Paul Bremmer - U.S.-Iraq ProCon.org

"I have been involved in the war on terrorism for two decades, and in my view no world leader has better understood the stakes in this global war than President Bush.

The president was right when he concluded that Saddam Hussein was a menace who needed to be removed from power. He understands that our enemies are not confined to Al Qaeda, and certainly not just to Osama bin Laden, who is probably trapped in his hide-out in Afghanistan. As the bipartisan 9/11 commission reported, there were contacts between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime going back a decade. We will win the war against global terror only by staying on the offensive and confronting terrorists and state sponsors of terror - wherever they are. Right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Qaeda ally, is a dangerous threat. He is in Iraq.

President Bush has said that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. He is right. Mr. Zarqawi's stated goal is to kill Americans, set off a sectarian war in Iraq and defeat democracy there. He is our enemy."

"What I Really Said About Iraq"
New York Times, October 8, 2004

Name:	L. Paul Bremmer, III
Title:	Former U.S. Presidential Envoy and Administrator in Iraq Former Chief Executive, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq
Position:	Pro to the question "Should the U.S. have attacked Iraq?"
Reasoning:	"I have been involved in the war on terrorism for two decades, and in my view no world leader has better understood the stakes in this global war than President Bush. The president was right when he concluded that Saddam Hussein was a menace who needed to be removed from power. He understands that our enemies are not confined to Al Qaeda, and certainly not just to Osama bin Laden, who is probably trapped in his hide-out in Afghanistan. As the bipartisan 9/11 commission reported, there were contacts between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime going back a decade. We will win the war against global terror only by staying on the offensive and confronting terrorists and state sponsors of terror - wherever they are. Right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Qaeda ally, is a dangerous threat. He is in Iraq. President Bush has said that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. He is right. Mr. Zarqawi's stated goal is to kill Americans, set off a sectarian war in Iraq and defeat democracy there. He is our enemy." "What I Really Said About Iraq" New York Times, October 8, 2004
Credibility/ Ranking:	Experts PhD's, JD's (lawyers), Judges, Members of Congress, Ambassadors, Council Generals, heads of government, members of legislative bodies with significant involvement in, or related to, the US-Iraq conflict.
Involvement:	2003-2004 - U.S. Presidential Envoy and Administrator in Iraq 2003-2004 - Chief Executive, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq 2992 - Member, President's Homeland Security Advisory Council 2001 - Co-Chair, Homeland Security Task Force, Heritage Foundation 1999 - Chairman, National Commission on Terrorism
Education:	M.B.A., Harvard University, 1966 Certificate of Political Studies, Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris, 1964 B.A., Yale University, 1963
Relevant Affiliations:	Founder and President, Lincoln/Douglass Scholarship Foundation Member, International Institute for Strategic Studies Member, Council on Foreign Relations Former Chairman, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. 1989-2001 - Managing Director, Kissinger and Associates 1986-1989 - Ambassador-at-Large for Counterterrorism 1983-1986 - Ambassador to the Netherlands 1981-1883 - Executive Secretary and Special Assistant to Alexander Haig 1979-1981 - Deputy Executive Secretary of State 1976-1979 - Deputy Chief of Mission, Oslo, Norway 1972-1976 - Assistant to Henry Kissinger Awards Received: Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2004 State Department Superior Honor Award Two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards Distinguished Honor Award from the Secretary of State
Contact Info:	Phone: None listed FAX: None listed E-Mail: None listed Web Site: www.iraqcoalition.org/bremerbio.html
Other:	Select Publications: My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (with co-author Malcolm McConnell), Canada: Simon & Schuster, 2006 "Assessing U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts," Security Management, 7/28/05 "What I Really Said About Iraq," New York Times, 10/8/04 "Defending the American Homeland" (with co-author Edwin Meese), Heritage Foundation, 1/22/02 Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism: Report from the National Commission on Terrorism, Collingdale, PA: Diane Publishing Co., 2000