TheStar.com – O’Neill backtracks on Bush broadside TIM HARPER

The book [The Price of Loyalty, by Ron Suskind] is replete with stories of a president who appeared zoned out at meetings and said he operated on ”instinct” and ”gut,” not briefing books.

In the book, O’Neill laments the fact that as a 65-year-old man he had to be given a nickname, a Bush habit.

The president immediately began calling him “Pablo.” Later he started calling his treasury secretary “Big O.”

He said Bush called Secretary of State Colin Powell “Balloonfoot.” …

[I]n an interview to be published in Rolling Stone magazine, Dean — without specifically mentioning the war in Iraq — said Bush had some type of obsessive need to please his father, who allowed Saddam to remain in power after the 1991 Gulf war and lost his bid for re-election.

“This president is not interested in being a good president,” the former Vermont governor said. “He’s interested in some complicated psychological situation that he has with his father.

“He is obsessed with being re-elected, and his obsession with re-election is hurting the country.”

In the 60 Minutes interview, O’Neill said Bush’s habit of giving nicknames was indicative of his bully-nature, while most suggest it’s because he’s not too bright; both are probably true.

Note that Suskind wrote for the Wall Street Journal, which is for conservatives what they think the New York Times is for liberals. Now the WSJ is trying to discredit Suskind as a “well-known Bush antagonist.” mjh