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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: stockman_scott who wrote (34786)1/12/2004 12:51:34 AM
From: lurqer  Read Replies (5) | Respond to of 89467
 
Well, it was a great 60 Minutes. Suspect that many in the more easterly portions of the US missed it because of football (even w/ tape machines). ‘Course the lead story was Stahl’s interview of O’Neill and Suskind – the author of "The Price of Loyalty".

cbsnews.com

In addition to the things already mentioned, I was struck by

one Pentagon document, dated March 5, 2001, and entitled "Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield contracts," which includes a map of potential areas for exploration.

“It talks about contractors around the world from, you know, 30-40 countries. And which ones have what intentions,” says Suskind. “On oil in Iraq.”


Now having heard for some time about maps of Iraq being used at Cheney’s “Energy Task Force” meeting, naturally I was wondering if this was one of those maps. Other places in the interview give insight into the mindset.

Suskind writes that O'Neill argued against a second round of tax cuts.

“Cheney, at this moment, shows his hand,” says Suskind. “He says, ‘You know, Paul, Reagan proved that deficits don't matter. We won the mid-term elections, this is our due.’ … O'Neill is speechless.”


Their due! What’s best for the country is irrelevant – their due. This is the mindset that controls our nation. When this was said

“The thing that's most surprising, I think, is how emphatically, from the very first, the administration had said ‘X’ during the campaign, but from the first day was often doing ‘Y,’” says Suskind. “Not just saying ‘Y,’ but actively moving toward the opposite of what they had said during the election.”

I couldn’t help but think of my phrase “Wrapping and Agenda” that has been the SOP of this Admin from the get-go. When during the pettiness part of the interview I heard

O'Neill was not amused when Mr. Bush began calling him "The Big O." He thought the president's habit of giving people nicknames was a form of bullying.

I couldn’t help but think that he ought to have responded with “The little w”. Also revealing was the part where even Bush says, “Haven't we already given money to rich people? This second tax cut's gonna do it again’.

But according to the transcript, White House political advisor Karl Rove jumped in.

“Karl Rove is saying to the president, a kind of mantra. ‘Stick to principle. Stick to principle.’ He says it over and over again,” says Suskind. “Don’t waver.”


Bush’s Brain at work again.

I also enjoyed the piece on outsourcing

cbsnews.com

What a great quote – “Geography is history”.

And in our corporatism culture what a refreshing story was the Greyston Bakery

cbsnews.com

It made me wonder what our society would be like if the tax code was structured such that every corporation had to consider the double bottom line.

“Do good and do well. It's called a double bottom line. Our social mission is as important as our business mission,” says Walls. “Our people are as important as the dollars we make.”

JMO

lurqer