No swans in this sewer

Of course, the Bush administration is not the first to have spawned insider memoirs. Officials of earlier administrations, including Arthur Schlesinger, John Ehrlichman, William Safire, Peggy Noonan, Colin Powell, George Stephanopoulos, Robert Reich and many, many others have told their stories as well. Some of this urge to publish represents the general devaluing of privacy, privilege and loyalty throughout American society. Some stems from a simple desire to make some money. A multimillion-dollar book deal has become a virtual perquisite of ex-presidents, and many of their aides see no reason not to get a taste for themselves -- or to preempt criticism from a former boss.

But the Bush White House has produced more tell-all authors than most, and it may be because those who have served in it know they've participated in an administration whose failures are likely to be ranked alongside those of Hoover and Buchanan.

Who wouldn't want to tell their side of that story -- or at least get their alibi down on paper?

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timothy.rutten@latimes.com