Comments on: Scott McClellan’s One Right Thing

By: The Poor Man » Assorted

The Poor Man » Assorted — Tue, 02 May 2006 04:11:33 +0000

[...] ious sources: Can you tell a programmer from a serial killer? Kitten pictures. An audio tribute to Scottbot 3000. Ofuok’s musical tribute to Michelle Malkin̵ [...]

By: cheesechowmain

cheesechowmain — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 18:07:09 +0000

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.

By: Grownup Fever » two-state vision two-state vision two-state vision

Grownup Fever » two-state vision two-state vision two-state vision — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 14:12:47 +0000

[...] 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 [...]

By: sidewalker

sidewalker — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:49:27 +0000

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.

By: cheesechowmain

cheesechowmain — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 20:51:23 +0000

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.

By: glw

glw — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 15:26:14 +0000

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.

By: Lisa Williams

Lisa Williams — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 14:36:55 +0000

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.

By: Lisa Williams

Lisa Williams — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 14:35:14 +0000

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.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:36:38 +0000

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”.