Former (Bush GOP) Treasury Sec. Paints Bush as 'Blind Man'

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-people-oneill.html

Former Treasury Sec. Paints Bush as 'Blind Man'
By REUTERS


Filed at 10:40 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill likened President Bush at Cabinet meetings to ``a blind man in a room full of deaf people,'' according to excerpts on Friday from a CBS interview.<snip>


``As I recall it was just a monologue,'' he told CBS' ``60 Minutes,'' which will broadcast the entire interview on Sunday.
In making the blind man analogy, O'Neill told CBS his ex-boss did not encourage a free flow of ideas or open debate.

``There is no discernible connection,'' CBS quoted O'Neill as saying. The president's lack of engagement left his advisers with ``little more than hunches about what the president might think,'' O'Neill said, according to the program.<snip>

[ramapo]

1. Assuming he had any thought at all....

I'm laughing my ass off. This is great

[papau]

5. now I have to watch 60 minutes this Sunday!

:-)

[CheshireCat]

2. Why doesn't this surprise me?

[Just Me]

55. He's not blind,...he's a man whose identity "HOs" upon others.

His only "power" is lottery-drawn circumstances. He has had to fight for nothing and to suffer or struggle little in comparison to the vast majority of humanity. He would be relatively "nothing" in terms of influence or power but for the people who bread him and surround him,...and they are lapping it up, big time!!!

He is nothing but a "mask" and a "thing". But, why should he care? He's been "born again" and given every direction he needs to "stay safe" and comfortable and admired and sheltered in a reality that excludes 95% of that world which would crush his well-protected perspective (just like his Mama, Barbara, who avoids spoiling her beautiful mind with such realities).

To me,...he is but a "protected" child,...that could not possibly survive without those who surround him, and they KNOW it.

It is those who surround him that I would focus both my energy and prayers on: those calculating, greedy, power-driven, freon neocons. Their arrogance and insatiable ambition for POWER alone is quite "evil". They are destructionists in their drive for superiority. Their absence of empathy, is,...could lead to the worst of human evil humanity has ever witnessed, given the range of real destructive power that they have available to them.

Hence, my rant,...Bush is the "sheep's face" held up by the tyrannical freon neocons to convince the rest of the herd to follow.

[Avalon Sparks]

57. Loved your post Just Me~

I feel the same way you do, but I could never convey it as wonderfully as you wrote it.

[KissMyAsscroft]

3. Ummm....thats probably a good thing...

I think sitting back and keeping his mouth shut is the best thing Bush could have done.

I mean, did they really want him to offer his "ideas?"

I wouldn't!

I think O'Neil should thank his lucky stars that Bush simply ran through a monologue!



*on edit....reminds me of a quote...."When in doubt, be vague" LMAO!

[cthrumatrix]

4. I would refer to him as more of a "puppet" for who is runnig the show

into the ground....

[cthrumatrix]

this open pandora's box...."who is telling shrub what to say and do?"

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

6. Well, he's a sphincter, no wait that's not right, he's a sphinx

He told Bob Woodward he doesn't have to tell people what he thinks, THEY have to tell him what he thinks, I mean, what they think.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

Here's the quote and a couple of other pertinent ones

I'm the commander... see, I don't need to explain. I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
--G. W. Bush - Bob Woodward's BUSH AT WAR

"I appreciate people's opinions, but I'm more interested in news. And the best way to get the news is from objective sources. And the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what's happening in the world."
-- George W. Bush  - Fox News Interview with Brit Hume - September 23, 2003

"I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves."—George W. Bush., Sept. 21, 2003

Unbelievable.

[ignatius]

38. Good God, I have seen all those quotes over a period of time,buti

never grouped together and it is startling to see how totally uninterested in current affairs he is. He has no intellectual curiosity about anything and the scary thing is, he is the one closest to the "red" button.

Oh please dear God in Heaven, get this clown out of the White House.

[T Bone]

64. He is briefed by people who PROBABLY read the news?

he thinks they might just, perhaps, PROBABLY read the news ???

WTF?

He really is a 'fuck if I know, and fuck if I care' type of person isn't he?

[shanti]

26. sphincter says what??

lol

[NashVegas]

7. Uh - Better Duck

Big Terralert coming for Monday morning!

