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The O'Neill Death Watch, Part 5An ongoing series on the occupational travails of the treasury secretary.

ByTimothy Noah
Posted Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001, at 5:34 PM ET

The White House disputes a story by Beth Piskora in the Dec. 4 New York Post that says Vice President Dick Cheney has met with potential replacements for Treasury secretary Paul O'Neill, including UBS PaineWebber Chairman Donald Marron and former Credit Suisse First Boston Vice Chairman Jack Hennessy. "Total garbage," said a spokesman for Dick Cheney, according to Al Kamen's "In the Loop" column in the Dec. 5 Washington Post. As seasoned Washington observers well know, "White House Denies Cabinet Officer Will Be Replaced" is a headline that always precedes, usually by no more than a couple of weeks, "White House Replaces Cabinet Officer." O'Neill's personal response to the story, related to Lawrence Kudlow and James Cramer last night on CNBC's America Now, did little to dispel this impression:

Someone reported to me that there was an indication that I was—I was going to be replaced by one or two other individuals. And, you know, when I—when it was first told to me, I thought to myself, "Hallelujah."

As Cramer pointed out, "That isn't what I would say if I felt that I was in for another couple, three more years at the job."

On the other hand, Alan Greenspan showed up yesterday at O'Neill's 66th birthday party. According toMartin Crutsinger of the Associated Press, it was the first time Greenspan had appeared in the Treasury Department press room since he became Fed chairman 14 years ago. Greenspan's drop-by might conceivably signal that O'Neill's stock is headed north. More likely, though, it signals that Greenspan's stock is headed south. We are, after all, in a recession.

(For earlier entries in the O'Neill death watch, click here, here, here, and here.)

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Timothy Noah is a senior writer at Slate.
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Although I agree that stentorian denials typically precede the sacking of a Cabinet secretary, I'm not sure if it works the other way around. After all, what else could Cheney say in response to such a story if it were actually false?

--Alex

(To find or answer this post, click here.)

It's all Slate's fault O'Neill is close to death. Public opinion is the bane of a politician's existence, the nerve gas in their air, the rat poison in their Cheerios... Slate killed Paul O'Neill!

--Amber

(To find or answer this post, click here.)

I can't imagine that Alan would want another term as Fed Chairman in any event, and until he retires he doesn't have to pay any attention to GWB or any other president.

--Dilettante

(To find or answer this post, click here.)

(12/6)

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