The White House has mounted an aggressive operation to discredit the book, scrambling to obtain copies and contacting reporters to point out minor errors.
The White House attempted to discredit a book by Ron Suskind.Guess what?
We're not talking about the Bush White House or about Suskind's The Price of Loyalty. The quote above is from Toby Hardin's report on White House efforts to discredit Suskind's new book Confidence Men about the administration of Barack Obama.
For those who've forgotten, the assault on The Price of Loyalty was brutal. One of the biggest whores for the Bush administration was David Gregory who went on NBC's Today the day before the book was officially released to claim that the book relied on memos and that the White House said that material must have been stolen and they would be prosecuting. Gregory, who held a copy of the book in his hands on air, apparently forgot to read it or even read the introduction where it was explained how the memos were obtained (the White House had allowed Paul O'Neill who had handed them over to Suskind).
Now it's time for the whores in the press corps to yet again dance for their masters so watch to see who comes forward to aid in the attacks on Suskind this time.
Last week, Ava and C.I. noted, "Watching Charlie is to realize that you can say anything as a guest because there's no follow up on Charlie's part. The tight ass just can't 'wing it.' So although, for example, Panetta painted a picture of the administration which really left the impression that Barack is the Dead Beat President,the Absentee Leader, over-delegating and under-briefed, forever out of the loop, Charlie had no follow ups."
And guess what, folks?
That's what's portrayed in Ron Suskind's new book which comes out Tuesday.
Toby Harnden again:
Larry Summers, a former top economic adviser is quoted as telling Peter Orszag, then Mr Obama's budget director, at a dinner in Washington's Bombay Club: "We're home alone. There's no adult in charge. Clinton would never have made these mistakes." Mr Summers was US Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton.
Mr Orszag is quoted as telling the author: "Larry just didn't think the president knew what he was deciding."
So it will surprise a few, it will merely confirm a great deal for others.