Charles Kaiser on Scott McClellan's new book, and Howard Kurtz's continuing conflicts of interest

What's left that can still electrify the Bush White House? A sudden addiction to the truth.

What a joy it was to watch master prevaricators from Karl Rove to James "Bulldog" Guckert (aka James Gannon) reacting in horror (the official talking point was "puzzlement") to the decision of good ol' boy Scott McClellan to write honestly about his former boss, a man whose administration has lied more brazenly about more subjects than all of its modern predecessors put together.

It was two lies in particular—the ones told by Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, when they promised McClellan that they had no involvement in leaking the name of Valerie Plame—that eventually inspired the former press secretary to come clean about the Bush administration. (McClellan's book includes Bush's acknowledgment that "We had some pretty wild parties back in the day," and that he just can't remember whether he "used cocaine or not." Gee, maybe he really did experience the '60s after all.)

Of course, it would have been nice if McClellan had experienced all of these epiphanies when he was still working at the White House, but that's no reason not to appreciate them now. It certainly doesn't hurt to have the president's former spokesman explain that all of the arguments for invading Iraq were built on a tissue of lies—even as John McCain campaigns on a mindless platform of continuing that catastrophic war forever.

Best moment of the week: Pat Buchanan, that living embodiment of Washington corruption, castigating McClellan on Dan Abrams' show on MSNBC for not resigning if he opposed the war instead of continuing to promote it. To which Democratic activist Lawrence O'Donnell replied:

"It's great to hear Pat Buchanan complaining about the lack of courage in a White House where a White House staff did not come out to expose that White House. Pat was part of the most corrupt administration in the history of the United States: the Nixon administration ... To this day, you can't get Pat Buchanan to say one negative word about the criminal operation called the Nixon administration that he worked inside of. That's what I call loyalty."

Buchanan's only reply: "Let me just say the break-in was a mistake—I agree with you."

Speaking of Washington corruption, Howard "I have the biggest conflicts of interest in journalism" Kurtz plummeted to a new subterranean plane last Sunday when he invited one of his wife's clients, Kimberly Dozier, to promote her new book on Kurtz's Reliable Sources show.

Kurtz thought it was enough to say in passing—after the interview—"I should mention that my wife has done some promotion work for Kim Dozier's book." His genius producers at CNN apparently agreed with that decision. Nobody else did. And according to Kurt's wife, Sheri Annis, this blatant piece of corruption wasn't even particularly cost-effective
for the Kurtz family.

Asked by Jacques Steinberg of the New York Times how much she had been paid to promote Dozier's book, Annis said, "It's about one-eighth of what I would normally be paid, especially if you divide it on a monthly basis. That's because she's a friend."