O'Neill, fired by the White House for his disagreement on tax cuts, is the main source for an upcoming book, "The Price of Loyalty," authored by Ron Suskind.
Suskind says O'Neill and other White House insiders he interviewed gave him documents that show that in the first three months of 2001, the administration was looking at military options for removing Saddam Hussein from power and planning for the aftermath of Saddam's downfall -- including post-war contingencies such as peacekeeping troops, war crimes tribunals and the future of Iraq's oil.
"There are memos," Suskind tells Stahl, "One of them marked 'secret' says 'Plan for Post-Saddam Iraq.'"
A Pentagon document, says Suskind, titled "Foreign Suitors For Iraqi Oilfield Contracts," outlines areas of oil exploration. "It talks about contractors around the world from...30, 40 countries, and which ones have what intentions on oil in Iraq," Suskind says.
In the book, O'Neill is quoted as saying he was surprised that no one in a National Security Council meeting questioned why Iraq should be invaded. "It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying 'Go find me a way to do this,'" says O'Neill in the book.
here's the rest:
Saddam's Ouster Planned In 2001?
Note: Saddam's Ouster Planned...
Stumble It!
CERTAINLY, SADAM CANNOT STAY LONGER THAN BUSH JR. SADDAM MUST BE REMOVED AT WHATEVER COST? IT WOULD BE HUMILIATING IF SADAM STAYED LONGER THAN THE TWO BUSHES. HOW ELSE WOULD YOU INTERPRETE THE DESIRE TO OUSTER SADAM.
THEREFORE, THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS DIED NOT FOR WORLD PEACE BUT WASTED THEIR LIVES FOR A PERSONAL GRUDGE, A SELFISH FAMILY EGO AND IN THE NAME OF REVENGE, AND NOT AMERICA, THE COUNTRY WHICH THE WORLD SO RESPECT, ONCE.