The Feld-Blog

There are moments in my life I wish I could go back and erase. I am sure it is the same for most people. Everyone makes mistakes. However, the Bush Administration seems to think it has the power and prerogative to merely delete or edit their own gaffs out of existence. The official White House transcript of one of Scott McClellan’s recent press briefings has been altered to read differently from what McClellan actually said.

Scott McClellan is the White House Press Secretary – essentially the President’s public voice for day to day goings on in the White House. He always has to be ‘on,’ especially in the press briefing room where reporters pepper McClellan with leading questions intended to make him slip up. Apparently he messed up recently, but rather than issuing a public correction, as is the custom, the administration quietly edited the transcript.

McClellan was asked “We know that Karl Rove, based on what he and his lawyer have said, did have a conversation about somebody who Patrick Fitzgerald said was a covert officer of the Central Intelligence Agency. We know that Scooter Libby also had conversations….”

McClellan then interjected to say “that’s accurate.” At least the Congressional Quarterly transcribed it this way. You can even listen to the clip yourself by clicking here. The White House transcribed it as “I don’t think that’s accurate.” A pretty different sentiment if you ask me. Yet despite the recording of the briefing in which McClellan clearly says “that’s accurate,” the White House insisted that CQ issue a correction and change their transcript. Even if McClellan meant to deny the claim, it is blatantly obvious he did not say the words “I don’t think that’s accurate.” Just see for yourself.

It’s deeply troubling that the Bush Administration can stand in the face of undeniable evidence to the contrary and still insist that CQ issue a retraction/correction. This isn’t, or at least shouldn’t be 1984. Bush is not Big Brother. This is something I admit rarely, but there are times when he is a good president. That his administration is willing to go to such ethically suspect lengths to preserve adherence to talking points is overwhelmingly frightening. Never before have I seen such fanatical devotion to talking points. Its as if White House officials don’t have a vocabulary except that which is handed to them on paper each morning. This administration is against banning torture (see my post “Wrong Side of the Tracks”) and now they are blatantly altering records of the past and insisting its accuracy. Very disheartening. An we thought we needed the patriot act to be scared.