Scotty Talks (More)

Scott McClellan did his first ever bookstore gig on Tuesday night at Politics & Prose, the popular independent book retailer in Washington, DC.

Since I’m in DC at the moment, I figured—what the hell—why not stop in? Judging by my admittedly unscientific pre-talk survey, the jammed to the rafters crowd—(an hour before the 7 pm event, all the seats and most of the standing room was already filled)—like me, seemed to be there primarily out of curiosity..

In person, McClellan looks softer, rounder, and even more man-out-of-his-depth-ish than he does in his TV appearances. Had he not helped promote the most disastrous and costly foreign policy blunder of our lifetime, he’d be a likable enough sort. The youngest of four, he still has the aura of the baby of the family, a nice, good-humored mamma’s boy. (His mother is Texas politician Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a former mayor of Austin.)

Some of his forty-minute talk was nothing we haven’t already heard on interview venues ranging from Bill O’Reilly to the Daily Show

McClellan talked about his surprise at “the scorched earth policy.…based on an orchestrated effort to discredit me…”

(Oh, really? So…Bush Co’s reaction to Richard Clark and the like didn’t give him a clue that the White House tends to take poorly to criticism from within?)

Yet, interestingly it seems that now that he’s had some time to adjust to the initial media frenzy following his book’s publication, his language in describing his time in the White House—and his relationships with its inhabitants—has gradually become stronger and angrier.

For instance, although initially McClellan seemed to go out of his way to excuse President Bush from any kind of wrongdoing, on Tuesday night, he talked about Bush as the most “controversial and polarizing president in recent history,” and that there was “no counterbalancing influence in the White House. It was always about campaigning and shaping the media narrative…” not “about solving problems.”

“I trusted the president and his advisers [in the run up to the war]. That trust, I now believe, was misplaced.”

(Uh, yeah.)

And about the run-up to the Iraq war:

“We packaged the intelligence and ignored anything that was contradictory.”

When the Q & A period came, I asked him if there was anything that he knew that might cause the president to march out executive privilege to keep him from his planned June 20 testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee.

He thought a moment. “Well,” he said, “they might ask me about something that’s not in the book like the U.S. Attorneys. And even though I was no longer press secretary then….” and he let his voice trail off.

But McClellan also told us very clearly that he was instructed by the White House to “vouch for Scooter Libby,” the way he had already “vouched for Karl Rove.”

“I was completely lied to by both Karl and Scooter.”

So does this amount to additional acts of obstruction of justice? That, evidently is what Committee chair, John Conyers wants to find out.

(NOTE TO JOHN CONYERS: Dude probably doesn’t know anything earth-shattering about the attorney scandal, but as long as he’s under oath, it doesn’t hurt to ask.)

Interestingly, the two big applause lines of the night had nothing to do with McClellan himself, or George Bush. The first came when he mentioned Barack Obama. “He talks about wanting to change Washington culture,” said McClellan. “It’s something I’ve been very intrigued by, watching his campaign.”

And then later, when he was asked about the upcoming presidential race, he said,

“I think this is a very important election.” A pause. “And certainly all the advantages are with Senator Obama.”

The bookstore crowd roared its approval, and McClellan hastily added, “I’m not saying that’s an endorsement.”

But by that time, people were lining up for book signings ….and seemed no longer to be listening.

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PS: GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!! 87-81! Woooo-hoooo!!!! Back in the series!