Monday, April 03, 2006
So CNN is reporting a rumor that new Chief of Staff Josh Bolten is going to fire McClellan and that Dan Bartlett is a possible replacement.
I always thought McClellan was much much worse at the press secretary racket than Ari who had a genius for propaganda. Ari understood that no matter what the question was all he had to do was speak for three or four minutes and based on the tacit laws of conversation the question and answer exchange was then over regardless of what he said, and further he had a gift for speaking articulately for extended durations without actually saying anything. McClellan never had the ability to produce the eloquent but contentless speech and would thus repeat his talking point over and over again.
The Dan Bartlett speculation feels dead on, but I also wonder if Karen Hughes is being considered. McClellan never looked comfortable lying -- he would fidget around and stammer -- unlike, say, Ari who was a natural liar. Another natural liar, as I have noted before, is Karen Hughes.
I always thought McClellan was much much worse at the press secretary racket than Ari who had a genius for propaganda. Ari understood that no matter what the question was all he had to do was speak for three or four minutes and based on the tacit laws of conversation the question and answer exchange was then over regardless of what he said, and further he had a gift for speaking articulately for extended durations without actually saying anything. McClellan never had the ability to produce the eloquent but contentless speech and would thus repeat his talking point over and over again.
The Dan Bartlett speculation feels dead on, but I also wonder if Karen Hughes is being considered. McClellan never looked comfortable lying -- he would fidget around and stammer -- unlike, say, Ari who was a natural liar. Another natural liar, as I have noted before, is Karen Hughes.
