Now we know. Scott McClellan becomes a wealthy man by betraying George W. Bush, while Bush betrayed the Constitution, with Scott McClellan’s advocacy and support, while good men and women die for their mistakes.
By contrast, Adm. William Fallon embodied the noblest tradition of military and public service by sacrificing one of the highest jobs in his profession, for the higher principle of preserving the integrity and honor of his military judgment.
Scott McClellan, and millionaire and Medal of Freedom recipient George Tenet, embody everything that has gone wrong in Washington in the dark age of the Bush years. They stand for the courtier, the sycophant, the seeker of power at all costs. Instead of risking their careers while others gave their lives for policies that were catastrophic, the likes of McClellan and Tenet did the wrong thing first, then the get-rich-scheme later, to make a bundle from their bungles, and a fortune from their bad faith.
Contrast this with the courage and integrity of genuine military heroes such as Adm. Fallon, retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni and retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki.
Fallon, Zinni and Shinseki spoke with clarity and conscience, with integrity and courage. They spoke real truth to power, when the power hated their words and retaliated against them. They put their military judgment, the integrity of their military advice, their honor in what they felt was best for their troops and the nation ahead of personal advantage and career opportunism.
While Fallon, Zinni and Shinseki acted with principle and honor, standing against the unwise polices of a disastrous presidency, McClellan and Tenet courted favor with power first, then peddled their wares for profit later while the number of Gold Star mothers continues to rise.
Make no mistake: Fallon, Zinni and Shinseki are heroes. McClellan and Tenet are bums.