Bush official: Debt ceiling foes are ‘al Qaeda terrorists’
“Former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill compared lawmakers trying to block raising the debt ceiling to “al Qaeda terrorists.”
“The people who are threatening not to pass the debt ceiling are our version of al Qaeda terrorists. Really,” O’Neill, Treasury secretary in the Republican administration of George W. Bush, said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s InBusiness with Margaret Brennan.
“They’re really putting our whole society at risk by threatening to round up 50 percent of the members of the Congress, who are loony, who would put our credit at risk,” O’Neill said.”
O’Neill, you may recall, was fired in 2002 after warning the Bush administration that a second round of tax cuts, following the initial round in 2001, would create a huge deficit, especially with a new war in Iraq underway.
After O’Neill brought up his concerns to his friend Dick Cheney, the vice president infamously responded:
“You know, Paul, Reagan proved that deficits don’t matter. We won the mid-term elections, this is our due.”
– Jay Bookman
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428 comments Add your comment
Guy Incognito
April 28th, 2011
7:52 am
Where are the union protests???!!!??? Dems=Hypocrites
“House votes to restrict unions
Measure would curb bargaining on health care”
“These are the same Democrats that all these labor unions elected. The same Democrats who we contributed to in their campaigns. The same Democrats who tell us over and over again that they’re with us, that they believe in collective bargaining, that they believe in unions… . It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber.’’
Done deal? Yeah right
Fix-It
April 28th, 2011
7:58 am
What a bunch of drug addicts politicians are, their drug is your money, and you are a terrorist if you don’t give it to them to waste.
stands for decibels
April 28th, 2011
7:59 am
prayerful sheets.
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 28th, 2011
8:01 am
Sorry Mick. About $4 trillion added to the debt by your Idiot Messiah so far. He blew a trillion just with his failed stimulus alone, and he’s shoveling handouts to his parasite base literally faster than tax revenues are coming in.
Idiot Messiah: Do-nothing community organizer.
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 28th, 2011
8:05 am
Poor Obozo, he’s a victim of the past, powerless (and clueless) to change the deficit situation, except to increase it by $1.5 trillion each year.
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
April 28th, 2011
8:09 am
April Fools, right?
Mick
April 28th, 2011
8:11 am
lbb
I’m sorry your hate blinds you to the facts – get over it. I’ll take obama over your bushman any day of the week. Bush = wrecked and broken US, that is his track record in business, no daddy can fix his mess, then blame it all on the next guy….reality bites..
lynnie gal
April 28th, 2011
8:13 am
I agree that those holding our economy hostage concerning the debt ceiling are terrorists. They obviously don’t care about the economic damage they will release on everyone, especially middle class people, who’s credit costs will skyrocket on credit cards, adjustable mortgages, etc. It’s the economic equivalent of 911. Personally, I’m ashamed of Americans that are this ignorant and think they understand everything, and everyone else, including every credible economist, is wrong.
radiohead
April 28th, 2011
8:23 am
Thulsa Doom, how’s that job with the Koch Brothers working out.
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
8:29 am
Make that listing ship.
Clinton didn’t add a dime to the debt. He reduced the deficit in each of his 8 years.
I’ve dutifully given Obama credit for his contribution.
patriot
April 28th, 2011
8:29 am
Yes, everyone who wants the government to live within its means is a terrorist. What an assclown. The only bigger joke than the current administration is the Bush administration and all of its war criminals and economic idiots.
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
8:36 am
The quality of our “public servants” does seem to be slipping. How much of it is due to the intense media scrutiny?
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 28th, 2011
8:39 am
False. The public debt went UP every year of Clinton’s regime. Your boy Obozo is adding as much to the debt every year as Clinton did in eight.
Idiot Messiah: A failed do-nothing.
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
8:41 am
It’s going to be hard for the economy to grow with all the fiscal problems the states are experiencing. But the shake out is long past due. Teachers, be prepared to get a real JOB!
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
8:42 am
Yeah, Reagan’s debt continued to climb, but Slick Willie made it a little smaller each year until the budget nearly balanced.
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
8:46 am
I’d reather do nothing than start two wars, create Homeland Security and Medicare Part ‘D’ and reduce tax rates to the lowest in modern times, effectively dropping nearly half of us off the income tax rolls. And then have the gall to say we have a spending problem only.
And yes, Obama continues to add to Bush’s legacy debt, but most of it is still his and the Gyppers.
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
8:52 am
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0927/p01s02-usec.html
chef pierre
April 28th, 2011
8:53 am
HAPPY BIRTHERDAY TO YOU…..JACKWAGONS>>.
