By DAN EGGEN By Dan Eggen and Linton Weeks The Washington Post WASHINGTON Scott McClellan said he did not set out to write a memoir that was sharply critical of the White House.

By Scott McCleLLan; President Bush A book by a former White House press secretary accuses President Bush of failing to be honest with the American public about the war in Iraq.

The Bush White House, long accused by outside critics of misrepresenting the facts to make the case for war in Iraq and other matters, has launched a personal counterattack against harsh accusations of "deception" from a longtime insider who worked closely with the president.

As President Bush's press secretary, Scott McClellan was a dutiful practitioner of the swift, efficient and highly coordinated strategy the White House typically employs to take on Bush's critics.

By David Jackson and Richard Wolf WASHINGTON -- It's not unusual for a former White House official to write a book -- but it is when the author is a fellow Texan and he's attacking President Bush for his handling of Iraq.