Why (what reasons) did O'Neill Blow-the -Whistle?

[Homer12]

I'm sure Paul O'Neill new that if he came out about is experience in the Bush cabinet that their would be reprisal against him in the form of Rovian character assassination which is meant to destroy credibility of the whistle-blower as well as to seek revenge on those who break away from Buscho's party-line.

When Bushco fired O'Neill; What grantee that they thought that O'Neill wouldn't speak up?

Bushco must of thought that O'Neill, like many other people in the administration, would fear reprisal from Rovian Character assassination and those common and nasty small plane crashes that seem to happen to people.

What went wrong with Rovian tactics? Why was Buscho supposed grantee of silence from O'Neill a paper-tiger?

[Walt Starr]

1. "I'm old and rich, there's nothing they can do to me"

Once he realized he could exact revenge but revealing the truth, he blew the whistle. The bastards blamed Bush's fucked up mistakes with the economy on him and threw him overboard. This was his chance to push a knife in the blowup life raft.

He must stay out of small planes for the rest of his life, but he's realtively safe.

[kentuck]

2. Why does it matter if it is true ??

He was probably pissed for being fired?? So.......

[noonwitch]

3. I think he was disillusioned and disgusted

Some people can't be intimidated, either, if they know they are right about something.
Maybe O'Neill is one of those conservatives who has a moral compass that still works, and was shocked and disgusted by the goings on in the Bush administration. He wants the american people to know about it before the election, and if he can make some money, too, all the better.

[Catfish]

6. I think I read

that he's not taking any money from this book. I doubt if he needs any more money although that doesn't stop many people.

[wryter2000]

12. Right

He's not taking any money, so that isn't the motivation. I imagine it was a combination of outrage at what he saw and ego. He seems to have plenty of that. Of course, the person who said it isn't important is right, too.

[Catfish]

4. Not sure of why

but I think it might have to do with the fact that O'Neill is an old school Republican who served in two other administrations. He says he thought Bush would govern from the middle. I think he was offended and disgusted by the lack of policy and the focus on politics only. I think he felt betrayed by Cheney and as he said, he's old and rich and doesn't fear them. He did say something like, they're a nasty bunch with long memories so he had to expect some attacks from them.

[JHB]

23. Those, and the fact that he has a life outside the Beltway

Granted he's a corporate-critter, but he lived(s) in the real world, at least moreso than anyone else in the administration. The rest either roost in RW think-tanks or shop out their rolodex when not holding government posts.

[seemslikeadream]

5. He's probably not a religious fundalmentalist

:evilgrin:

[cthrumatrix]

7. there are people of integrity...maybe he lost a distant family member

in the Iraq war and is disgusted by the lies that caused it.

If we had the MEDIA ask the darn question...maybe we would know.


The liberal media had no problem of this repsonsibility when Clinton lied..now did they?

[ArkDem]

8. He is selling his new book.

ALL republicans are greedy. It's not a matter of need.

[seemslikeadream]

9. Sorry it's not his book

and he's not taking a dime for his participation

[cthrumatrix]

11. reugs are "deer in the headlights" this morning..... ducking and hiding

let's hear the repug senators and congressman who voted to sent our troops off to a pre-planned war

they open thier pie holes on everything else

[seemslikeadream]

17. Putting Kevin Phillips book

side by side with O'Neil's will make things really interesting.

[wryter2000]

13. Speaking of which

We need to buy this book and put it at #1 on the NYT. It's released tomorrow. I've pre-ordered my copy from Barnes and Noble.com

[ElsewheresDaughter]

16. i will buy the book tomorrow also!

[enough]

20. It was #1 on Amazon this morning

pre-orders for shipping on Tuesday.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

22. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy it...

But I've been scoping out my local library's website so I can put it on hold as soon as it gets in.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

10. i don't think $ was O'Neils motivation for the book...he doesn't need that

money

[bearfartinthewoods]

15. there is no money...it's not his book

he was interviewed by an author. he didn't write a book.

[starroute]

14. It could be infighting within the establishment

It's common wisdom that Nixon fell not because the left was going after him over Watergate, but because the establishment finally decided he was a liability and cut him loose. I've been seeing things for a year or more now saying that Bush will go down when the old-line, northeast, financial establishment decides that his deficits and his unilateral adventurism are a threat to their own plans and expectations.

I haven't followed O'Neill's career closely, and I don't know what his connections are, but his outlook certainly seems very much that of the old financial establishment. Because of this, I wouldn't be at all surprised if his book was a first major move on the part of people like the Rockefellers to take Bush down before next fall's election.

Of course, things are a lot more complicated now than they were during Watergate, because Bush is so firmly supported by the Texas/oil/Halliburton crowd. Poppy had ties in both worlds, as part of the Bush/Harriman/Skull and Bones nexus, but W is Texas all the way, and the fault lines are starting to open wider. We could be seeing the opening salvos of an epic war between the two most powerful wings of the US establishment -- and all us poor mice on the battlefield can do is hunker down and hope to survive.

[readmylips]

18. Cheney fired O'Neill, not little man Boosh....

You are repeating what the boosh media is saying; 'bush fired O'Neill.' The Dick called O'Neill to his office and fired him. That's what O'Neill said and how the book reads. We all know that Cheney IS the head of the dragon and Rove IS the sick brain behind it. Bastards!

[Gin]

19. His motives don't matter to me...I am happy he came forward with the

information and supplied documents to back it up.

[TheDonkey]

21. Money & Glory

He now has a hot new book out and can turn the story from "Bush fired this guy" to "Bush is evil and I am glad I was let go."

He is saving his butt in other words. He surely won't be campaigning with the Dems anytime soon but I'm very happy he's speaking out loudly even if his intentions are less than noble.

[loyalsister]

24. O'Neill has some integrity

I posted something in a thread that fell last night. But, O'Neill was a Republican who actually walked the walk when he talked about self regulation.

Yet O'Neill's zero-tolerance for any "incidents and accidents" blemishes on Alcoa's safety record was motivated by values - respect for employees and their health and safety - not profit, he insisted.

"I went to Alcoa with a burning fire ... to demonstrate that it is possible for a truly great organization to be value-based without any reservations," he said. To avoid a perception that his focus on safety was anything other than a values issue, he threatened to fire managers who brought him an analysis of how improved safety was bettering the bottom line.

"It was the beginning of a determined effort to systematically work with people ... to prove to them that there should never be a trade-off between values and economics. Values should always win," he said.
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/10.24/13-oneill.html

Keep in mind he's no religious nut.

Of course, the article also covers how he thinks there's no room for government oversight in the corporate world. I think that is the misguided part. But I can respect the fact that he did apparently apply a system that was good for people and he did it because he believed it was the right thing to do. I think speaks to the question of this thread.