MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Bush and “The Price of Loyalty”.

United States president George Bush conducted cabinet meetings like “a blind man in a room full of deaf people” said former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill during an interview with CBS to be aired this week and in anticipation of a book about the Bush administration, “The Price of Loyalty”.

Mr. O'Neill who served nearly two years as Treasury Secretary and was known for his blunt talking recalls that his first meeting with President Bush turned "into a monologue with the president simply listening and unwilling to engage in a discussion".

The former Treasury Secretary was finally sacked in December 2002 after questioning some of President Bush's proposed tax cuts.

The CBS interview was motivated by the fact Mr. O'Neill is the main source of "The Price of Loyalty", a book by journalist Ron Suskind from The Wall Street Journal to be launched in coming weeks.

"I went with a long list of things to talk about and I though to engage him", but "I was surprised it turned out me talking and the president just listening".

But Mr. O'Neill is also famous for some remarks such as those regarding the collapse of Enron, "companies come and go; it's part of the genius of capitalism". Or when just before a tour of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina he conditioned aid to these countries to assurances that implemented policies will not have the money ending in Swiss bank accounts.

The Brazilian currency tumbled and a diplomatic incident followed forcing Mr. O'Neill who actually has a long corporate experience in Latinamerica, to apologize.

White House spokesperson Scott McClellan reacted to journalists questions saying that "We don't make comments about books".

However Democrats with the primaries race beginning this month in Iowa and New Hampshire were exultant.