An important note re: Paul O'Neill

A follow-up to my comments on Paul O'Neill's revelation that the Bush team was planning to invade Iraq from the minute they got in the door.

- White House media maggot Scott McClellan said O'Neill was "trying to justify his own opinions."

- An administration source said "we never listened to the crazy things here said when he was in office, why should we listen now?"

- Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) said "not since Julius Caesar has there been such a stab in the back. Et tu, Paul O'Neill?"

Note this well: None of those statements actually claim that what O'Neill said isn't true. Not even by implication. They are simply ad hominem attacks intended to change the subject.

In fact, it's now over two days since CBS first released parts of the "60 Minutes" interview shown this evening and I've yet to hear anyone deny the substance of his charges.

Which I find quite interesting.

Update: A CNN story this evening on the White House response to O'Neill has them dragging in the Iraq Libertation Act and contingency plans and "disgruntled" as defenses. Perhaps they're just throwing everything out, trying to see what will stick.

They also had Bob Dole come out of retirement long enough to say "there's always somebody in somebody's administration who jumps out early, sells a book, and goes after the guy who hired him."

But again, and again note it well, they still haven't said O'Neill wasn't telling the truth.