FORMER TREASURY SECRETARY PAUL ONEILL SAYS INVASION OF IRAQ WAS PLANNED IN THE FIRST DAYS...

Drudge ^ | 1/10/04 | Drudge

[Monti Cello]

"INVASION" of Iraq was NOTHING more than a resumption of hostilities brought on by Saddam's eleven year long refusal/failure to live up to the TERMS OF SURRENDER

Good point. Those who argue on the 'illegality' of the war in Iraq conveniently forget the numerous legal justifications in international and US law.

Saddam was dead to rights on UN Res 1441 and many others, on attacking planes in the no-fly zone, on trying to whack a US president, on violating the UN sanctions.

France, Germany and Russia played the role of the corrupt police bureaucrats (or Senate Democrats during impeachment) who just refused to go after their buddy despite overwhelming evidence of guilt on many levels.

[SeattleTiger]

The key is in the phrase "nearly verbatim." In fact, the quote actually read

"Haven't we the Democrats already given money to gouged rich people ?" Suskind says the president uttered, according to a nearly verbatim transcript of an Economic Team meeting he says he obtained from someone disgruntled yokel named P. O'Neill at the meeting, "Shouldn't we be giving money to stop gouging the middle [too]?"

[txrangerette]

Cheney knew O'Neill from their
working closely together in the
federal government years ago as
much younger men(Nixon Admin., I
believe). And had kept abreast of
his business career. Guess they
stayed friendly.

Too bad...

[chiller]

"Haven't we already given money to rich people,"...."Shouldn't we be giving money to the middle?"

What's so odd about asking if tax cuts are properly targeted? I would hope to hell SOMEONE would ask this question, at some point. In the end, they went to both.

[mrsmith]

"the administration was looking at military options for removing Saddam Hussein from power and planning for the aftermath of Saddam's downfall, including post-war contingencies like peacekeeping troops, war crimes tribunals and the future of Iraq's oil"

Wait a second, the left told me for months that there was no post-Iraq plan.

Isn't that something?

I wonder how the press determines when to quit pushing one leftist claim and start pushing a contradictory leftist claim?
They probably just trust the DNC to know.

[txrangerette]

See #123

[irgbar-man]

O'Neill, fired by the White House for his disagreement on tax cuts, is the main source for an upcoming book, "The Price of Loyalty," authored by Ron Suskind.

Found this article on Suskind:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/03/suskind.cnna/

He’s making a career of this angle. Hope he enjoys his share of the Bush tax cuts.

Price of loyalty my arse.

[OldFriend]

I would hope that there are plans for invasions of Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Syria. Anything less would be totally irresponsible. Every eventually must be prepared for in advance.

O'Neil is either senile or hopelessly ignorant.

A willing dupe also comes to mind.

[jriemer]

The United States has contingency plans to strike and / or invade every nation / spot on earth and they are updated on a regular basis or as events warrant.

Example: The US had plans to sending airborne troops to seize oil fields in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi in reaction to the OPEC oil crisis in 1973. As history shows, these plans were never realized - Source

That's why I said that list went all the way down to the Vatican - home of the world's smallest country and posessing the world's smallest military - the Swiss Guard.

[SupplySider]

What's so odd about asking if tax cuts are properly targeted?

The whole idea of "targeted tax cuts" was cooked up by Clinton's political team. It was a tactic to paint Reaganomics as favoring the rich while still appearing to favor tax cuts. Clinton was smart enough to realize that "tax & spend", the real Democrat policy, would not sell unless dishonestly packaged.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

See Post #62 and don't quote Scripture if you don't know what you're talking about.

See post #71 and don't be such a curmudgeon when you haven't read the entire thread.

[fini]

You are absolutely right. I work with contingency plans in the Marine Corps. We actively work on plans for potential conflicts throughout the world. On a side note, before WWII, the US had plans on how to fight the UK.

[chiller]

W's correct assessment was that Saddam was the cornerstone of decades of trouble in the Mid-East, imho. Now we see the rest of the region falling in line.

David Frum or Richard Perle said yesterday they believe there may have been an agreement that Israel would seriously seek peace with the Palistinians if the US removed Saddam.

All previous Mid-East solutions have failed, but now the landscape has changed. I predict W's legacy will be what he accomplishes in the Mid-East, and it will be HUGH !

[mass55th]

Didn't Condoleeza Rice prepare a report regarding the administration's proposals for dealing with terrorists (Bin Laden, Saddam, etc), and wasn't this report placed on the President's desk on the moring of 9/11...while he was in Florida? I distinctly recall this being mentioned several times, especially in response to those individuals claiming the White House did nothing after receiving the briefing from the outgoing Clinton admin. It's obvious that the President asked his people to brainstorm on this issue, and if he did so right after his inauguration...more power to him.

[cubreporter]

Never quite liked O'neill. Looked weak to me. Now I know why President Bush let him go. President Bush must have seen the same things in him. Good riddance to O'Neil. Now he can sing his sour grapes all he wants. What a weasel.

[LowCountryJoe]

...the administration was looking at military options for removing Saddam Hussein from power and planning for the aftermath of Saddam's downfall...

You don't say! I'd have never guessed that we'd be looking to remove Saddam Hussein after his numerous "middle finger" gestures to the 15 (at that point in time) United Nation's Security Council resolutions.

...Suskind also writes about a White House meeting in which he says the president seems to be wavering about going forward with his second round of tax cuts. "Haven't we already given money to rich people," Suskind says the president uttered, according to a nearly verbatim transcript of an Economic Team meeting he says he obtained from someone at the meeting, "Shouldn't we be giving money to the middle?"...

I can just see Amazon offering this book packaged with a pair of rubber galoshes.

[mass55th]

"Which is it? Bush says nothing, or Bush says "go find me a way to do this?"

Of course Stahl, being the moron that she is, never even thought to ask this question of O'Neill. I think Freepers should be conducting these interviews.

[cubreporter]

Let your enemies attack like a hurricane while you bend like the grass. When the wind is exhausted, you will stand tall again.

Did you make that up? It's great! I will write it down.

[cory]

Actually O'Neill's comments are backed up by hard documents obtained from the Energy Task Force Meetings.

The docs dated 03/01 even contain one that has the exact same title referenced by O'Neill.

See: http://www.judicialwatch.org/071703.c_.shtml

[Always Right]

All previous Mid-East solutions have failed, but now the landscape has changed. I predict W's legacy will be what he accomplishes in the Mid-East, and it will be HUGH !

Seriesly hugh. I see lots of promise for peace in the middle east. Of course if peace does come, there will be 1200 professors who come to a consensus that it was the ground work laid (no pun intended) by Clinton that lead to the peace.