VOA标准英语2008年-Former White House Press Secretary Defends Tell

By Michael Bowman
Washington
29 May 2008

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan is defending his controversial new book that accuses the Bush administration of deceiving the American people in the lead up to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington.

High-level White House staffers often write books after leaving an administration. But rarely do they cause the firestorm of controversy¹ and back-biting that Scott McClellan has generated with his new book, titled, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception²."

McClellan, who served as White House press secretary from 2003 to 2006, writes that President Bush waged a "political propaganda campaign" to argue his case for invading Iraq, saying the war was not necessary and a grave mistake.

Speaking on NBC's Today show, McClellan says the administration became enmeshed in what he calls "the excesses of the permanent campaign culture" in Washington, focusing on shaping public opinion rather than engaging in an honest dialogue with the American people.

"Everything is centered on trying to shape and manipulate the narrative³ to one's advantage," he said. "That is what Washington has become today, and that is the way the game is played. It is a battle over power and influence, instead of bipartisan deliberation and compromise. You get caught up trying to sell this war [in Iraq] to the American people."

In his book, he describes President Bush as a leader who makes decisions based on personal instinct rather than hard intelligence and critical analysis, and says Vice⁴ President Dick Cheney had unprecedented⁵ sway in both foreign and domestic affairs.

He also accuses several White House officials of misleading him about the administration's role in the highly-publicized 2003 leaking of the secret identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

Reaction to the book from McClellan's White House colleagues has been swift and forceful. Wednesday, the current White House press secretary, Dana Perino, described McClellan as a "disgruntled" former administration employee.

A former counselor⁶ to President Bush, Dan Bartlett, also appeared on NBC's Today show.

"Fundamentally, I believe what Scott is saying in his book is wrong," he said. "I think his allegation that there was an effort to shade the truth, that propaganda was used to sell the war to the American people patently false. I would not personally participate in a process in which we were misleading the American people. And that is the part that I think is hurting so many of his former colleagues."

McClellan says the purpose of his book is not to tarnish⁷ the reputation of others who served in the Bush administration, but rather to highlight the need for change in the way Washington operates.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

3 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

7 tarnish   

n.晦暗，污点；vt.使失去光泽；玷污

参考例句：

• The affair could tarnish the reputation of the prime minister.这一事件可能有损首相的名誉。
• Stainless steel products won't tarnish.不锈钢产品不会失去光泽。