[Cocoa]

8. I've read similar things about Nixon

disconnected from his cabinet, rambled at meetings about football and such...

[Racenut20]

10. Nixon only did that when he was drunk. LOL

[demnan]

18. Who says that isn't Bush's problem?

LOL

[shanti]

27. yup

it's those darn holes in his brain!;-)

[indypaul]

45. But he doesn't drink any more,

than he used too.

[kskiska]

32. Tip O'Neill said the same of Reagan

As President-elect, Reagan paid a visit to Tip O'Neill. O'Neill said that Ronnie didn't ask a single question.

[Beetwasher]

9. Holy Cow, this is incredible!

"O'Neill, who was fired by Bush in December 2002, also said the president did not ask him a single question during their first one-on-one meeting, which lasted an hour."

That's stunning. I mean absolutely stunning. I knew the guy was an incurious, idiot, but I really never expected that it really was at this level of utter vapidness.

"There is no discernible connection,'' CBS quoted O'Neill as saying. The president's lack of engagement left his advisers with ``little more than hunches about what the president might think,'' O'Neill said, according to the program."

Umm, what did they expect? They would have meetings and he'd sit at the head of the table playing his gameboy. They'd ask him a question and he'd go "Shhh, don't bother me, I'm almost done w/ level four!"

[lovedems]

16. Wasn't he fired for telling the American people the truth about the cost

of war? If that is the case, it will be the first person associated with * capable of telling the truth. Now that we are officially in the election year, the stories are really starting to get good! Here's to hoping they continue to contradict the campaign we will soon see from the WH.

[Cocoa]

21. that was Lawrence Lindsey

unfortunately, it seems Lindsey is remaining loyal for whatever reason.

[salin]

35. Why is this a surprise... the guy wore his disinterest in policy on his

sleeve during the campaign. Straight out said... "Policy bores me." And did the media keep repeating that line? No, wasn't a big deal... after all there were 'earth tones' being worn by Al Gore to discuss.

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

11. I hope O'Neill issues an apology

to all the Blind People of the World.

[lovedems]

23. Oops! I coul've sworn somebody was fired for saying the Iraq war

would cost about 90 billion. Tells you how good my memory has been these days! Not to worry, I won't forget that * sucks! Thanks!

[davekriss]

41. Lindsey was fired

Lindsey was fired around the same time as O'Neil, and probably for his moment of lucid honesty when he said that the Iraq war would cost about $100 billion. He based his estimate on the fact that the first Gulf War cost 1% GDP then, and now we have a $10 trillion GDP, thus $100 billion. He underestimated, as the war to date has cost $167 billion with no end in sight (the $79 billion procurred before the war, and the relatively recent $87 billion just procurred).

I have posted elsewhere that the war and occupation will run us about $650 billion over the next decade. This, after 12 years of successful containment at a cost of $4 billion per year.

O'Neil was fired most probably for going public with the $44 trillion NPV of anticipated USG obligations (federal debt, social security, medicaid/medicare, etc.).

[SpiralHawk]

12. Did you hear about the blind man who picked up a hammer and saw?

If I had a hammer
I'd hammer in the morning,
I'd hammer in the evening,
all over this land.

It's the hammer of justice, and it's sounding the bell of freedom

[Sperk]

13. What is so difficult about knowing what a non-thinking person is

thinking? NOTHING, he's thinking NOTHING! Sheeeez!

[punpirate]

14. Ummm... CBS....

Wonder if the RNC will work up a campaign to force the network to pull the program...?

[dennis4868]

25. The RNC...

will make CBS show the 60 minutes clip on Showtime....

[number6]

68. LOL

:)

[rock]

15. 'Blind Man'

But can he do anything with draperies?

[Sideways]

24. Yes If He Raids Laura's Closet

The tranquilized queen just adores wearing the drapes. Or is that last years sofa.....Bring on a Nehru jacket in plaid!

[smirkymonkey]

40. LOL!

At this point, if I couln't laugh I would go insane.

This administration and it's chimp are like a BAAAAAADDDDD Dream! Wake me when it's over. :argh:

[caledesi]

42. ROTFLMAO! That is funny! Love your mind. nt

[goforit]

49. Yep, those draperies were used to cover the statues of Justice!!!

Too funny!!!
:bounce:

[KissMyAsscroft]

17. I just posted this on freak republic! LOL!

I said something like...

