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Mylroie: Big Error by O'Neill Author on 60 Minutes
Iraq News News Letter - sam11@erols.com
| 1-11-04
| Laurie Mylroie
Posted on 01/11/2004 6:24:22 PM PST by Matchett-PI
In his appearance this evening on "60 Minutes," Ron Suskind, author of The Price of Loyalty, based to a large extent on information from former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill, made an astonishing, very serious misstatement.
Suskind claimed he has documents showing that preparations for the Iraq war were well underway before 9-11. He cited--and even showed--what he said was a Pentagon document, entitled, "Foreign Suitors for Iraq Oilfield contracts." He claimed the document was about planning for post-war Iraqi oil (CBS's promotional story also contains that claim): http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/printable592330.shtml
But that is not a Pentagon document. It's from the Vice-President's Office. It was part of the Energy Project that was the focus of Dick Cheney's attention before the 9/11 strikes.
And the document has nothing to do with post-war Iraq. It was part of a study of global oil supplies. Judicial Watch obtained it in a law suit and posted it, along with related documents, on its website at: http://www.judicialwatch.org/071703.c_.shtml
Indeed, when this story first broke yesterday, the Drudge Report had the Judicial Watch document linked (no one at CBS News saw that, so they could correct the error, when the show aired?)
And what are we to make of O'Neill's bigger claims, including that the Iraq war was planned from the first days of the Bush administration (cited by Wesley Clark today to buttress his assertion that there was no need for the war, it was all political)?
In late 2000 and early 2001, the Iraqi regime was trying increasingly hard to shoot down US planes enforcing the no-fly zones. That may well have opened up discussion about overthrowing Saddam in January and February 2001, as Suskind claims, but "Iraq News," which followed the issue very closely at the time, doubts very much that any decision was made to do so then. Perhaps tellingly, Suskind doesn't claim that those discussions continued beyond February.
Finally, O'Neill's statement to Time magazine, "I never saw anything that I would characterize as evidence of weapons of mass destruction," is bizarre. From 1995 on, UNSCOM reported that Iraq retained major elements of its proscribed weapons programs. That was the consensual view within the US intelligence community on the eve of the war, as well as every other country engaged in the issue.
TOPICS: Breaking News; Editorial; Extended News; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: booktour; bush; iraq; lauriemylroie; mylroie; oneill; pauloneill; priceofloyalty; suskind; waronterror; wmd
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To: Peach; Matchett-PI
Thanks. And tell Laurie she has a lot of fans here!
Another Mylroie fan...does she have a newsletter or website? Thanks for your post, Matchett-PI.
201
posted on
01/12/2004 5:33:16 AM PST
by
hummingbird
("If it wasn't for the insomnia, I could have gotten some sleep!")
To: Matchett-PI
Mara Laisson: (sp?) NPR-type comments Thanks PI..
I like the way you succinctly wrapped up the essence of the 2 NPR-ites contributions ;-)
202
posted on
01/12/2004 5:38:17 AM PST
by
evad
(Welcome back Joe Gibbs...we've been waitin')
To: Matchett-PI
Mara Laisson: (sp?) NPR-type comments.
smile
Actually, the correct spelling of Mara's surname is "Liar-son."
To: ontos-on
Technically, the rats say there was no plan for the post war occupation.. Good technical point but they did at the time argue that the war plan was ill designed and faulty, not enuf troops, quagmire...etc RAT stuff.
They may actually have a point about post war. I personally think we forgot to dot a few "I's" in that plan but we're adapting, learning and improving.
204
posted on
01/12/2004 5:44:14 AM PST
by
evad
(Welcome back Joe Gibbs...we've been waitin')
To: ontos-on
Actually, the correct spelling of Mara's surname is "Liar-son." Ah sooo..I didn't know she was Japanese.
205
posted on
01/12/2004 5:47:08 AM PST
by
evad
(Welcome back Joe Gibbs...we've been waitin')
To: Peach
you have mail
206
posted on
01/12/2004 5:49:09 AM PST
by
prairiebreeze
(I'm a monthly donor to FR. And proud of it!)
To: Matchett-PI
During an interview this morning with Katie Couric, Suskind quotes Paul O'Neill after his firing, "I'm rich, there's nothing they can do to hurt me."
Perhaps O'Neill heard one too many colleagues and CEO's chuckling behind his back. That, coupled with his enormous ego, and maybe because he couldn't stand to have the last line on his resume read, "Terminated".
