The Anatomy of Smear

Since last Tuesday, senior members of the Bush administration have largely put aside their governing duties and become character assassins. Their target: Scott McClellan, previously a member of President Bush's inner circle and, ironically, once a top character assassin himself.

In the world of "loyal Bushies," McClellan's crime is more unspeakable than pushing fake intelligence to lead a country into war or disclosing classified information, such as the identity of a U.S. intelligence agent. McClellan has dared to criticize his now-former friends. In his new memoir, he goes so far as to say that the Bush administration waged a "propaganda campaign" to deceive the American public into supporting the Iraq war. He also accuses Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and Vice President Cheney of encouraging him to "repeat a lie" about their involvement in the Valerie Plame leak case.

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This article was originally published in The American Prospect.