Economic Slowdown: Treasury Department: Paul O'Neil: Turnaround Guy

In Paul O'Neill, Bush found someone who's not afraid to dig into the details and speak his mind

At a NASDAQ board meeting in Manhattan last month, a visitor approached a compact, white-haired guy who looks as if he belongs in a college chemistry lab and asked if he was thinking about a top job in the new Administration. "No way," replied Paul O'Neill, with a smile. "I'm too old." O'Neill, 65, allowed as how he might consider running a task force on something really messy and complicated, such as fixing Social Security. But having spent the past 23 years running Alcoa and International Paper, O'Neill and his wife Nancy Jo were looking to step back and enjoy life...

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