Any bets on how long it will be before O'Neill is offered and accepts a visiting teaching gig at Harvard Business or Wharton?
207
posted on
01/12/2004 5:49:46 AM PST
by
O.C. - Old Cracker
(When the cracker gets old, you wind up with Old Cracker. - O.C.)
To: Matchett-PI
Saw a newscast in the middle of the night and there was a photo of the heading on the document....clearly marked SECRET.
Will there be the same outcry as the media outing of Valerie Plame?
Hah!
208
posted on
01/12/2004 5:51:46 AM PST
by
OldFriend
(Always understand, even if you remain among the few)
To: Howlin; Ed_NYC; MonroeDNA; widgysoft; Springman; Timesink; dubyaismypresident; Grani; coug97; ...
I was a guest on NPR's "PowerPoint" last night, and the O'Neill statements came up. I pointed out, much to the chagrin of the caller who challenged me, that O'Neill's so-called "plans" were drawn up by the Clinton Administration, and passed (along with many other plans, suggestions and paperwork) to the Bush Administration en-total when Clinton left office.All Administrations do that when they change. It is up to the incoming Administration to determine whether to use those plans or not.
Iraq didn't become truly a front-of-the-table issue until (most likely) the afternoon of 9/11.
The caller tried to push the issue, but was shut down by the host (the rather friendly and likeable Carmen Burns - formerly of WXIA - come to find out we know a lot of the same people; the broadcast business in Atlanta is pretty small to begin with), especially after I pointed out that the Clinton Administration had acted using that same data on multiple cases in the past (including the convenient Impeachment Day attack in December 1998).
Just damn.
If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...
209
posted on
01/12/2004 5:52:49 AM PST
by
mhking
(MaldiciĆ³n justa.)
To: adam_az
Brit Hume is up there with James Taranto (WSJ Opinionjournal Best of the Web guy) Thanks for the heads up. I'm not familiar with Taranto and will take a look at some of his stuff.
210
posted on
01/12/2004 5:53:59 AM PST
by
evad
(Welcome back Joe Gibbs...we've been waitin')
To: mhking
Fantastic, mhking!
211
posted on
01/12/2004 5:56:33 AM PST
by
Pan_Yans Wife
(Freedom is a package deal - with it comes responsibilities and consequences.)
To: All
CBS took advantage of the fact alot of people were watching football, and ran their advertisment for 60 minutes every chance they could get. So even if you didn't watch 60 minutes, you still got the impression that Bush planned the Iraq war the first day he was in office from the commercial. Since the Superbowl is hosted by CBS, you can be assured of more of the same. Dirty tactics by the DNC, nothing new here.
212
posted on
01/12/2004 5:59:34 AM PST
by
jempet
To: Matchett-PI
Perhaps if during his tenure the Treasury Secretary, O'neil, had not been out looking for "evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," HE might have been able to do the job of "treasury secretary" -- a job at which he abjectly failed.
213
posted on
01/12/2004 6:08:00 AM PST
by
xzins
(Retired Army and Proud of It!)
To: mhking
Good for you Michael!
Prairie
214
posted on
01/12/2004 6:10:59 AM PST
by
prairiebreeze
(I'm a monthly donor to FR. And proud of it!)
To: evad
215
posted on
01/12/2004 6:13:47 AM PST
by
adam_az
(Be vewy vewy qwiet, I'm hunting weftists.)
To: PianoMan
It reflects poorly on Bush (or Cheney if Cheney chose him) that he was ever hired. Why pick a Treasury Secretary who doesn't support your total economic plan. He has never been a supply sider. Why was a non-supply sider hired?
216
posted on
01/12/2004 6:15:12 AM PST
by
GraniteStateConservative
("Howard Dean is incontrovertible proof that God is on Bush's side in the 2004 election"- Dick Morris)
To: prairiebreeze
You too.
217
posted on
01/12/2004 6:38:45 AM PST
by
Peach
(The Clintons have pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed.)
To: SJackson
Ping
218
posted on
01/12/2004 6:49:07 AM PST
by
Valin
(We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.)
Comment #219 Removed by Moderator
To: prairiebreeze
O'Neil has turned to the dark side. Question really is when it happened, I don't know a whole lot about O'Neill, so I don't know what to say
220
posted on
01/12/2004 6:56:49 AM PST
by
Mo1
(Join the dollar a day crowd now!)
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