Unnamed official steps forward and confirms O'Neill's account

[CatWoman]

Corroborating O’Neill’s Account
Official Confirms Claims That Saddam Was Bush’s Focus Before 9/11

By John Cochran



Jan. 13— President Bush ordered the Pentagon to explore the possibility of a ground invasion of Iraq well before the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, an official told ABCNEWS, confirming the account former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill gives in his new book.

The official, who asked not to be identified, was present in the same National Security Council meetings as O'Neill immediately after Bush's inauguration in January and February of 2001.

"The president told his Pentagon officials to explore the military options, including use of ground forces," the official told ABCNEWS. "That went beyond the Clinton administration's halfhearted attempts to overthrow Hussein without force."

In The Price of Loyalty, O'Neill says that from the very start of his administration, Bush was focused on ousting Saddam. Bush says that his policy at the time was merely a continuation of the Clinton administration's stance. White House aides have suggested O'Neill, whom Bush fired in December 2002, is merely trying to sell books.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/US/oneill_charges_040113.html

[Cleita]

1. CBS news just showed a document that O'Neill

had provided 60 Minutes, that the Treasury Department claims is classified. Now do you think they rushed to classify the document after the fact?

It looks like they are going to tar and feather O'Neill anyway they can and hold him as an example to anyone else who wants to talk.

[ochazuke]

3. Just a cover sheet

Not the document itself, I hear.

Rumsfeld said he didn't see it O'Neill's way.

Obviously, O'Neill is telling the truth, but will anyone care? Is there a crime here? Or just lying?

How can this mountain be kept from getting washed down to a molehill?

[Beetwasher]

2. There's So Much More Going On, My Head is Spinning

Obviously O'Neill was threatened. They must have foreseen this.

Now others anonomously come forward to corroborate his allegations.

The O'Neill "recant" is ominous and frightening to anyone w/ half a brain...

Curiouser and curiouser...

[candy331]

4. The forces are working from within

and Bush is a liability and must go. Could be the intelligence community that fell on the sword for him and the thanks they got was outing a CIA agent. We are living in fearful times.

[Langis]

5. "The O'Neill "recant" is ominous and frightening"

Exactly, it's the same thing that happened with Kean. He was on 60 Minutes also I think. Then the next day he recanted a lot of what he said. This is just scary, and I wish the public would wake up and realize we have criminals running our country.

[w13rd0]

6. Small point...

...but some here might actually read something and want to ask questions, and I don't want them to miss the possible answer. I think you are referring to Kean, not Kane. As in Kean, Republican co-chair of the 'independent investigation on 911' commission by Bush, a seat he has occupied (and been stonewalled on) since Kissinger resigned from it rather than reveal his business connections with Saudis.

[Langis]

8. Fixed

And thank you!

[salin]

7. I don't recall a "Kane"

please remind me?

It was also the case with DiLulio (head of faith-based initiatives) did an interview with Esquire - spoke to the complete lack of any policy discussions in make decisions... and quickly recanted.

[DrBB]

9. Re DiIulio: Author of that piece? Suskind.

Think they've been keeping tabs on Suskind? Think they might have known he was working with O'Neill? Think they started figuring out what leverage they were going to use on O'Neill to recant, months ago? Oh I bet they were doing all that and more, busy little bees that they are.

[truth2power]

10. Didn't DUReader say something on another thread last night

that the leakers were lining up? I hope this has legs, but if I had a dollar for every time someone here thought the scandal du jour "had legs" I'd be wealthy by now.

Also, I was in Borders today, skimming through the book. I can't afford to buy it right now. I read the last few pages and Suskind refers to a conversation he had with O'Neill about Dilulio and O'Neill was definite about not going down that road.

All the more reason that I think something stinks about his turnaround. If anyone has a reasonable explanation why O'Neill has changed his story, other than that he was threatened, I'd sure like to hear it.

[DUreader]

32. No Comment

Maybe I just got lucky.

hee hee

[Stephanie]

33. You are wily

Do you know who it is? Will there be more?

[DUreader]

38. Honestly

I don't know who it is.

[kentuck]

11. Would the "unnamed official" be Christie Todd Whitman ?

cthrumatrix mentioned her in another thread?? She seems like a possibility.

[whatelseisnew]

13. Would she have been in on security meetings?

Seems like more than a few may want to step forward now, or soon, before others do.

The nation only needs a few leakers and all others will be irrelevant

and discredited for complicity.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

15. Who WOULD be in National Security Meetings?

There wouldn't be a lot of people, would there?

[NashVegas]

17. Present or Past Member?

How about Thomas White?

[Military Brat]

21. Here is a list of who would be present in 2001, as O'Neill was

"The National Security Council (NSC) shall have as its regular attendees (both statutory and non-statutory) the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State (Powell), the Secretary of the Treasury (O'Neill), the Secretary of Defense (Rumsfeld), and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (Rice). The Director of Central Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Myers), as statutory advisors to the NSC, shall also attend NSC meetings. The Chief of Staff to the President (Gonzalez?) and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy (Lindsey) are invited to attend any NSC meeting. The Counsel to the President shall be consulted regarding the agenda of NSC meetings, and shall attend any meeting when, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, he deems it appropriate. The Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Bolten) shall be invited to attend meetings pertaining to their responsibilities. For the Attorney General, this includes both those matters within the Justice Department's jurisdiction and those matters implicating the Attorney General's responsibility under 28 U.S.C. 511 to give his advice and opinion on questions of law when required by the President. The heads of other executive departments and agencies, as well as other senior officials, shall be invited to attend meetings of the NSC when appropriate."

http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-1.htm

I put the names in parenthesis.

Could be just about anybody, but I'm guessing the official who is backing up O'Neill's version is Larry Lindsey (Assistant to the President for Economic Policy), who was sacked by bush at the same time O'Neill was. I read a report on CNN (can't find it now) that they resigned per bush's request, but maybe Cheney was the one who, gleefully, delivered the request to O'Neill.

Edited for clarity.

[spindoctor]

23. You beat me to it ;) n/t

.

[spindoctor]

22. Members of the National Security Council

The National Security Council is chaired by the President. Its regular attendees (both statutory and non-statutory) are the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the statutory military advisor to the Council, and the Director of Central Intelligence is the intelligence advisor. The Chief of Staff to the President, Counsel to the President, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy are invited to attend any NSC meeting. The Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget are invited to attend meetings pertaining to their responsibilities. The heads of other executive departments and agencies, as well as other senior officials, are invited to attend meetings of the NSC when appropriate.

To put names to that: All but Paul O'Neill were in the 2001 cabinet unless otherwise noted (I believe).

George Bush
Dick cheney
Colin Powell
Paul O'Neill
Donald Rumsfeld
Condoleezza Rice
General Richard B. Myers
George Tenet
Andrew Card
Alberto Gonzales *
Larry Lindsey
John "Soaring Eagle" Ashcroft
Mitch Daniels

* Gonzales joined the team in Januari of 2001

[a_random_joel]

25. Article doesn't say whether offical is current or not

I doubt it's Lindesy. He's already gone and his departure came with O'Neill's - they were double-sacked. So his admission would not carry a lot of weight.

Methinks Tenet?

Powell? nah, too good at taking orders.

Getting juicy, huh?

[Military Brat]

26. Article didn't say "high ranking" or "senior" official

I agree, Lindsey chiming in would not carry as much weight as it should, but I wouldn't discount that he's the one based on that factor.

Tenet? That would be great, except then bushco would turn their guns on him and blame the incompetence of the FBI for September 11.

Whoever it is, Karl "Horse-head" Rove* is no doubt making contingency plans for those he suspects as being the squealer(s).



*as in the Godfather's method of warning

[spindoctor]

28. Why not Tenet?

He has a couple of eggs to fry with this Administration over what they did to Plame.

I'm wondering how these meetings work. Do the invitees bring any of their staff along? That would significantly increase the list.

There should be records out there of who actually attended the January meetings.
Anybody want to give Open Information Act a try?

[Military Brat]

31. Sorry, records cannot be released for reasons of national security

Please forward your full name, birthdate, address and a contact telephone number to the officials at Gitmo Bay, Mr. Spindoctor.

[a_random_joel]

29. I'm just looking at the NSC list

Tenet has nothing to lose at this point. They already did try to pin 9/11 on him. As well as the "intelligence failures" of the war build-up.

He is the most obvious candidate.
But oft-times its the least obvious, ain't it?

What a tangled web they've weaved...

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

27. Wow, thanks to both of you.

It does seem like there's hope that some big people are going to get out the truth.

[CatWoman]

12. kick

:kick:

[whatelseisnew]

14. I'm surprised there is not more interest by DU folks on this thread

maybe it is the anonymity

[lumpy]

24. Don't worry

There are plenty of people who are interested (not all DUers) who are keeping an eye on this event.

[Insider]

16. the usual suspect?

"national security"

not many will turn down a good classified briefing. IMHO it is the easiest hammer to wield when mouths start running. and needless to say, there are serious & stiff penalties.

i really don't know what impact the patriot act had on this, but it might provide for more severe punishment, closed trials, and wider net for enforcement.

[whatelseisnew]

18. kick

[MetaTrope]

19. Wonder if Osama bin Laden sat on those National Security Council meetings?

With Bush pissing and moaning for his Trifecta from the very beginning...

[Sideways]

20. Maybe But Osama Has His Own Horse In This Race

Fuck Bush and his trifecta Osama has a live pick six going. More to come folks.

[whatelseisnew]

30. another kick

[Stephanie]

34. Since it's "The official, who asked not to be identified,"

Can we rule out those who would be identified as "senior administration official"? I think there's a pretty strict unofficial code for this - journalists use code words to indicate Cabinet level, etc.

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

[gristy]

35. very interesting....

My guess it's a lower-level person. Someone not on that list. But just a guess...

[Cooley Hurd]

36. An aide - possibly a military aide...

...someone working within the NSC in the same capacity as Ollie North (for example). God knows the "regular" military isn't too fond of the cabal anymore.

[Stephanie]

37. We need to know the names of the principal aides to each of those

named above. I think that would locate our "official." NOT senior official.

[DUreader]

39. kick