Scott McClellan has been receiving a lot of attention from the MSM since his “tell all” book about his experiences as press secretary. Of McClellan and his book, former Senator Bob Dole recently said “there are miserable creatures” in every administration who are spurred on by greed. I would add to Dole’s comment, ….spurred on by ego or a disproportionate self importance.
During the Civil War, another President, Abraham Lincoln had a McClellan to deal with. George B. McClellan organized the Army of the Potomac. He’s described nearly universally, as having a tremendous ability to instill discipline, organize and drill and manage supply logistics better than any of his peers. Unfortunately, while McClellan was great at building an army he stunk at using one.
Time and again while McClellan commanded the Union Army, he either allowed Lee and the Confederate forces to escape or chose not to engage them based on a repetitive, incorrect belief that he was out numbered.
McClellan was so inept at commanding the Army that one time, after acquiring a copy of Lee’s battle plan he bragged that, “Here is a paper with which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home,” Further, he sent a message to President Lincoln “I have the whole rebel force in front of me, but I am confident, and no time shall be lost. I think Lee has made a gross mistake, and that he will be severely punished for it. I have all the plans of the rebels, and will catch them in their own trap if my men are equal to the emergency. … Will send you trophies.” However, as previously, McClellan was unable to move his troops quickly enough to catch Lee. In fact, McClellan’s slow action led to the loss of the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry and further allowed a severely outnumbered Confederate Army to hold the Union off at the Battle of Antietam and eventually escape.
Like Scott McClellan, Gen. George B. didn’t seem to appreciate his position or have appropriate humility about it. In her book “Team of Rivals,” Doris Kearns Goodwin quotes Gen. McClellan as saying that he
received “letter after letter” begging him to assume the presidency or become a dictator. While he would eschew the presidency, he would “cheerfully take the Dictatorship & agree to lay down my life when the country is saved.”
George B. was known to make President Lincoln wait for up to an hour to see him. There were times where McClellan actually ignored the President’s presence altogether.
Like Scott, when Gen. George was released from his position due to an inability to perform, he decided to turn against the President he served. Where Scott decided to merely line his pockets via made up history, Gen. George wasn’t satisfied with money. Gen. George was the Democrat candidate for President in 1864 and ran against Lincoln’s reelection. Like Scott, Gen. George’s campaign was based upon a platform that railed against his former boss’s war policy claiming that Lincoln had passed up opportunities to broker a peace. Of course McClellan believed that because he had believed the South within their right to maintain slavery.
The reason I bring you this history lesson is confirm what Senator Dole said that “there are miserable creatures” in every administration. I think most of us understand that to be the nature of power and politics.
I wonder if we should change the lexicon of a turncoat being called a “Benedict Arnold” to simply referring to them as a “McClellan?”
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