djxeno Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 (CNN) -- The Bush administration began planning to use U.S. troops to invade Iraq within days after the former Texas governor entered the White House three years ago, former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill told CBS News' 60 Minutes. "From the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go," O'Neill told CBS, according to excerpts released Saturday by the network. "For me, the notion of pre-emption, that the U.S. has the unilateral right to do whatever we decide to do, is a really huge leap." O'Neill, who served nearly two years in Bush's Cabinet, was asked to resign by the White House in December 2002 over differences he had with the president's tax cuts. O'Neill was the main source for "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill," by former Wall Street Journal reporter Ron Suskind. The CBS report is scheduled to be broadcast Sunday night; the book is to be released Tuesday by publisher Simon & Schuster. Suskind said O'Neill and other White House insiders gave him documents showing that in early 2001 the administration was already considering the use of force to oust Saddam, as well as planning for the aftermath. "There are memos," Suskind told the network. "One of them marked 'secret' says 'Plan for Post-Saddam Iraq.'" Suskind cited a Pentagon document titled "Foreign Suitors For Iraqi Oilfield Contracts," which, he said, outlines areas of oil exploration. "It talks about contractors around the world from ... 30, 40 countries and which ones have what intentions on oil in Iraq." In the book, O'Neill is quoted as saying he was surprised that no one in a National Security Council meeting asked why Iraq should be invaded. "It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying 'Go find me a way to do this,'" O'Neill said. Suskind also described a White House meeting in which he said Bush seemed to waver about going forward with a second round of tax cuts. "Haven't we already given money to rich people... Shouldn't we be giving money to the middle?" Suskind says Bush asked, according to what CBS called a "nearly verbatim" transcript of an economic team meeting Suskind said he obtained from someone at the meeting. O'Neill also said in the book that President Bush "was like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people" during Cabinet meetings. One-on-one meetings were no different, O'Neill told the network. Describing his first such meeting with Bush, O'Neill said, "I went in with a long list of things to talk about and, I thought, to engage [him] on. ... I was surprised it turned out me talking and the president just listening. It was mostly a monologue." White House spokesman Scott McClellan brushed off O'Neill's criticism. "We appreciate his service, but we are not in the business of doing book reviews," he told reporters. "It appears that the world according to Mr. O'Neill is more about trying to justify his own opinion than looking at the reality of the results we are achieving on behalf of the American people. The president will continue to be forward-looking, focusing on building upon the results we are achieving to strengthen the economy and making the world a safer and better place." A senior administration official, who asked not to be named, expressed bewilderment at O'Neill's comments on the alleged war plans. "The treasury secretary is not in the position to have access to that kind of information, where he can make observations of that nature," the official said. "This is a head-scratcher." Even before the interview is broadcast, the topic became grist for election-year politics. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who is the early front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, issued a statement in response. "I've always said the president had failed to make the case to go to war with Iraq," Dean said. "My Democratic opponents reached a different conclusion, and in the process, they failed to ask the difficult questions. Now, after the fact, we are learning new information about the true circumstances of the Bush administration's push for war, this time, by one of his former Cabinet secretaries. "The country deserves to know -- and the president needs to answer -- why the American people were presented with misleading or manufactured intelligence as to why going to war with Iraq was necessary." Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts also issued a statement. In 2002, Kerry voted to support a resolution giving Bush authority to wage war against Iraq if it didn't dismantle its presumed illegal weapons program. "These are very serious charges. It would mean [bush administration officials] were dead-set on going to war alone since almost the day they took office and deliberately lied to the American people, Congress, and the world," Kerry said. "It would mean that for purely ideological reasons they planned on putting American troops in a shooting gallery, occupying an Arab country almost alone. The White House needs to answer these charges truthfully because they threaten to shatter [its] already damaged credibility as never before." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daprofessional Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 and how long had your relatives been planning to fly the planes into the buildings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babbo Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 Originally posted by daprofessional and how long had your relatives been planning to fly the planes into the buildings? that a boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 hey everyone remember its ok for them to do that but not us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 Originally posted by daprofessional and how long had your relatives been planning to fly the planes into the buildings? Not funny and ignorant. Xeno is more american than you'll ever be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 You mean the invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with the "war on terror"?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppanils Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by daprofessional and how long had your relatives been planning to fly the planes into the buildings? great job exposing your ignorance.What does that have to do with the article that DJ Xeno has posted?What even brings you to the point of linking him to terrorism? