Back Towards The Locus

In an interview with Daniel Libit, Scott McClellan – Whitehouse press-secretary turned representation of Bush’s failure – muses on the possibility of investigating members of the Bush administration:

“If Obama were to win,” he said last week, “that would be an issue his administration would have to face early … because he’s pledging to be a uniter, not a divider — without saying those exact words we campaigned on in 2000. He’s pledging to change the way Washington works, and if Congress were to pursue that, it would be very divisive.”

What’s interesting is to pull this quote from McClellan’s memoir, What Happened:

“It can be difficult, even painful, to look back on our own mistakes…It’s tempting to focus on the obvious triumphs or ignore history altogether in our constant quest for a better tomorrow. But I’m convinced there’s much to be gained from thoughtful, candid and probing self-examination … and that requires an honest look at what happened.”

Obviously, these are conflicting statements. As even the Senate reports that Bush and other officials repeatedly overstated the danger from Iraq, a “probing…honest look at what happened” would be impossible if investigations into those figures were not carried out. Urgent reviewal of American practises of torture, rendition, and illegal wiretapping would also necessitate investigation into the figures responsible. With regards to the latter, even Barack Obama tentatively agrees.

A tip of the hat to Crooks and Liars.