When Paul O'Neill was fired from his position for incompetence, he STOLE 19,000 pages of documents, some classified as Secret or higher. He gave them to an anti-Bush reporter who wrote a book for which Oneill is trying to drum up sales. If O'Neill is such a great patriot, wanting to save the world's oil supply from being taken over by the Evil Bushaliburtons, why didn't he make these accusations immediately, instead of waiting nearly three years?
O'neill is guilty of:
1: Treason: releasing classified documents.
2: Sour grapes: he was fired for incompetence, and is trying to get even.
3: Idiocy: Many of the stolen documents were actually plans and analyses from the Clinton administration, that were under review by the new Administration.
For those of you who are completely ignorant of the way that this country operates, there are contingency plans on conducting military and political operations in EVERY country that has a "post-stone age" technical capability, and some strategically located primitive nations.
Even for our best "friends" we have such plans. This has been true since the end of World War One. Pentagon and Division level commanders are CONSTANTLY refining these contingency plans. Plans exist for war with Canada, Mexico and yes, even Greece, not to mention those countries that have made direct threats against America or Western Civilization in general. Any administration that did not plan ahead for "the worst" would be criminally negligent.
4: Extreme Naievty: Even though SecTreas is a member of the National Security Council, he wouldn't have been shown specific military plans, or Intel reports UNLESS his own department were specifically involved. Cabinet members see classified material only on a need to know basis; Even Condi Rice, the National Security Advisor doesn't get to see everything. And since from the first day O'neill showed up for a cabinet meeting they knew they were dealing with a loose cannon, he would have been cut out of the loop even more than usual. And if O'Neill thinks that he would have been shown the "Secret Bush Family / Haliburton world domination and oil stealing plans" he is REALLY dreaming.
5: Extreme Hubris: O'neill was universially disliked by everyone in the administration within days of starting work. He felt that EVERYONE he worked with (and for) were idiots. Only he had all of the answers....
For instance, HE used his influence to force Argentina to drastically devalue their currency. He did this against the advice of Greenspan, most economics experts, most of the directors of the IMF; Argentina did follow his recommendation, plunging the entire country into the worst economic crisis in the history of the country. And this collapse of the Argentinian economy severely hurt most of its neighbors; Chile also had an economic and political collapse, Brazil, Bolivia, and even poor little old Patagonia are hurting more than usual.
AND HE WANTED THE UNITED STATES TO GREATLY DEVALUE IT'S CURRENCY ALSO, AND RAISE, not cut TAXES! And when the rest of the Administration told him he was an idiot, he went to the American and world press badmouthing the entire American Government and the business leaders that opposed his brilliant plans to plunge the entire world into a depression. Even if you don't care about the starving Argentinians, the taxpayers and financial institutions of the IMF member nations are going to be paying for this for years
6: Derelection of Duty: When the United States was at the worst point of the economic downturn he spent a couple of weeks touring Africa with some rock star (Bono). When he finally came back he demanded that the American Taxpayers send hundreds of billions of dollars to modernize and cure AIDS in Africa.
Yes, unfortunately, O'Neill WAS a Bush Appointee. He didn't really want him; did it for VP Cheney who got to be friends with him when they were working for Nixon. They are friends no longer. Cheney has little tolerance for disloyal treasonous fools.