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I'm just looking forward to a bloody Texas Republican primary.
To catch everyone up, Scott McClellan's mother is Carole Keeton Rylander McClellan (found myself another) Strayhorn. She's running against Rick Perry for the Republican nomination for governor in 2006.
Perry is a dirty street fighter when it comes to politics. To squash rumors that he is gay, he has launched a massive assault on gays in Texas, even advising gay veterans that they may want to live elsewhere. Disgusting man, but almost amusing in his ruthlessness. He got where he is by being very loyal to Bush, but never really becoming friends with Bush.
He's expected to lose to Strayhorn, or at least have a very tough battle against the self-proclaimed "one tough grandma."
Perry is the type to bash an opponent's family to win an election. He's crass, wily... Frankly, he's the kind of crafty scoundrel you love to read about in history books but hate to see in your own time.
So let's say for the sake of things that McClellan gets to hang around through the 2006 primaries as press secretary. Let's say Rove goes down, and let's say charges are being considered by the end of this year and the beginning of next.
WHo will Bush support? Will he turn on his press secretary's mom, or will he turn on his former friend? Most likely, he will stay neutral, and both will try to claim they are really Bush's best buddy.
But what happens when Perry is trailing, and attacks McClellan to demonstrate how untrustworthy the whole family is. That will flow into an attack on Rove, and indirectly on Bush.
Perry is shrewd enough to see this possibility. He's shrewd enough to turn on Rove and Bush before it gets to that point. And Rove and Bush (well, Rove, anyway) will see that possibility.
So what might happen? Perry could turn on Rove and Bush. Rove could have McClellan canned before it comes to that, and that could make Strayhorn turn on Bush. And Scottie knows so many secrets if that happens. Bush could back Perry, in which case Strayhorn could turn on him.
Or, two Republicans can run a clean, honest, fair campaign and avoid using wedge issues that could divide the party.
My money is on Bush cutting McClellan soon, and maybe even discrediting him. After all, Scottie hasn't helped Bush much, he has lost the confidence of the press, and he has lied--which means Bush either has to admit that he ordered the lies or he has to blame Scottie for them. Scottie knows a lot, though. Bush can't make him too mad.
Just a heads up on something that could be a minor sideshow, or could become the blockbuster of the campaign season.
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