"The president dont need to explain nothing! They are there to serve the king!"

Idiots.

[JoFerret]

50. You will be vaporized

for ideas unbecoming an empty vessel.

[AlinPA]

19. O'Neill is highly respected as one of the most brilliant men in

industry. He turned Alcoa around. This guy knows what he is talking about. They will paint it as a "grudge", but Paul calls it like he sees it.

[IrateCitizen]

37. He's still a whack-job

The whole reason he turned Alcoa around is that he convinced the federal government to assist in the establishment of an aluminum cartel to keep foreign products OUT. Alcoa was also notorious for lack of environmental controls during O'Neill's reign as CEO.

I often find it interesting how many of these free-market zealots suddenly clamor for government intervention when they're not winning.

The only thing I would have lauded him for during his tenure as Treasury Secretary was his attempt to start a debate on global warming. Other than that, he was a crank-job.

While it's good that O'Neill is speaking out like this, I'd hardly cite him as a hero of progressive causes. He doesn't really seem to be denouncing the Bush policies, just Bush himself. As such, it can easily be portrayed as sour grapes.

[SharonAnn]

43. O'Neil thinks we should get rid of Medicare and Social Security

and that people should take care of themselves.

That was what he said in an interview published early in his term, I think it was in the Financial Times.

[salin]

46. I remember reading that... and wondering if he had a clue

what people took home on minimum wage jobs - and what the cost of living is for those families and individuals. On this level he appeared to be completely clueless.

[maryallen]

58. Remember when reporters asked George H.W. Bush ...

how much a loaf of bread was?
He didn't know.
Said he never went grocery shopping.

[0rganism]

63. Maybe his travels with Bono softened his heart

Stranger things have happened.

[lancdem]

20. What's frustrating is, so many Americans don't care

if Bush is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. They like him because he's a Christian, and someone who doesn't speak down to them. That's not a majority, but it's a lot, I'm afraid.

[Gin]

22. The "BIG" question is....Who IS running the show if the chimp is off to

la-la land?

[Sideways]

28. They Like Him Because He Is Stupid

I don't think it has anything to do with Christianity the people that like him are as imbecilic as he is.

Stupid people like stupid people. According to these rubes anyone who isn't stupid is a LEFT WING ELITIST INTELLECTUAL.

Can't have that now can we?:silly:

[truthseeker1]

30. nope, MANY approve of him because he's a (supposed) Christian

My freeper family has faith in him because of this. They can let everything else go, but because Bush acknowledges God and Christ publicly, he's ok in their eyes. And there are LOTS of other RW fundies out there who believe the same thing. They are so freaking blind. When will they wake up?

On edit: Blind does not necessarily equal Stupid. But yes, I do agree with you that they hate "elitist liberals" - anyone who portends to know "more than the President" and questions his actions. They too often subscribe to the Britney school of thought - "Just trust our President...he knows more than we do!"

[Just Me]

54. NO. PEOPLE WANT TO "BELIEVE" IN OUR GOVERNMENT,...

,...believe me on this one. Britney Spears' "school of thought" about trusting our President, is something VERY common,...it is something we ALL want,...to trust those who are our "representatives". And, just remember,...we are all taught to believe in this system of ours, not to question it. We are all taught to respect authority. We are all taught that our "way" of life is "superior". We are all brain-washed into the notion that the "American dream" is within all our grasp, but for either God or ourselves.

Britney Spears simply articulates the notions handed down to the people of this country.

THAT is what we have to overcome,...notions which are, in reality, "assumptions".

I am ranting,...:D

[cliss]

29. Paul O'Neill isn't the only one

who "wanted to spend more time with their family". Ever since the BeelzeBush entourage walked into the White House, there has been a virtual exodus of people leaving the State Department and many other agencies.

I was reading about the death of John Kokal on some web site, and it also listed all the people who have been ousted. The list looked like the credits at the end of 'Return of the King'. I was astonished at how many generals were ousted because of their opposition to the war. Many other people have left.

A few have died mysteriously, and I'm not sure if we will ever hear the truth about those.

Bush does not have to worry about his enemies in the Middle East. He's got enough in Washington DC to bring him down. Here's hoping.

[truthseeker1]

31. Do you have that link?

I was astonished at how many generals were ousted because of their opposition to the war.

