The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Jon Stewart Talks Presidential Deception with Fmr. Bush Press Secretary | TDS Time Machine

Episode Date: June 3, 2024

From June, 2008, Jon laments the less-than-enthusiastic reading of his guest’s audiobook and turns to B-52s front man, Fred Schneider, to liven up the text. Plus, an analysis of DNC Primary in-fighting as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama compete for the 2008 nomination for President. And Jon chats with ex-George W. Bush Administration Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, about his tell-all book detailing the constant campaign culture in politics that leads to avoiding truth and deceiving the American people on matters like the pretense for going to war.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central. From Comedy Central's World News Headquarters in New York.

This is the daily Show with John Stewart. Yeah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Hey, everybody! Welcome to the Daily Show! My name is John Stewart. What a show for you tonight. Man! Man!

Man! Man! Man! Welcome to the Daily Show! My name is John Stewart. What a show for you tonight. Man! Man! I am revved up tonight and not just. I got a big shout. Tonight I'm excited because we have a daily show exclusive! Former White House President Scott McClellan in what is being built by us as his only appearance on television with a daily show exclusive! All right, I got nothing. Of course, Scott McClellan has just written a book called What Happened,

An Insider Account of Spin and Propaganda that will mildly confirm the things about this administration that angered and frightened you over the first couple of years of their reign, and then over time you have come to accept as the new normal. I didn't read the book of course because it's harvest season. But I listened to the hell out of it on my John Deer. That's a tractor for you elites. Pretty remarkable audio book. Check out this passage. Being evasive is not the same as lying in Bush's mind.

You know, look, I'm not an audiobook producer anymore. But I do live by one simple rule. When you got something important to say, how you say it is nine-tenths of the law. You got to zazz it up, you got McClellan reading his own book. You got a blockbuster script with straight to video talent, no offense. Let me show you something. Schneider. Hey everybody, Fred Schneider the B-50 Dudes is on tour with the new album! Funplex! Funplex! Nice to see you.

Hold on. How you doing, Fred? I'm fine, thanks. Thanks. Thanks, Fred. The Scott McClellan book is an incredibly important book, but it's a bit of a dry read on the audio version. I was hoping you could put a Coda Schneider on this one could you? Yeah. Music. Being evasive's not the same as lying in bushes mine.

Being evasive's not the same as lying in bushes mine! Yes! Yes! Yes. Cut in print. Now that is a page turner. That is something people get excited about you. Stick around a little bit. Okay. All right. Do you want me to do another one?

I'd love another one? I'd love a quick one. Okay. All right. Here we go. Okay, this is from page 217. Okay. All right. Music. As I entered the oval area, I ran into

Scooter Libby. Yes. Thank you very much. French Snyder, to B-52s. That's an audio book. That's what I'm talking about. All right, so here we go here, folks. Anyway, I hope y'all had a nice weekend.

I had tickets this weekend to go see the Democratic Party rules and bylaws committee playing at the Marriott in D. Buh. But obviously I couldn't go ahead, a family obligation. Man, when I was single right out of college, I don't think I missed one bylaw committee rule meeting session. I got a bootleg from 1980, sickest meeting ever. It was one where Carter supporters recommended the committee adopt rule F3C bonding delegates to the pledge candidate on the first ballot. If you remember it, you weren't there, mother-of-fixie.

Hey! I didn't think I was going to be able to get that out, but... Anyway, at this meeting this time, the Michigan and Florida delegations petitioned to have their votes reinstated after having them stripped because they violated party rules by moving up their primaries. The argument to do so was pretty passionate. Let me go to appeal one that the charter delegates shall be delegates. The NC members and the other charter delegates shall be delegates shall. There's no conditional use of the word. The question is shall provide or shall permit.

Shall provide to me is mandatory. Shall permit is discretionary. You ever gotten really high and thought about what shall really mean? Really, man? Actually, the meeting wasn't just about procedural arguments and redefining words. This meeting was about the good people who'd been disenfranchised in Michigan and Florida. Tabita Burgos, who cast her very first vote in Orlando. Megan Foster, a mother of five from Tampa. Charlotte Jennings from Boynton Beach, Florida.

