Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

McClellan Blasts Bush for Not Firing Rove

Role in Plamegate was enough to can him, ex-Bushie says

By Caroline Zimmerman, Newser User

Posted Jun 1, 2008 4:35 PM CDT

(Newser) – President Bush should have fired aide Karl Rove over the Plamegate affair, Scott McClellan said today. Publicizing his Washington tell-all book, McClellan also blasted Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Dick Cheney's ex-chief of staff, for denying they had leaked CIA agent Valerie Plame's name, the AP reports. "We had higher standards at the White House."

"I think the president should have stood by his word and that meant Karl should have left," McClellan said on Meet the Press. "The president said he was going to restore honor and integrity. We didn't live up to that. When it become known that his top adviser had been involved, then the bar was moved."

Republican strategist Karl Rove addresses delegates at the Republican state convention at the Mayo Civic Center on Saturday, May 31, 2008 in Rochester, Min. (Associated Press)

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan waits for his interview to begin on the NBC "Today" television program, in New York Thursday May 29, 2008. (Associated Press)

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's book "What Happened" is seen at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 29, 2009. (Associated Press)

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan appears on the NBC "Today" television program, in New York Thursday May 29, 2008. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan is interviewed on the NBC "Today" television program, in New York Thursday May 29, 2008. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Republican strategist Karl Rove addresses delegates at the Republican state convention at the Mayo Civic Center on Saturday, May 31, 2008 in Rochester, Min. (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Bush's CIA Chief: We Ruled Out Iran Strike

Michael Hayden says it would have backfired then, and would now, too

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush's administration pondered an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and ultimately rejected it, says former CIA and NSA chief Gen. Michael Hayden. He and others concluded that an attack on Iran's nuke factories "would guarantee that which we are trying to prevent—an Iran that will spare nothing to build a nuclear weapon and that would build it in secret," Hayden said, according to Foreign Policy . The same rationale holds true today, he warned: Go with diplomacy and back channels or risk pushing Tehran into speeding things up. More»

Happy Birthday, Bush Tax Cuts: You're a Total Failure

By every metric, the cuts delivered less than promised

(NEWSER) - This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Bush tax cuts, and Annie Lowrey of Slate is looking for reasons to celebrate. Unfortunately, she can’t find any. They’re “a failure in every conceivable way,” she writes. In 2001, Bush promised the cuts would create jobs, generate wealth, and “starve the beast,” reducing the size of government. Even leaving aside the 2008 recession, they did none of those things. From 2003 to 2007, median wages actually fell. More»

Rush Limbaugh: Obama Owes Us an Osama Apology

It's Bush's policies that led us to bin Laden, says radio host

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration shouldn’t be patting itself on the back for finding Osama bin Laden—it should be apologizing, says Rush Limbaugh. And so should the entire “American Left” for "taking every opportunity to undermine" the Bush-era policies that ultimately led to bin Laden's death. “Virtually every tool, every apparatus, every technique, every policy used to affect a successful mission to kill Osama bin Laden was employed by this current administration,” Limbaugh said today. But "Barack Obama campaigned against the very enhanced interrogations that have made him a hero." More»

Bush: I'm Done With Politics

W. says he won't campaign, fundraise, or criticize Obama

(NEWSER) - You won't see George W. Bush hitting the campaign trail in 2012; he's sworn off politics for good, he tells C-SPAN in an interview airing tomorrow night. “I don’t want to go out and campaign for candidates, I don’t want to be used as a perpetual money-raiser, I don’t want to be on these talk shows giving my opinion,” Bush said, in an excerpt spotted by Politics Daily . “Despite the fact that I’m now on TV, I don’t want to be on TV.” More»

GOP to Obama: Step Up Immigration Raids

And they oppose any path to legal status for illegals

(NEWSER) - Republicans are pressing President Obama to resume the large-scale workplace immigration raids that were a hallmark of the George W. Bush administration. Though deportations have soared under Obama, his administration has focused its crackdown efforts on employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants; arrests from worksite raids for immigration-related offenses have dropped by 70%, the LA Times reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

McClellan Blasts Bush for Not Firing Rove

Role in Plamegate was enough to can him, ex-Bushie says

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Bush administration • Valerie Plame • Karl Rove • Lewis Scooter Libby • Scott McClellan • George W. Bush • press secretary

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Bush's CIA Chief: We Ruled Out Iran Strike

Michael Hayden says it would have backfired then, and would now, too

Happy Birthday, Bush Tax Cuts: You're a Total Failure

By every metric, the cuts delivered less than promised

Rush Limbaugh: Obama Owes Us an Osama Apology

It's Bush's policies that led us to bin Laden, says radio host

Bush: I'm Done With Politics

W. says he won't campaign, fundraise, or criticize Obama

GOP to Obama: Step Up Immigration Raids

And they oppose any path to legal status for illegals

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

McClellan Blasts Bush for Not Firing Rove

Role in Plamegate was enough to can him, ex-Bushie says

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Bush administration • Valerie Plame • Karl Rove • Lewis Scooter Libby • Scott McClellan • George W. Bush • press secretary

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Bush's CIA Chief: We Ruled Out Iran Strike

Michael Hayden says it would have backfired then, and would now, too

Happy Birthday, Bush Tax Cuts: You're a Total Failure

By every metric, the cuts delivered less than promised

Rush Limbaugh: Obama Owes Us an Osama Apology

It's Bush's policies that led us to bin Laden, says radio host

Bush: I'm Done With Politics

W. says he won't campaign, fundraise, or criticize Obama

GOP to Obama: Step Up Immigration Raids

And they oppose any path to legal status for illegals

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?