The Liberal Patriot

The Buck Stops Somewhere

J.G. Schwam - July 20, 2005

The always buck stops somewhere, but not on this presidents desk. Despite Scott McClellan's best efforts to give the Whitehouse press corps some other direction for their questions, they had none of it. In McClellan's 20 minute Monday briefing every reporter asked the same question in a different way, that is will the president stick to his word and fire Karl Rove or Lewis Scooter Libby for their involvement in the Valerie Plame disclosure.

McClellan has perfected two new tricks in the last few weeks. The first, don't clarify or elaborate in any way on the presidents statements. Take them at face value and that is all. He didn't even bother to say that at the conclusion of the investigation someone will be fired, as the president said. The second is his favorite, I believe I've already addressed that. He must be getting a lot of "snausages" for being such a good doggie and performing his tricks so well.

Scott is getting so good at not answering questions that he now has the confidence to call on Helen Thomas. Early in the conference he called on her. You can always count on Helen to ask the obvious questions in a simple direct manner. A manner direct enough to often be disarming. But not to Scott, not anymore, her question, "Why doesn't the president just ask Rove, Libby or others what happened, who said what”? McClellan's defection of this question was, that is what the investigation is for. This is true, true because Bush's administration if it isn't obvious by now is one that does not want to take responsibility for its actions, or the outcomes of these policies and decisions. This administration lacks the sense of responsibility for its actions. Actions that any middle manager would take, that is to simply ask his employees should a breach of policy or the law become evident on their watch; what happened?

But Government is different. The pot of money to waste to investigate the obvious is unlimited, making the implications of time, indeterminate and the necessity of an outcome unnecessary. Bush exercises power in a strange underhanded divisive manner. Most presidents have relished their authority to be the end of any discussion. Bush seems to be uncomfortable in doing so. Leaving others like McClellan to explain away his lack of decisiveness. McClellan’s tactic is to deflect back the lack of clear direction to the president, tacitly implying that he is decisive.

Bush in fact is the opposite of decisive; his delegation of this authority to powerful party kingmakers and powerbrokers like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney is evident. Articulations on war policy have been left entirely to Donald Rumsfeld and until he was discredited for conflicts of interests, Richard Perl.

The buck stops somewhere but not on this presidents desk, we have yet to find out where and when. In the mean time were stuck with the master obfuscator and deflector, Scott McClellan to keep the buck moving around the beltway.

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