Blame Bono for Bush Fallout

BLAME Bono for the fallout between former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill and President George W. Bush which led to O’Neill’s sensational allegations about a disengaged president who went to war in Iraq without any real evidence.

In the new book The Price of Loyalty which O’Neill collaborated on, he traces the beginning of bad feelings between him and President Bush to his highly publicized trip to Africa last year with Bono to combat world hunger. Every day the trip got huge headlines all over the world because of Bono’s star power, and this apparently displeased Bush who likes the attention for himself.

On his return O’Neill quickly realized Bush was not happy. “Hey Big O (his nickname for O’Neill), you are getting quite a reputation and a bit of a cult following aren’t you,” Bush said to him in a roomful of people. 

Bush was not smiling, nor did any of his associates, and O’Neill realized it was meant as a damning and negative comment. O’Neill went home that night and told his wife that he felt his relationship with the president was souring. That certainly proved to be true.

In the book O’Neill also notes that Bono deeply impressed him on the African tour. At first O’Neill stated he was quite apprehensive about the trip, but says that he was the one who invited Bono and not vice versa as the media has reported.

He found Bono to be a true idealist. Once when they were at a tribal council the council wanted them to wear special cloaks as a symbol of their regard for them. O’Neill told Bono that the pictures would make them a laughingstock around the world and would displease the White House among others. 

“Don’t think of what the world thinks, just think of what this means to these people,” Bono told him. O’Neill took his advice and never regretted it.

Campaigns Focus on Ireland

THE Democratic campaigns are certainly gearing up for the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Irish issues are slowly making their way onto the front burner in several campaigns also, with General Wesley Clark’s statement received this week.

Good work by the Irish American Unity Conference which has circulated a questionnaire to all the candidates. This move has certainly resulted in more action than in the recent past.

A key aide to one of the campaigns noted that 19% of the population in New Hampshire were of Irish extraction and a major effort was underfoot to identify some of those Irish and the organizations they belonged to.

It is not easy. There are two branches of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in the state, but not since Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, the fiery labor leader and agitator who died in 1964 has New Hampshire had a leading political figure of Irish ancestry.

Obviously when the primaries move to states like New York, California and Pennsylvania there will be a quickening interest, and there are already plans to host an Irish forum of all the remaining candidates by the New York primary on March 3. Let’s not forget that it was at such a forum in 1992 that Bill Clinton first strutted his Irish stuff.

Paisley, Sharpton Are So Alike

THEY appear to have little in common, but this column was struck last week by the similarity between the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Ian Paisley. 

Paisley was voted in as leader of the Unionist community in Northern Ireland. Last week he was pictured outside a rugby match heckling onlookers and demanding that no games be played on the sabbath. 

This is the person who is now the most powerful unionist in Northern Ireland. Some voters must surely have had second thoughts.

Meanwhile, the black community in America appears to have Sharpton as their political leader. The self-confessed former FBI informer who once claimed that the IRA was involved in the notorious Tawana Brawley case is now the standard bearer. 

It’s a long way from Martin Luther King and even from David Trimble for those two communities.

Fight Back on McAllister

THE McAllister family, the latest Irish victims of the ridiculous Patriot Act, will have a fundraiser in their honor at Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, January 18.

The saga of Malachy McAllister, former political prisoner and for many years living quietly in New Jersey before being arrested and threatened with deportation, is a sad commentary on what this country has become post-September 11. The fundraiser will help the family with their huge legal bills. Call 914-776-2946 for more information.