Mr. Brennan was chairman of and Mr. Miles sat on the AMR board's compensation and nominating committee, according to the company's 2001 proxy statement to the SEC. AMR hasn't released its 2002 proxy statement.
Mr. Brennan and Mr. Miles also are members of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co.'s board, whose chairman and chief executive, Philip Purcell, is an AMR director. The financial services giant also has done work for AMR.
The highly educated and very talented people sidelined during the current recession that you mentioned lacked one qualification; the incestuous "good old boy" network.
I'd give this a big BWAHAHA, but I'm too PO'ed about this. I'm nowhere near perfect on the ethics front, but it is long past time to clean out the outhouse that's known as the executive suite.