Two former Bush Advisers Now Advising Obama, Will Appear at Economic Meeting Today

[cal04]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/two-former-bush.html

ABC News has learned that two former administration officials for President George W. Bush will appear with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, at an economic meeting today, having signed up to be Obama economic advisers.

Bush administration veterans former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and former Securities and Exchange Commissioner William Donaldson will join former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, and more traditionally Democratic economic advisers such as former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, billionaire liberal Warren Buffett, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger.

Donaldson's tenure at the SEC was notable for his attempts to work with the Democratic Commissioners, for angering the US Chamber of Commerce and Republican legislators, and for abandoning an effort for shareholder proxy access.

O'Neill, the former CEO of Alcoa, had a stormy tenure as Bush's Treasury Secretary, and revealed his frustrations with the Bush administration -- especially over the war in Iraq, economic policy, and the President's leadership style -- in a book written with Ron Suskind, The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill.

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. Paul O'Neill feels that Bush started an illegal War

and planned on taking out Saddam before 911

[Median Democrat]

2. O'Neill Quoted Cheney As Saying Deficits Don't Matter

It is interesting the naivette of certain Bush appointees such as O'Neill, Powell and the former director of the EPA. They were all outsted, and they all claimed that they were mislead by Bush's compassionate conservatism talk. O'Neill also can't even be called a moderate Republican, yet he clashed with Bush's inner circle, which was hell bent on passing the tax cuts.

[CaptJasHook]

3. More evidence that President Obama will have a Lincolnesque cabinet.

This could be beneficial. Provided that he choose wisely amongst the Conservatives... ie, no religious apocalyptic nutjobs, no connections to the Heritage institute, and no one closely connected to Bushco. O'Neill isn't so bad of a choice. I don't know anything about Donaldson.