Scott McClellan

We should have embraced a high legal of openness and forthrightness in addition to that and then the expectations wouldn't have gotten so out of whack.

The rest of the foreign policy team seemed to be preoccupied with regime change or, in the case of Condi Rice, seemingly more interested in accommodating the president's instincts and ideas than in questioning them or educating him.

When I found out I had been knowingly lied to by Karl Rove and Scooter Libby in the Valerie Plame leak episode and passed along false information based on their assurances two years prior to that saying that they weren't involved.

There's been no evidence to back that up whatsoever.

We went and sold -- oversold the case to the American people on the war and not only that, but the emphasis was more on the weapons of mass destruction than it was on really the driving motivation behind the decision to go to war, which…

I felt like we were rushing into this. But, because of my position and my affection for the president and my belief and trust in he and his advisers, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. And, looking back on it and reflecting on it now, I…

This is my honest perspective on how things went off track. And that's all I can do is honestly and forthrightly express my views and let the chips fall where they may.

I asked them point-blank, 'Were you involved in this in any way?' Both assured me in unequivocal terms, no.

I felt like we were rushing into this. But because of my position and my affection for the president and my belief and trust in he and his advisers, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. And looking back on it, reflecting on it now, I…

I have a higher loyalty than my loyalty necessarily to my past work. That's a loyalty to the truth.

The national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq.

The National Press Corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq.