsweek "blunder"ed and where. Because as far as I can tell the accusation is sticking and other corroborating sources exist, so it doesn't really matter if they can't get anyone to go on record, it more than likely still happened. I won't say for certain that it did, but when you look at the sum total of the allegations of torture of detainees, the "Gloves are coming off" approach condoned by Shrub and Rummy, not to mention the numerous other humiliating interrogation tactics utilized by our military, I don't think it is much of a stretch of the imagination to think flushing the Koran happened. But from your "how the savages reacted" sentence you don't strike me as the most tolerant or thoughtful knife in the drawer, so why don't you just come out and say what you really think about the Koran, Muslims, and any other "colored" folk in this world that might hold a different view of the U.S. then you do. So one more time, Ed, just where did Newsweek get everything totally wrong? BTW, I thought Saddam was a horrible person even when the U.S. was selling him all of his precursors for biological weapons. So no, I am not upset he is ousted from power, but what about your Preznit's friend, the Prez of Uzbekistan? Why aren't you democracy spreaders upset that a peice of s#@t like that guy is still in power? Oh yeah, because he is a buddy of Shrub's, so that means he is one stand up kinda' guy.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    Oh yeah, Gen. Richard Myers commented last Thurs. that the violence in Afghanistan wasn't caused by reaction to the Koran story, but had more to do with ongoing problems endemic to the region. Not that the Taliban weren't peices of crap, but where were you guys when they were blowing the Buddhist statues? I didn't hear many, make that any, of those who consider themselves Republicans to be too terribly upset. In fact the only folks I know that raised the fact here in this U.S. were a bunch of liberals. Imagine that.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    are arabs "colored folk". I thought Islam was a religion. Do you think the followers of that faith have any obligation not to riot and slaughter. Apparently, you hold them to a lower standard. Isn't that racist/classist? I don't think when Theo Van Gogh was butchered, the Islamist doing the slicing was worried about America. Nick Berg either. If you can't see that and call it evil, you have the problem. Why don't you judge them for their actions? It would be refreshing on this site. NEWSWEEK admitted they were wrong-hence the retraction. If you didn't notice that, it's on you.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    I forgot to add-this psychopathic behavior profanes the religion more than a toilet flush ever will. But, that would be judgmental. Shame on me.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#11)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:10 PM EST
    ShermBuck writes - "Because as far as I can tell the accusation is sticking and other corroborating sources exist,..." And these sources are? Can you link us to them? and you also write - "but where were you guys when they were blowing the Buddhist statues?" Uh, actually SB we didn't really worry about the terrorists until they convinced us they were evil, and out to do us in. Now I realize you may think of us as the world's policeman, but we really not. If some group wants to destroy the cultural icons of a country we will galdly stay out of their way. Of course those liberals you speak of could have organized a brigade, as in the Spainish Civil War, to attack them. Why didn't you try that? Allergic to being shot at? As for your "colored folk" remark, as Ed noted, Islam is a religion of many races. Tell us, why the race card? Let me guess. Everyone who disagrees with you is a racist.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:10 PM EST
    Don't blame Newsweek , says columnist Molly Ivins. She reports on the many, many places the Koran desecration stories have appeared previously, and the shameful record of our mainstream press in reporting these outrages -- as well as the adminstration's shameful record in followin up on the issue.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:10 PM EST
    you are right. don't blame NW. hell, they're the real victims. you can't blame the Islamists for slaughtering people either-they are held to a lower standard.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:10 PM EST
    As the Bush administration heaps scorn on Newsweek magazine for its Koran desecration story, it worth remembering the President's own words during his April 13, 2004 press conference last year. Asked to name his biggest mistake, a modest (and incoherent) Bush responded: "I'm sure something will pop into my head here...maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one." With the White House and its conservative media goose-steppers pressuring Newsweek for an apology, I thought I might help President Bush keep track of his own: For more, see: "Newsweek Aftermath: The Bush Mea Culpa Watch"

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#15)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:10 PM EST
    Ed and PPJ = Frick and Frack Don't feed them. They'll just return and scatter garbage all over.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#16)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:11 PM EST
    et al - I read transcripts of some of the Press Conference and all I can say is if I had been McCellan I probably would have been in jail this morning. Here is a link to Powerline that has some excerpts. You can follow other links for more. Some of these folks are real jerks. aw - Can't stand up to a real debate, eh? That's okay. Keep reapeating: "Ignore the elections. Ignore the elections. I'm smarter than them. I'm smarter than them."

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#18)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:11 PM EST
    DA - Well, you apparently didn't notice that the comment was directed to aw, so how smart are you? But thanks for trying. Now, have a comment about the press conference?

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#19)
    by glanton on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:11 PM EST
    Bigger deal being made in this country about Newsweek than about the judicial debate. How nice. What's that? Newsweek may have made a mistake that led to unnecessary killings? How dare they? No wonder the White House is pissed. Of course, McLellan shouldn't resign. There'd be no point in it. What are they gonna do, replace him with a truthteller? Find me one, just one truthteller in the whole Administration.

    Re: Should Scott McClellan Resign? (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:11 PM EST
    McClellan said today that he hasn't read the Downing Street memo text, only references to it. What's wrong with him. No curiosity about PROOF of how his predecessor and his boss LIE OUT THEIR TRAITOROUS PIEHOLES? Smoking Gun Read it and weep for the families killed by Bush's illegal, trumped-up, falsely-justified, lied to the Congress, lied to the People, pogrom on Iraq. How come Scottie can't read? Because if he could, he would have to actually answer questions, instead of slapping the American people in the face. He should resign, but he has no self-respect to make him do so. That kind of Republican (i.e., those with honor) has ceased to be.

    Should Scott McClellan Resign? | 19 comments (19 topical)