Although the media seems to be tagging Scott McClellan’s avowal of the obvious in the pages of his new book as revelatory on a seismic scale, I’m not biting the line. It’s not that I believe McClellan isn’t telling the truth to somehow alleviate his position as a dickwad historical footnote. It’s rather that this latest “shocker” just solidifies my feelings on McClellan and any other former Bush shill who throws a hissy fit five years after the fact.

For anyone who has watched the evolution of White House press conferences over the past eight years, you know they’re marked by a continuing devolution into the pit of obfuscation. From the arrogance of Ari Fleischer to the actual cognitive deficiencies of Tony Snow and Dana Perino, the once vital function of Executive transparency to the media has eroded into dust. Remember Plamegate? While I’m sure that most Americans never really understood what the hell that scandal was all about and that the improper, but overblown vendetta didn’t really deserve the “gate” status, it’s hard to believe that McClellan was a chivalrous knight sidelined by ignorance of the facts or coerced hush-hushing by his superiors. If you watch video footage of press conferences during Plamegate (yes, Youtube has that stuff), you’ll notice through his answers that McClellan is either a doddering moron or actively barring reporters from information. He does look very uncomfortable as his mind is no doubt trying to swallow the gristle of misinformation and obstruction, but his obedience is nonetheless victorious over lofty principle.

McClellan’s tenure as White House Press Secretary is telling in terms of how we should feel about his latest admissions about the Bush administration. What I see is either a man who acquiesced to cover-ups and self-described “propaganda” or who was too spineless to let his conscience accept the consequences if he actually stood up. Hearing this doughy bureaucrat blurt crap out his ass like “I have a loyalty to the truth” years after his eviction from position makes me sick. To admit the dirty secrets of a shadowy administration actively pursuing cloak and dagger tactics a mere eight months before that clan of con artists is finally wiped clean from office is not a noble undertaking. It is a way to sell books and salvage a shred of reputation.

Where was McClellan’s loyalty to the truth five years ago? Where was it when it actually mattered? The blunt truth of the here and now is that this admission is little more than a fart in the wind. It’s crying wolf after the pack has gutted the sheep pen and already shit out the digested remains. Bush will get away with saying how disappointed he is in little Scotty and retire to his ranch in safety and comfort while the U.S. withers under his irresponsibility. People like Scott McClellan had every chance to fight against this malfeasance and they didn’t. And now the rest of us not only have to suffer that, but also the belated audacity of this coward? Puh-lease. And to think that people burn Harry Potter books…