The backlash against Paul O'Neill for dumping on GWB is pretty interesting. I suppose there may be something to the timing of the release of his tell-all (to coincide with the countdown to the Iowa caucuses and the general anti-Bush sentiment among the Dumbs), but, regardless, he isn't getting the play he expected. So, what are O'Neill's charges?
1) O'Neill saw no evidence of WMD in Iraq; thus, no justification for the war. Who cares what the Secretary of the Treasury thinks of intelligence reports of WMD in Iraq? Is that somehow a strike against the possibility? Remember: there's no doubt that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. The only question is where and when he disposed of them. Why doesn't the Leftist media acknowledge that? Why can't they understand that war aims evolve with changes in circumstances?
2) O'Neill claims that Bush was on the war path for Iraq long before 11 September, maybe as early on as the first few days of his administration. So what? Regime change in Iraq had been the official policy of the United States Government for five years when we went in. That precedes the current Administration, which was the only one that acted on that policy. Now that we're there, some very important things have happened in the Middle East and Southwest Asia that will lead to a more peaceful situation. That, or a more permanent solution.
Also, it's no exaggeration to point out that the attacks on 11 September may not have happened had Clinton and his people not swept al-Qaeda's aggressions against us under the rug. Every passing day makes that judgement all the more damning.
3) O'Neill says that Bush is detached and incurious and whatever else that suggests he's a dumbass cowboy. I'm sure O'Neill had Bono in stitches with anecdotes of Bush's ineptitude while they were on safari, but there's more ways to understanding than O'Neill knows. Is micromangerialism a virtue at Alcoa? Who cares what O'Neill's opinion of Bush is? Ronald Reagan was a successful president who knew enough about his own limitations and inclinations to hire people who could do a great job at his behest. FDR is also said to have been a delegator who enjoyed pitting cabinet officers against each other to arrive at some more refined answers.
O'Neill's an asshole for dumping on Bush right now. If he's trying to curry favor with the moderates and the Dumbocrats, he should have left well enough alone, especially if it turns out that he was waving classified documents around where he shouldn't have. I'm sure we'll find out.