I rarely, if ever, use the blog as a soapbox. This is mainly a creative outlet for me to write about things that I find interesting, comical, or just fun. By no means is the C&SL an issue based piece of prose.
That said, with the release of a new White House tell-all book this week, I feel the need to take my reaction to the blog. And let me say, this reaction has less to do with my political leanings and more to do with my overall feelings of serving in an administration...ANY administration.
As most of you know, I served in the Bush administration during the first term. During my time there I was basically a catfish staffer...I was low-level without any access or authority. Serving there was, nevertheless, an amazing opportunity and one that will undoubtedly continue to impact my life in ways I don't even know yet. The 2000 campaign was a long road to get there and that made victory so much sweeter.
It was announced earlier this week that yet another former Bush White House staffer is scheduled to release a less than flattering account of the goings on at the 18 acres. This isn't the first of its kind...and I think that is what bothers me.
I have sat by and watched as one staffer after another has come forward to reveal how inept, corrupt, and crooked the Bush White House was. The one common thread that continues to unnerve me is that all of these "insiders" waited until they were no longer AT the White House to make these revelations. It's interesting to me how the very people who found life at the White House under President Bush so hard to stomach had NO issue with their seats aboard Air Force One, their access to the White House Mess, or the mere fact that they were able to work at 1600. In a few instances, these folks had posh offices in the West Wing and coveted Commissions. While employed at the White House, none of these staffers let on that their integrity was being compromised...maybe because they didn't have any.
It would be a pipe dream to hope that there would be an honor code or even a confidentiality agreement for staffers to sign just before they get their badge. Even if such measures DID exist, it wouldn't be an assurance of integrity.
I don't take issue with former staffers disagreeing with the President. I take issue with staffers who serve at the pleasure of the President using that opportunity to not only air dirty laundry but to do it at the expense of someone else. I'd have far more respect for any of these "authors" if during their time of service they voluntarily departed the White House citing the very reasons that are now landing them book deals when they don't have the White House to fall back on anymore.
I pity those who spent so much time clamoring to get inside the gates of the White House and even more time and energy posing as loyalists once they made it in only to have their true colors revealed the minute the show stopped. I pity them because what they are writing says far more about what kind of employee they are than what kind of President they were fortunate enough to serve.
I guess in my idyllic opinion, when you go to work for an administration you should have some shred of integrity; one that makes you accountable for your decision to serve and one that acts as a safeguard against the temptation to make a buck and get 15 minutes of fame at any cost. I am not advocating blind loyalty but I think there is something to be said for maintaining decorum. After all, is nothing sacred?
13 hours ago