I'm curious about what kind of numbers we're talking. Do you still have the link to the website?

[gauguin57]

33. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Doin' a little happy dance!

The Emperor has no clothes! The Emperor has no clothes!

[Judi Lynn]

52. I'm glad you asked

I did a quick google look, and found a link, don't know if it's the right one, but it's definitely worth pondering.

For one thing, here's a resignation which happened apparently when I was asleep, never even NOTICED it. This guy was right in the thick of things for ages, too, before he left:


I was SURE he was one of their prizes, too!

http://www.missouri.edu/~quinnl/news/bodies.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to Cliss, for your reference to this link.

[cliss]

60. OK, I found the website

but I can't find the right article. This is a subscription web site with a large collection of articles about BeelzeBush & his evil cronies. I think the article about John Kokal had a VERY long list of all defections and dismissals. At the very end of the article, name after name was listed. Absolutely criminal.

Try this:

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/

I'll also try to ferret out the right article (lots of them).

[Wwagsthedog]

34. Who was it that said the deficit could go as high as $44 Trillion?

Didn't that happen on O'Neill's watch as Treasury Secretary? No link available but I think someone said that current revenue inflow and outflow projections indicate a massive future deficit. This presumption includes eliminating the sunset provisions on the tax cuts, high defense spending and increasing SoSec/Medicare payments.

[Grins]

47. These guys...

May 29, 2003

The New York Times
PERONET DESPEIGNES

The Bush administration has shelved a report commissioned by the Treasury that shows the US currently faces a future of chronic federal budget deficits totaling at least $44,200bn (i.e., $44 trillion) in current US dollars. The study, the most comprehensive assessment of how the US government is at risk of being overwhelmed by the "baby boom" generation's future healthcare and retirement costs, was commissioned by then-Treasury secretary Paul O'Neill. But the Bush administration chose to keep the findings out of the annual budget report for fiscal year 2004, published in February, as the White House campaigned for a tax-cut package that critics claim will expand future deficits.

The study asserts that sharp tax increases, massive spending cuts or a painful mix of both are unavoidable if the US is to meet benefit promises to future generations. It estimates that closing the gap would require the equivalent of an immediate and permanent 66 per cent across-the-board income tax increase.... The analysis was spearheaded by Kent Smetters, then-Treasury deputy assistant secretary for economic policy, and Jagdessh Gokhale, then a consultant to the Treasury. Mr Gokhale, now an economist for the Cleveland Federal Reserve, said: "When we were conducting the study, my impression was that it was slated to appear . At some point, the momentum builds and you think everything is a go, and then the decision came down that we weren't part of the prospective budget."

Mr O'Neill, who was fired last December, refused to comment....

President Bush ...(more)"


Sorry, I didn't record the link.

[dae]

36. ummmmmmm.......think???

[sal]

39. If bush is blind he must be staying in the same hotels as neil.

I mean, assuming it's the effects of venereal disease. Maybe he just wanked himself blind?

[Drifter]

44. So this proves ...

that despite surrounding himself with great advisors, he never listened to them.

He is an idiot that surrounds himself with "smarter" people, and then does not listen to him. Great, an ignorant idiot.

Cheers
Drifter

[treepig]

48. more crying by mr. o'neill?

somehow it's just not as entertaining as the first time around:

Top 11 reasons Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill appeared to cry during questioning by Seator Robert Byrd.

11. O'Neill's attorney was cutting onions.

10. Byrd was excessively critical of cartoon illustrations in the budget, not realizing they were drawn by O'Neill.

9. Rehearsing for Bush Cabinet performance of Death of a Salesman.

8. He knows what the real numbers are.

7. It's that time of the quarter.

6. He's not weak, he's allergic to criticism.

5. He always gets emotional when he's been drinking.

4. The budget is the conservative, the crying is the compassionate.

3. Two words: Leg cramp.

2. Secretly listening to his soaps during afternoon testimony.

1. It always worked in the board rooms at Alcoa.

http://www.toostupidtobepresident.com/top11/oneillcries.htm

[latebloomer]

51. as Dorothy Parker said,

"There's no there there."

Disengaged? Try vacant.

[cheapbeemr]

62. That was Virginia Wolfe......

Dorothy Parker said, 'You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her (him) think.' Kinda appropriate too.

