Scott McClellan’s One Right Thing
Doesn’t he look a little relieved? [The White House]
I will miss Scott McClellan. Regardless of what you feel about the administration, you have to feel sorry for that guy. He sweated that job, both metaphorically and literally. Ari Fleischer smelled frustration in the briefing room and enjoyed it like a wine bouquet; McClellan seemed, a bit, to want the press to like him. The White House pool report states that McClellan teared up while announcing his departure. He’s human, that guy. We wound him with our impertinence.
I developed an affection for Scott McClellan two years ago; I was underemployed and alone all day with C-Span. In early 2004 the White House press corps was asking about gay marriage and Bush’s National Guard record and the now quaint idea of a peace process in the Levant. Abu Ghraib hadn’t broken yet. It was a more innocent time.
So I know that it’s a flack’s job to repeat talking points, but McClellan repeated talking points, so often that in sequence his paragraphs made no sense. Then I understood what Karl Rove had figured out a decade earlier: in a briefing, a flack has one objective only. That objective is not to answer questions, or even to appear to answer questions; it is to never, ever be caught on tape saying anything but the One Right Thing.
Which means that the One Right Thing has to be repeated. A lot. Often three or four times a minute. Ari Fleischer dismissed questions; Scott McClellan answered them. Again and again. So below, left from that innocent time when I had brand-new editing software and no job, is five briefing’s worth of the One Right Thing.
Everything you hear in these sound files was actually said, in sequence, at a press briefing; if he says it fifteen times in the sound file, he said it fifteen times in the briefing. All I did was remove the filler between the sound bites.
My favorite one is “fulfilled his duties.”
March 23, 2004 “two-state vision”
February 24, 2004 “protect and defend the sanctity of marriage”
February 10, 2004 “fulfilled his duties”
February 2, 2004 “gathering threat”
January 15, 2004 “November 15 agreement”
April 20th, 2006 at 5:36 am
It’s a pretty impressive tactic I think. It sure is a good way to make sure you have control over what people say - Only allow them to say one simple thing.
Maybe we, the public, need to take advantage of this new tactic in the relationship between the public and governing bodies. We just need someone to give presentations to the admistrations saying things like “climate change… climate change…global warming…” and “help Katrina survivors… rebuild sensibly … help Katrina survivors”.
April 20th, 2006 at 9:35 am
Dunno, I still think Ari Fleischer was more weirdly masterful at saying nothing.
Jay Rosen: The Jerk at the Podium: Scott McClellan Steps Away, and Stop Us Before We’re Briefed Again.
In the latter, Rosen argues that white house briefings have become completely pointless and that the press should just stop going to them — in fact, make a point of not going to them. My thought: The White House shows its level of respect for it by credentialling people like Jeff Gannon; I’d feel like a chump sharing a room with that knowing that the whole point of the excercise is to make me stupider. Time better spent filing FOIA requests.
April 20th, 2006 at 9:36 am
So if the briefings are intended to be pointless, does that make Ari and Scott the White House’s first kabuki theater troupe?
I feel a Beckett moment coming on, Scott McClellan sitting under a bare tree.
April 20th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Don’t shoot the messenger? OK, maybe. But McClellan’s antics proved beyond a doubt that these White House briefings are pointless. The press should stop attending them altogether.
April 20th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Brendan, great piece of auditory montage. Unbelievable if I hadn’t listened. This reminds me of a performance art piece I watched a while back: 3SPEED 2000. You won’t get the flavor of this from watching the sample. It’s near the end of the piece where the spokesperson reduces his commentary to absurdity by repeating the same phrases to the media over-and-over-and-over. Breathtakingly boring to watch. A great commentary on absurdity in the public space.
April 21st, 2006 at 7:49 am
fulfill your duties…fulfill your duties…McClellan is going to make a great parent. How quickly will his kids tune him out? Now if only the press core had as much smarts.
April 21st, 2006 at 9:12 am
[...] estions; Scott McClellan answered them. Again and again.” Greeley goes on to produce edited audio samples of five press briefings McClellan held in 2004. The mechan [...]
April 21st, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Okay here’s the $64k question: Will Maestro Lydon become the next W.H. press secretary?! Wouldn’t that be great… take ROS to the daily briefings… can you imagine? “Brendon, what do we have from the blog today? Well Chris, we have a comment from Nikos who points out another policy flaw …” !!! It’d be too great… just too great.
May 1st, 2006 at 11:11 pm
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