She's 82 years old. About Mary Mooney. She's from North Florida. Edith Rosen from Boker retone, who at 94 years old waited in line to cast her vote. Matusola Jones, 186 years old, traveled from her home to the voting booth via Pogo Stick. Yoda Schwartz from St. Petersburg. 780 years old had herself cryogenically frozen to be defrown. Yoda Schwartz from St. Petersburg. 780 years old had herself cryogenically frozen to be defrosted only in the case of such an historic election. Oh, and in an astonishing coincidence, the very principal decision of how to seat the delegations

broke down precisely along candidate lines. Barack Obama's people registered their firm belief in the prior rule of law. Hillary Clinton's people registered their firm belief in the power of one man, one vote, causing some hilarious mix-ups. Take Clinton advisor Harold the aptly named Ickes, who last year as a member of this committee, very same committee, voted to strip the Florida and Michigan delegations back when his candidate didn't need them. I am stunned that we have the gall and the hutspa to substitute our judgment for 600,000 voters.

Was the process flawed? You bet your ass it was flawed. Do I think I'm cool for saying ass? Better f-bottling it. Ultimately, the committee agreed to seat both states delegations but with their half vote not their whole vote. Florida split 105 for Clinton 67 for Obama a portion based on the outcome of its primary. Michigan split its delegate 69 to 59 based on a formula factoring in exit polls, write-ins, uncommitted

votes, whether conditions happenstance, hit points and the indescribable star wattage of Julia Roberts smile. Oh, pretty woman, is there nothing you can't light up? So we're good now? Everybody happy? Crazy lady, you've been awfully quiet tonight. The Democrats are throwing the election away. For what? An inadequate black male? Who would not have been running had it not been a white woman. Okay. See you at Passover, Grandma.

We'll be right. Hey, you know what? Hey, Fred. Can you take us out? Okay. Music? Yeah. Right back, baby, right back. Right back, we'll be right back, baby! Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, it's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting, you'll be saying to yourself, TGID, thank God it's Thursday we're going

to be talking about. All the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance, it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on

Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with guest tonight, he served his White House press secretary from 2003 until 2006. His new book is called, What happened? Inside the Bush White House and Washington's culture of deception. Please welcome back to the program. Scott McClellan, sir. How are you?

I'm doing great. I don't know that I can talk Fred, but I'm doing well. Welcome, Fred is all right. He really should have read your book. Nothing against you. But your book, with you reading it? It's actually a very good book, and I read it over the weekend, what happened. You're taking a lot of heat for this. You talked about Fight Club. And now they've come out and they've hit you with...

He was disgruntled. What else have they said? You were out of the loop. These are all the administration officials. Are they destroying you in the way that you thought they would? Does this miss the McClellan touch? You know, you were there when Richard Clark did his book. You had some some tough things to say about him. How... I actually saw him the other night, Richard Clark. Did you really? Yes, and I apologize to him. I hadn't even read his book and I was describing these motivations to him based on the talking points the the the th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the, th. the, th. the, the, the, th. the, th. th. th. th. th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. I, the. the. the. the. the. to. to. to. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. te. the toge. the. the. the. th motivations to him based on the talking points that we use at the White House. On his because you had said Richard Clark he doesn't know anything he was gone for a year and a half what is it? How would you

destroy you? What would you? What would you use on you? Well I think the White House has probably been a little bit more personal than I expected. the It was a little surprising how personal some of it got, but I think I would have stayed away from that. I think when people see the book and get a chance to read it, they see my sincerity and what I'm saying in there is my views. It's mild. And especially compared to so many other books previously that have said similar things. They're kind of turning this into gotcha points and their views. And there's really a larger message in here that is one that I think a lot of us really want to see happen, which is in the partisan warfare in Washington, D.C. and let us move beyond. Here's my favorite one they've been using on you.

Roll, roll the tape that they got here. This is not the Scott we knew. It's just inconsistent with the individual that we knew is Scott McClell and the th Scott McClellan's. It's that Scott has said things that really don't want sound like Scott, frankly. This doesn't sound like Scott. This is amazing. Their argument here is you're not you. I'm not, I'm finally speaking for myself, but I'm not me.

I mean, if they look at the book and get a chance to read it, they'll see who I am. I grew up as an up up up up up up up up as an the the the the the the the the the the. I the. I the. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I'm. I'm. I'm. I grew up. I thrown. I. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I................................................................................................................. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the in politics, joined the governor's staff thinking we could change Washington like he had done in Texas, where he was a very popular bipartisan guy and got there and things didn't turn out quite the way we hoped. How does this happen? This is not Scott. Take me into the meeting where they brainstorm the terrible things. Theels. the tha who oversees communications. Who's in that?

That'd be Ed Gillespie, the communications director, probably. All right. Is the press secretary in there? Dana Greeno, yes, she would be in there. And they say things like, uh, his brain was eaten by bats. That'll never work. That's what they used early on too. Really? So they throw stuff up on a blackboard. It's more talking amongst themselves and then coming up with those points. And will they say like, this will be a great point because it will make him look foolish?

