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In 1999, at the age of thirty, Scott K. McClellan accepted what he considered the job of a life-time: working as press spokesman for Texas governor George W. Bush, just as Bush was beginning his campaign for the presidency of the United States. Drawn to Bush's strong, successful record of bipartisan leadership and commitment to compassionate conservatism, and later inspired by his promise to restore dignity to a White House sullied by scandal and partisan warfare, McClellan would serve the president for more than seven years, becoming part of his inner circle of trusted advisers and attaining the job of White House Press Secretary. From that position, during what would become one of the most challenging and contentious periods in recent American history, McClellan witnessed day to day and year to year exactly what happened to take the presidency he served disastrously and irretrievably off course. In this bracingly candid and provocative book, he shares that story with the American people. What Happened provides a unique perspective on the events, policies, and personalities of the Bush administration, including 9/11, the Iraq War and the marketing campaign to sell it to the public, the Valerie Plame leak scandal, and Hurricane Katrina. McClellan shares his personal experience of who George W. Bush is and what he believes, explains how the White House operated and how its goals and priorities were shaped, and offers insights into the roles and personalities of top aides including Karl Rove, Andy Card, Karen Hughes, Condoleezza Rice, and Dick Cheney. Just as important, McClellan shares his keen understanding of exactly how our national political culture has become so toxic. He compellingly makes the case against playing "politics as usual" - whether in campaigning, governing, or covering politics for the media - and for making institutional changes to reform the Washington culture of deception that poisoned the Bush administration from within. Finally, McClellan looks to the future, exploring the warnings this presidency offers the American people as we prepare to elect a new leader. The Bush administration has been notoriously tight-lipped about its inner workings, but Scott McClellan came to believe that, in their reliance on secrecy and manipulation, they were ultimately fooling themselves. In this book he acknowledges the often painful truth of what happened, and holds himself accountable for his role in it.

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