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 28th, 2011
8:56 am
Actually, Slick Willy made the debt bigger every year. You need to learn the difference between “debt” and “deficit”.
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
8:58 am
You need to get a clue. IT WAS REAGAN’S DEBT!!! Bill made it smaller!!!
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 28th, 2011
9:01 am
Jobless claims rose by 25000 last week to 429000.
Heckuva job, Obozo!
Fletch
April 28th, 2011
9:12 am
I know we have to do it – but does anyone else feel like this is opening another credit card because all of ours are already maxed out? The government is like a teenager, left home alone for the weekend with a wad of cash…
WJ
April 28th, 2011
9:25 am
The answer/solution is not to raise taxes my dear friends. The answer/solution is not to cut spending on defense, social secuirty and medicaid/care. The answer/solution is to raise tax REVENUE and cut the FIXED COST of the federal government. The actions which lead to the results, as proven consistenty (at least on the revenue side) during the last five decades is the CUT THE TAX RATE at all levels and actually get EVERYONE TO PAY SOME TAX. This will GROW THE ECONOMY (i.e., GDP) and the virtually unchanged (46 years) component of 17-19% of GDP to the fed will GROW REVENUE. This alone would be a great help. I suggest combine this with a 4-6% cut in government employees – yes, lay them off/eliminate their positions/downsize/rif/whatever you want to call it. Freeze all new spending (no need to cut, just don’t increase spending, which includs not funding healthcare autrocity that was just passed). This will solve the current problems, and lay a solid foundation for addressing the long-term issues of debt, balanced budgets, etc. etc.
Sincerely,
WJ
jm
April 28th, 2011
9:33 am
Well, AQ might be a bit much. But they do need to raise the debt ceiling in conjunction with some kind of spending controls.
Robert
April 28th, 2011
9:48 am
Can anybody tell me who these “birthers” are which is the new code word for “white racist” ? Are they another homegrown terrorist group(s) created by the GOP? Are they part of the homegrown terrorist group(s) (klansmen, skinheads,etc.) known as the “tea party” whose weapons of choice are fear, hatred and rage/mob mentality against minorities, women, gays & lesbians and Muslims & Jews? The whole world saw their hatred and bigotry on display during the 2010 midterm elections and heard their call to battle (take back my country) as well as saw the majority of poor, uneducated, disenfranshised White Americans embrace the “tea party” and vote for the entire GOP ticket regardless of the candidates experience. The American People have never seen organized terrorism at the ballot box and I hope we never will again. Who are these “birther” terrorist and should they be placed on the terrorist watch list?
Obama is over
April 28th, 2011
10:18 am
Life gets pretty dull when you know what someone is going to say at any given moment. Of course not raising the debt ceiling is dangerous- by jeapordizing the money printing machine. Obama is so arrogant, immature, and clueless, that people have to threaten something drastic to get his attention. As far as “holding the American economy hostage,” tell that to Boeing and the 2000 employees in SC who are not being allowed to work because of Obama’s lackeys on the National Labor Relations board. It is far easier to do a business deal in Beijing than Washington right now. As a small business owner who actually exports to Asia, if Obama raises my taxes, I will have to lay off employees. As an S corp, I am lumped in with the evil “rich” people you keep writing about. Since Obama has no business experience, he does not understand that small business is what drives most of the American economy. He should be focussing on how to help small busness become self sufficient rather than impede progress through onerous accounting rules, ridculous unrealistic healthcare requirements, forced unionization, and general Governement meddling. Regulatory risk is one of the most daunting challenges in our current economy. All we get from Washington is snide remarks about Trump, Bachman, and the lunatic fringe, soundbites about how everything is Bush’s fault, and the same old blame game. Where are the ideas? I don’t want to hear about abortion, gay rights, and the social agenda from the GOP. I am sick of the DEMS trying to blame every problem on the “rich” while they line their own pockets by making Government so big that it invades every walk of American life. And guess what, taxing the wealthiest 2% of America (including small business) is not going to get us out of the hole we are in. “It’s about the economy, stupid.”
TnGelding
April 28th, 2011
3:29 pm
Lil’ Barry Bailout
April 28th, 2011
8:56 am
It was Reagan’s annual deficits and his accumulated debt! Notice I hold Bush ‘41′ blameless.
Until you can acknowledge the harm your president did to our economy and prestige your opinion is irrelevant.
You might be right about the Kenyan prince, but until you can show the office some respect you’ll be ignored. I’m disappointed myself, but he still has time to turn it around.
It’s the speculators and money changers, stupid!
SGTreport - The Corporate Propaganda Antidote
April 28th, 2011
10:03 pm
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