How explicit is the conversation? Well, I think it's, yeah, how can we discredit this? I mean, this has got a powerful message and one that's not the purpose of it. The purpose of it is something bigger, like I said, which is changing the way Washington works. Right. But, see, I'm so interested in the way Washington actually works because... It's good for you.

No. Not, not as a thinking, breathing, sentient being, but, uh, yes. But, uh, what I kind of want to to to, to, to, to, to, to, the, to, to, to, the, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, to, to, to, the, to, to, the, to, to, to, the, the, the, the, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the way, the way, the way, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, what I kind of want to figure out is, because you talk a lot about how this process was applied to the Iraq war. The same process that takes the what happened book and comes up with a list of pejoratives was applied to war and policy. That's right. It's this permanent campaign culture that I talk about and how destructive it can become, particularly when it's used in matters of leading the nation to war,

where you should be talking about the actual truths of the situation on the ground so that expectations are known going in, and we understand exactly what we're getting to what the cost, are, what the costs are, what the consequences are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, and, what are, and the costs are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what are, what, and, what are, what are, what??.. the costs are?. the costs are? the costs are? What is. the costs are?. the, what?. the, what?. the the, what, what, what, what?.... the, what, what, what, what is...... What is... What is. What is.. What is??... What is, the, the, the, the, is?.... the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the te out in the run-up to the war and somebody asks him, how much is the war going to cost? And he says, I don't know, maybe $100 billion, maybe $200 billion, and you have to run then into the president's office and say, oh my God, somebody just mentioned something that's true. Actually, I was traveling with him that day and I had to warn him, and I, I, and I'm, and I'm, they. And, they. And, they. And I'm, they. And I'm, they. And I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm they. to say, I'm to say, I'm to say, I their, I'm thi, I'm thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I their. And he he he said, I thi, I thi, I said, I thi. And he thi. And he the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thi. thi. thr. thr. toean. thr. toean. toldean. toean. toda. toda, I said, I said, I said, I said, I said, I'm thi. He wasn't planning to take questions. And he was pretty steamed about it because it wasn't part of the message that we were trying to get out at the moment. He was really making news that we didn't want made,

and that's a big no-no in the administration. Now, how is that, you mentioned, you that, this is going to cost $200 million and you say, yeah, yeah, don't tell him that. Just tell him, it'll pay for itself. I mean, they'll tell him anything. That was the thing. Well, no, guys came out and said it'll pay for itself. Well, yeah. Absolutely. their today. thrown. thattea. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. they. their. that. that. their. tha. their. their. their. that. their. their. their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their th. th. th. tha. tha. tha. tha. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. tell. tell. te. tell. tell. tell. owitz I think was one of those who said that the deputy secretary of defense and maybe he really believed it or convinced himself. I don't know but it was definitely off base. Somebody made a willful decision. Somebody made a willful decision. Don't talk about the price because that truth may make people thi people. May make people think twice about it. And the cost that cost that concern me more of course is the human cost, the irrevocable human cause. This was just the one example, the irrevocable human cost, everything. Isn't that the very

definition of deception? Well yeah and the question is if we start saying is this deliberate or is this intentional or you look at it in a different light? If this is just the way everybody does it? That's what we've got to stop. If they sat in a room and said when we go to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. their. their their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. And their. their is their. their. their. their is, their. their. their. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. their. their. their. their. their their their their te. te. te. te. te. their their their their definition. their definition. their their definition. the, let's not tell them how much it costs, let's not mention it. That's a sin of omission. That's a lie. Yeah, it's a, there's really no difference whether it's deliberate or intentional or, or, or, or, or, or, or not. Well, they're both problematic in their own way. They're not both problematic.

One is homio-'s involuntary manslaughter. One would be criminal, for instance. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. That's my point. Isn't, but in the book, you make it very clear, you go out of your way to say you don't think it's intentional. But I haven't seen any evidence that it's not intentional because everything was done with a forethought. It may not have been done with malice, so it may not be first-degree murder, but it was done with a forethought. See I think these are good people. They just got caught up in this whole. It was done with a forethought. They sat in a room and tol-tied. They sat in a room with each other and said, don't they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they said, th. th. thed, thed, thed, thed, thed, that, that, that, the, the, the, the, the, tho, the, the, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thed thed thed thed thed, thed thed, thed, th. th. thed, thed, thed, thed, thed thed thed thed that, that, that, that, that, that, the, theat, theat, theat, theat, theat, theat, theat, theat, theat, may may that, may thtell them any of the bad consequences that could come of this war

because we really want to do this. I don't think it was just like that. Gap-a-kip! Tell me what wasn't like that? Well, I think it was more talking about what's the strongest possible case we can make. It was telling about what we do. We really want to do this. Well it could cost 200 billion dollars, don't mention that. You're in there. Thousands of people may die. Yeah, you might not want to bring that up. What if they call me in front of Congress to testify about it? Just say something. Isn't that?