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daprofessional Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 well he DID insinuate that he'd like a nuclear bomb dropped on Israel so I wouldn't put having Al-Qaeda links past him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djxeno Posted January 12 Author Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by daprofessional well he DID insinuate that he'd like a nuclear bomb dropped on Israel so I wouldn't put having Al-Qaeda links past him. i bet ur racist ass also wants a nuclear bomb dropped on iraq, iran, saudi arabia and afghanistan so whats your point lil boy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by djxeno i bet ur racist ass also wants a nuclear bomb dropped on iraq, iran, saudi arabia and afghanistan so whats your point lil boy? There is no point. He's falling in line with the rest of the insult trolls when he has no arguement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 dude quit with the race card bullshitgive it a rest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 I think saying the phrase, "using the race card" is racist in itself. It's almost like saying "that card will trump any arguement that I have so don't pull it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakbeatz2 Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by jamiroguy1 Not funny and ignorant. Xeno is more american than you'll ever be. somehow, i disagree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakbeatz2 Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by jamiroguy1 I think saying the phrase, "using the race card" is racist in itself. It's almost like saying "that card will trump any arguement that I have so don't pull it." huh?think bout what you said buddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr mahs Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 The US govt has a contigency plan to invade Ohio why wouldn't they have a plan in place to attack Iraq? especially since Sadam has been wiping his ass with the 91 cease fire agreement and 17 U.N resolutions.. Oh unless anyone forgot... A assasination attempt against a former president? Noone listened to this wacko when he was an employee of the Whitehouse, why should we listen to him now that he is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normalnoises Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by mr mahs The US govt has a contigency plan to invade Ohio why wouldn't they have a plan in place to attack Iraq? especially since Sadam has been wiping his ass with the 91 cease fire agreement and 17 U.N resolutions.. Oh unless anyone forgot... A assasination attempt against a former president? Noone listened to this wacko when he was an employee of the Whitehouse, why should we listen to him now that he is gone. We'll see tuesday when his book goes flying off the shelves like Al Frankens' did.And the library will be stocked with his book.My sig is better than your sig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppanils Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by pattbateman dude quit with the race card bullshitgive it a rest daprofessional pulled the race card....not xeno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by breakbeatz2 huh?think bout what you said buddy KILL WHITEY!!! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr mahs Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by normalnoises We'll see tuesday when his book goes flying off the shelves like Al Frankens' did.And the library will be stocked with his book.My sig is better than your sig. I see you enjoy reading fiction.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igloo Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by mr mahs The US govt has a contigency plan to invade Ohio why wouldn't they have a plan in place to attack Iraq? especially since Sadam has been wiping his ass with the 91 cease fire agreement and 17 U.N resolutions.. Oh unless anyone forgot... A assasination attempt against a former president? Don't expect these schmucks to inject any logic into this issue.....They will simply take the anti-Bush headline and tickle their balls with it.....Of course, their Bush blinders will shield them from the fact that regime change in Iraq was a policy long before Bush took office....but they would not think or care to take note of that....And of course, their ignorance and complete stupidity would explain why they would not understand what DOD war planners do..........especially in light of Iraq and what you pointed out.....Let them have their pathetic fun with this, which amounts to nothing.......it is really all they have.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by igloo Don't expect these schmucks to inject any logic into this issue.....They will simply take the anti-Bush headline and tickle their balls with it.....Of course, their Bush blinders will shield them from the fact that regime change in Iraq was a policy long before Bush took office....but they would not think or care to take note of that....And of course, their ignorance and complete stupidity would explain why they would not understand what DOD war planners do..........especially in light of Iraq and what you pointed out.....Let them have their pathetic fun with this, which amounts to nothing.......it is really all they have.... I think the fact that Bush and his cabinet were discussing an invasion of Iraq in their first cabinet meeting counter to what he said on the road to white house. No Nation building. It underlines his lies and hypocracy to the american people... that's why the lefties have such a huge hard on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 maybe the dnc will buy all the copies and hand them out!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igloo Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by jamiroguy1 I think the fact that Bush and his cabinet were discussing an invasion of Iraq in their first cabinet meeting counter to what he said on the road to white house. No Nation building. It underlines his lies and hypocracy to the american people... that's why the lefties have such a huge hard on. Not a bad point on the nation building comment, but if I remember correctly, Bush also stated during his campaign the threat of Iraq.....as AL Gore did (you know the Gore 2000 comments Bush haters ignore, threat to the region, U.S., and world peace, WMD, etc...)....Calm down with lies and hypocrisy....you are stretching and are pathetically desperate.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 Originally posted by igloo Not a bad point on the nation building comment, but if I remember correctly, Bush also stated during his campaign the threat of Iraq.....as AL Gore did (you know the Gore 2000 comments Bush haters ignore, threat to the region, U.S., and world peace, WMD, etc...)....Calm down with lies and hypocrisy....you are stretching and are pathetically desperate.... I think Al Gore's approach to Iraq would be a little different than Bush's. Continued containment and continued inspections as recent evidence has shown was working and was essentially what disarmed Saddam's Regime not an invasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 it would of worked for a while then we would of backed off due to world pressure to leave them alone cause they were not doing anything then they would just go back to what they were doing when we started it had to be done plane and simple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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