[Judi Lynn]

53. Can't wait to see the "60 Minutes," and find out what the book says.

My only regret is that he cooperated with this imbecile right up until he got fired.

He knew the guy's a zero a long time ago, yet better late than NEVER, right?

[Jazzgirl]

56. I will definitely be watching!

n/t

[Judi Lynn]

59. Senator Bob Graham thought O-Neill would get himself in trouble

because he didn't believe in maintaining _Bush's travel ban on Cuba:

(snip) WASHINGTON - Given the chance to bash Fidel Castro while defending the Bush administration's policy of tracking down and fining Americans who visit Cuba, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill took a pass.

Instead, he said, he would prefer that the money go toward chasing terrorists, as suggested by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Treasury Department.

"If I had the discretion for applying the resources, I would agree with you completely," O'Neill said at a subcommittee hearing Thursday.

His view was directly at odds with the Bush administration position, which President Bush (news - web sites) pushed both last June and in January.

Sen. Bob Graham (news), D-Fla., a longtime critic of Castro, took issue with O'Neill's stance and suggested it might mean a short Cabinet tenure for O'Neill.

"I don't think he's expressing the policy of the Bush administration, and I don't know if you should give him Mike Parker's telephone number as to what happens when people go before Congress and begin expressing opinions that are not part of the head coach's game plan," said Graham, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. (snip/...)

http://64.21.33.164/CNews/y02/mar02/15e5.htm

[54anickel]

61. Here's an article from Feb 01 before the honeymoon was over

I originally posted in the first thread on his book here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=305485#306289



http://www.businessweek.com/2001/01_06/b3718001.htm

When Paul H. O'Neill was named George W. Bush's Treasury Secretary, there were a lot of surprised faces on both Wall Street and K Street. Although he had a solid reputation as a top budget official in the Ford Administration and spent the past 13 years as chairman of Alcoa Inc. (AA), O'Neill wasn't on anybody's short list. First, Bush set out to find a Wall Street clone of Robert E. Rubin, but he was less than dazzled by his staff's picks. Then he flirted with the notion of signing up a savvy politician for the job, someone in the mold of former Nixon Treasury Secretary John B. Connally.

So how did he wind up with O'Neill, a cerebral numbers-cruncher with a gift for melding policy smarts and real-world business experience? The key for Bush was the Man From Alcoa's reputation as a corporate turnaround artist--and a strong nudge from O'Neill's old pal from the Ford days, Vice-President Dick Cheney. The clincher: O'Neill was a chum of Alan Greenspan and could help the Bushies court the Federal Reserve Board chairman.

What made the choice unusual, however, was the fact that Bush--legendary for picking people with whom he has personal bonds--barely knew the man who will handle his Administration's most crucial economic assignments. And there won't be time for a lot of schmoozing before he gets started.

snip>
TALL ORDER. Even before he's settled in, O'Neill must design policies that keep the sputtering 10-year expansion going; act as chief salesman for his boss's controversial $1.6 trillion tax cut; tackle an energy crisis that Bush considers a direct threat to prosperity; and take charge of a strong-willed economic team (page 36)--a group that includes such Bush intimates as White House economic coordinator Lawrence B. Lindsey. In addition, he needs to guard against regional financial ruptures that might threaten the global economy. As Rubin found out, putting out economic flash-fires in spots ranging from Mexico to Asia has become an increasingly important part of the Treasury chief's job.

O'Neill has to grapple with these multiple problems while toiling on behalf of a politically weakened President.....

more....

[gauguin57]

65. no there there

"there is no there there" was said by neither Va. Wolf NOR Dorothy Parker ... it was Gertrude Stein!

[Manix]

66. O'Neill just confirms what the rest of the world knows but somehow

the American voter doesn't get it.

[MikeG]

67. If a tree falls in the Cabinet Room, does it make a sound?

[Moderator]

69. Locking... LBN Thread Consolidation

In order to consolidate the threads, and to keep LBN neat and tidy, let's keep our discussion about the important Paul O'Neill revelations consolidated into one thread, this one:

Former Secretary Paul O'neil - Iraq Invasion Planned Long Before 911

The above thread is not necessarily the original LBN thread on this topic, but it seems to be the most active, recent thread. Let's keep the discussion going!

Thanks,

DU Moderator