Isn't that? All right. We're going to take a commercial. We'll be right back with Scott McGraw. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, it's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting, you'll be saying to yourself, TGID, thank God it's Thursday we're going to be talking about. All the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. the election. Economics, earnings calls. What are the. the. the. the. What. What. the. What?? the their. their. their. their. What are. their. their. What are. their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their the weekly. thoade. thoad. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. We. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea.g. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. toea. toea. Wea. toe. toe. toe. the the. the.. All the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance, it's probably second.

I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Hey, welcome back. The song of the Scott McClellan. The book is called What Happened. Actually, I actually enjoyed the book. It was, here's what I find so fascinating. And this has to do with the media's role in all this.

And the way that, uh, you say that they were complicit. Ari Fleischer, who was your predecessor, and Karl Rove, who, whether you believe he has good intentions or not, clearly is the strategic head of the propaganda in Bush White House, were hired by news organizations, literally spent their entire careers over the past few years lying to them, or to put it, more pleasantly obfuscating. And the people that they did that to, went, went, she came. few years lying to them or to put it more pleasantly obfuscating. And the people that they did that to went, you guys are great. And they hired them. How is that not, I don't know, from low self-esteem?

Why would they do that? Why would they continue to aid these people? It's the whole relationship in D.C. That's the way, you know, they view them as their, as their, as their, as their, as their, as their, as their, as their, as their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e. their.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e would they continue to aid these people? It's the whole relationship in DC. That's the that's what you know they view them as the brilliant strategist that operates under these game rules and does a great job so you know we value what his what he has to say. Is it now like when like a it's like a thi. thefee, and theat, thi. thi. theat. th. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. their. their. It, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their, their. their, their, their, their, their, their, their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. that exists in DC and I I think we need to reevaluate that. But can we re-evaluate it before we get candor on the situation? You know about the Bush administration, you need that first. You talk about them veering off course, right? From my perspective, they've been on the same course all judgment was bullshed. Because backstage, they were creating sequency and rearranging the rules from day one,

they were creating a facade. See, here's the difference, just in my view. I was there. I still have a personal affection for the president. But you've got to separate your personal affection from his actions and deeds. And that's what I was able to do once I stepped out of that whole White House bubble. I don't know him personally, so all I have are actions and deeds. You haven't had them on yet?

You haven't had him on yet? He hasn't been here yet. But what do you say about that? But what do you say about the entire presidencythat way that way that the that's the problem doesn't he say I know what's best for the country And your job is to help me sell that to the American people without them? to realize that. Well, he didn't say that way. that way. that way. that way. that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the thi. the is the the the the the the is the is the is the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo to look at it. If we make the arguments on the basis of the actual argument, we lose, let's not make it on that basis. There is, absolutely, there's some of that, that you can't win by being as open and

forthright as you should be. And that's the big problem. And one of the things I talk about in the end, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, about, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, let, the, the, the, let's the, let's the, let's the, let's the, let's the, let's the, let's, let's, let, let, let, let... the, let. the, let. the, let. the, let.. the, let..... to.... to. to.. to. to. to. to. to. to. Let, let, let, let, let, let, let's, let's, let's the, let's the the the the the the the the the too. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th th th th to some other ways to solve this. When they leave, does this end? No, it started before us. It's been going on for 15 years how bad this is. And, you know, both candidates are now talking about ending it. Here's my last thing. On your last day, can you play the clip of his last day with the president? One of these days, he and I are going to show me something. All right. So here are the chairs. I'll be the president.

You can be you. How close, if this is the porch, how close are you sitting and where's Cheney with the gun? I appreciate what you're trying to do now, and I think candor is the only way to get past this, and I hope that other people take that lead. What happened is on the bookshelves now, Scott McClellan! Explore more shows from the Daily Show from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus.

This has been a Comedy Central podcast. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show. It's going to be coming out every Thursday. Every Thursday. So exciting, you'll be saying to yourself, TGID. Thank God it's Thursday. We're going to be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election, economics, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options

as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast.