O'Neill's backpedaling is irrelevant at this point.

[a_random_joel]

The cat is out of the bag.
He provided cover fire, now watch some more on the fence Admin officials start talking, leaking.
O'Neill did what he had to do to get the ball rolling... and is it rolling. The fact that he is backing off actually makes the Admin look worse... Tweety even compared it to the Godfather scene when they brought Pentangeli's brother to the Senate hearing. I've heard a couple other talking heads say similar stuff... "pressure applied", "phone calls made", etc.

It only makes thinkgs look that much worse, especially in light of Plamegate.

Watch some more ants scurry out of the shadows, folks. O'Neill dropped some aces.

[lovedems]

I agree, the damage has been done. I finished the book alreay

and "sour grapes" is not the tone of the book. It is a very factual account of the * administration and their policy (political) decision process.

I agree with another poster on this one. Those who are scrambling to discredit O'Neill haven't read the book. What they should be doing is scrambling to make the villiage idiot we call president not look like some bumbling fool who can't fake his way out of a press conference. All of the scripted bullshit that we see on television everyday now makes perfect sense. He is handled more than the term "handled" allows. He is more of a puppet then the definition of puppet is allowed.

The damage is done and this is not sour grapes in any shape or form.

[montanacowboy]

1. I'm just so disappointed

that he chose to recant after saying he was too old and had too much money....(for them to do whatever). It does make the admin look stupid (again) but still, if you are going to go out on the record and give info for the book, please understand that you have to have the backbone when the threats start coming in to stand up for what you said. He can't be that naive - can he?

[a_random_joel]

2. I don't know...

Does he have a wife, children, grandchildren?

True, money and youth cannot be threatened.. but everyone has a lever that can be pulled. Everyone.

[kskiska]

3. Josh Marshall's Take:

Everybody's giving Paul O'Neill a hard time now for partly backing down on some of his accusations against the president.

But this misses the point entirely. Look what an improvement this is! John DiIulio barely made it 24 hours after the horsehead showed up in his bed before he was telling the world he "sincerely apologizes and is deeply remorseful."

The O'Neill story's been out there for like a week and it's two days since the 60 Minutes interview and even now he's not taking it all back! I think what we've got here is a little rope-a-dope. O'Neill needs to give them a little but it's not yet a full Kamenev moment. More like Bukharin? I'll have to go back and review the testimony.
-- Josh Marshall
(January 13, 2004 -- 05:54 PM EDT // link // print)

Hilarious. At about 5:40 PM on Tuesday evening and there's a back and forth with Peter Beinart and Deborah Perry from the Independent Women's Forum arguing about the O'Neill stuff on CNN.

Beinart raised the quite apt point that members of the Bush administration gave Bob Woodward classified documents for his highly flattering book about the lead-up to the war (did I mention it was highly flattering?). So why wasn't there an investigation then?

Deborah responded that this was a case "where the Bush administration was working with" the reporter. (That's what I caught by ear and remembered for the few moments it took me to put the dog down and grab the computer.) In other words, when it's a compulsively friendly reporter who's working with the White House on an adoring book, then they can give out classified documents at their discretion. But when it's unfriendly, you go to the slammer!

(Late Update: Here's the actual quote from the transcript: "But, again, that was the Bush administration working with Bob Woodward in terms of what they were willing to...")

Deborah, I want to thank you on behalf of all of us for that unwitting moment of candor! I'd like to encourage you to also defend the White House on the Plame matter.

(We can leave aside for the moment that there's no reason to believe the O'Neill docs were actually classified. The classification system is a little more formalized and complex then just putting 'secret' across the top of a document.)
-- Josh Marshall
(January 13, 2004 -- 02:49 PM EDT // link // print)

[SlavesandBulldozers]

4. i agree

and i like your point that the backpedaling makes the admin look worse and the charges look even more true. this is like watching one of those old 3 stooges episodes where a barrel gets shot and starts leaking out of the holes, and when one hole is plugged another gushes faster. it's fun to watch the barrel get emptier and emptier, and to see the contortions of the person trying to stop the leaks.

[lovedems]

5. Not only that, but the administration now has tit for tat track record

of trying to make an example of those who "betray" them. O'Neill is one smart and tough guy. He knows the capabilities of this administration. The end of the book ends with the question, "does he know what he's doing?" and the answer is MORE THAN ANYBODY .

[mike_c]

6. it's interesting hearing O'Neil and Suskind together on NPR....

O'Neill soft pedals, then Suskind says "yeah, but...." and brings the discussin back to the original issues. O'Neill seems comfortable with this, as long as Suskind make the really hard statements O'Neill seems content with hearing them made. I'll bet they discussed this in advance and agreed upon it as a means for O'Neill to seem conciliatory.