Most people, familiar with the workings of the George W. Bush White House are not surprised by the revelations of Scott McClellan in his riveting new book entitled, What Happened. His account punctuates the deceit and deception orchestrated by an administration that lied about the run-up to the war in Iraq and the deliberate leaking of intelligence information.
The most pointed question is, why did Mr. McClellan choose to reveal his story? After all, providing the propaganda spin for the White House in no way left him accountable to share his narrative upon leaving Washington D.C. McClellan describes his experience as press secretary as being in a bubble. Within this bubble, he passed along convoluted political spin while remaining in a protracted campaign mode.
As I mention in my book, Stepping Out of the Bubble, staying in the bubble represents the comfort zone, a place where we avoid the challenges and paradoxes of healthy living. The bubble protects us from having to confront reality. It is the place where we minimize and distort the full impact of real-life experience. The bubble is like an insulated cult - it protects us from the truth.
Like a polygamist leaving the sect, McClellan's departure from political life led him to encounter the realities of civilian life as his political perspective subtly began to shift. McClellan was forced to grapple with a huge dose of reality when he testified before a grand jury in the Plame investigation on February 6, 2004. His deposition and grand jury testimony could not have been a comfortable experience. He must have reflected on his prior disclosure in a press conference when he said "the president has made it clear that he wants to get to the bottom of this matter (Plame case), and that anyone who has information that relates to this that can help the prosecutors move forward and get to the bottom of it should provide information to the prosecutors."
I believe that testifying about these Plame-related matters may have forced McClellan to step out of the bubble about what he knew regarding the president's and his subordinate’s role in leaking intelligence information. Once McClellan had been debriefed by the grand jury, he must have experienced immense internal conflict. I believe that he must have felt enormous shame and betrayal and was primed for further disclosure.
I believe that Scott McClellan told his story because he is an intelligent, honorable person who could no longer live with the burden of a lie. If he maintained the lie, he would lose himself. He told the truth, not for monetary gain, but because he was conflicted and wanted to rid himself of the weight of scandalous propaganda and behaviors that he validated as press secretary for the president. The shame of it all caught up to him and his disclosure is a way for him to acknowledge the scripted verse (referenced in his book) on the University of Texas tower which says "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."
James P. Krehbiel, Ed.S., LPC, CCBT is an author, freelance writer and nationally certified cognitive-behavioral therapist practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona. His book, Stepping Out of the Bubble is available at Amazon.com. James is the Shrink Rap columnist for TheImproper.com, an online site in NYC. He can be reached at www.krehbielcounseling.com.
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