Milieu of Mendacity
If you are looking for a thoughtful summary of the score of scandals surrounding the Clinton Administration or judgment on the ethics or morality of the current White House, then Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine by Howard Kurtz is not the book to read. Kurtz is a media monitor for the Washington Post and has previously written critiques of the media in Hot Air: All Talk, All the Time and Media Circus: The Trouble With America's Newspapers. This book is a neutral description of the mechanics of this White House's attempts to control and direct the news - the so-called "spin." It is weighted more toward reporting than analysis.
Spin Cycle is an insider's book, focused on those residing within the Washington Beltway. Politicians and journalists immediately jump to the index of such books. They search for the pages on which they are mentioned. Of course all want favorable mention, but escaping notice altogether is nearly as bad as a negative portrayal. Kurtz was fortunate in that the book was released when the Monica Lewinsky episode was breaking. There was a keen interest in the way the White House dealt with scandal, and Kurtz was the expert called upon in discussion shows. The consequent exposure pushed the book onto bestseller lists.
Michael Deaver in the Reagan White House went on to elaborate efforts to place Reagan in arenas where he would shine. Reagan was either delivering an inspiring speech or surrounded by applauding well-wishers. The Clinton White House efforts, driven by the necessity of dealing with never-ending scandals, has honed its spin skills to the point where Clinton is perpetually campaigning.
The largest single character in Spin Cycle is Mike McCurry, the White House spokesman, whom Kurtz labeled the "Master of Spin." McCurry began his political career, suitably enough, as press secretary for Senator Harrison Williams, who was convicted of bribery and conspiracy in Abscam, the FBI sting operation. Although McCurry was a newcomer to Harrison's staff and not legally implicated, he quickly learned how to deflect the questions of a persistent press.
McCurry was not part of the Arkansas mafia and was an unlikely choice as Clinton spokesman. Although a Democratic loyalist, it was not until Dee Dee Myers proved unable to handle the job that McCurry got the nod.
Many of McCurry's techniques for controlling press coverage could form the core of a text book for any press secretary. If the President announces a new program or initiative, unless it captures the imagination of the cynical White House press corps, the effort gains only a single day's coverage. If, however, the information is leaked to a single reporter, the reporter rushes to get the scoop and places the item in the morning edition of the
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