White House on Defensive After Bremer Talk

WASHINGTON - The White House staunchly defended its Iraq (news - web sites) policy Tuesday as new questions emerged about President Bush (news - web sites)'s prewar decisions and postwar planning: An impending weapons report undercut the administration's main rationale for the war, and the former head of the American occupation said the United States had too few troops in Iraq after the invasion.

Four weeks before Election Day, Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) pounced on the acknowledgment by former Iraq administrator Paul Bremer that the United States had "paid a big price" for insufficient troop levels.

Kerry said there was a "long list of mistakes" that the Bush administration had made in Iraq.

"I'm glad that Paul Bremer has finally admitted at least two of them," Kerry said, referring to postwar troop levels and a failure to contain chaos.

At a campaign stop in Tipton, Iowa, Kerry said the question for voters was whether Bush was "constitutionally incapable of acknowledging the truth" or was "just so stubborn."

In a rare day spent in Washington, Bush had no public appearances. Speechwriters polished an address that White House aides said would be a sweeping indictment of Kerry's Iraq policies, while Bush prepared for his second debate with Kerry on Friday.

Bremer last month, in a speech at DePauw University in Indiana, said he had raised within the Bush administration the issue of too few troops and "should have been even more insistent" when his advice was rejected.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan refused to say if Bremer had pleaded with Bush for more troops, saying, "We never get into reading out all the conversations they had."

Bush consulted military commanders — not his hand-picked Iraq administrator — for guidance on troop levels, McClellan said, adding, "The lessons from the past, including Vietnam, are that we shouldn't try to micromanage military decisions from Washington."

In an unusual public acknowledgment of internal dissent, Bush campaign spokesman Brian Jones said Bremer and the military brass had clashed on troop levels.

"Ambassador Bremer differed with the commanders in the field," Jones said. "That is his right, but the president has always said that he will listen to his commanders on the ground and give them the support they need for victory."

"Commander in chief means you have to make judgments that protect the troops and accomplish the mission," Kerry told reporters in Iowa. "I would listen to all of my advisers and make the best decision possible."

The White House, meanwhile, sought to put the brightest face possible on the final report by the American weapons inspector in Iraq, Charles Duelfer, due out Wednesday. In earlier drafts, Duelfer found Saddam had left signs he had idle weapons programs he someday hoped to revive, but that Saddam did not have stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and other top administration officials said repeatedly before invading Iraq that Saddam did have such weapons and that they posed a threat not only to Iraq's neighbors but to the United States as well. The weapons were the main justification for the invasion.

Even before Duelfer's final report was issued, McClellan said it bolstered the White House's assertions on Iraq.

The report will conclude "that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had the intent and the capability, that he was pursuing an aggressive strategy to bring down the sanctions, the international sanctions, imposed by the United Nations (news - web sites) through illegal financing procurement schemes," McClellan said. "The report will continue to show that he was a gathering threat that needed to be taken seriously, that it was a matter of time before he was going to begin pursuing those weapons of mass destruction," he said.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld ignited another brush fire Monday, saying he knew of no "strong, hard evidence" linking al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein. He later backed off the statement and said he was misunderstood.

McClellan ticked off a litany of what he said were links between Iraq and al-Qaida. Both were "sworn enemies of the free world, including the United States," and both "celebrated the Sept. 11 attacks on America," he said.

"There are clearly ties between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaida," McClellan said. "We know there were senior-level contacts between the regime and al-Qaida — the 9/11 commission documented that," McClellan said.

In fact, the Sept. 11 commission report said that while there were "friendly contacts" between Iraq and al-Qaida and a common hatred of the United States, none "ever developed into a collaborative relationship."

In a reflection of the political significance of Iraq, the White House changed gears on Bush's Wednesday speech, which originally was planned as an address on health care. Now the speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., will focus on the war, as well as the economy.

People remain about evenly split on Bush's handling of Iraq, polls suggest. But almost six in 10 say they do not think Bush has a clear plan for successfully resolving the Iraq situation. The same number say Kerry does not either.

"I STILL cannot imagine what Bremer was thinking...he SAYS he supports the president...but with friends like this..."

Bremers bio (2 below) might shed some light....typical CFR type, IMO

L. Paul Bremer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

L. Paul BremerLewis Paul Bremer III, also known as Jerry Bremer, (born September 30, 1941) was named Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-war Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq to replace Jay Garner on May 6, 2003. He arrived in Iraq on May 11 and left on June 28, 2004, when sovereignty was returned to Iraq.

[edit]
Biography
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Bremer was educated at Phillips Academy and at Yale University (earning a B.A. in 1963) and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University in 1967. That year he joined the Foreign Service as Officer General in Kabul, Afghanistan, later continuing his education at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, where he earned a Certificate of Political Studies (CEP). He was also assigned in Blantyre, Malawi as Economic and Commercial Officer from 1968 to 1971. In addition to his native English, Bremer speaks Arabic, French, Dutch, Norwegian, Persian, and German.

During the 1970s Bremer held various domestic posts with the State Department, including posts as assistant to Henry Kissinger from 1972-76. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Oslo from 1976-79, returning stateside to take a post of Deputy Executive Secretary of State where he remained from 1979-81. In 1981 he became Executive Secretary and Special Assistant to Alexander Haig.

Ronald Reagan appointed Bremer as Ambassador to the Netherlands in 1983 and Ambassador-at-Large for Counterterrorism in 1986. Bremer retired from the Foreign Service in 1989 and became managing director at Kissinger and Associates, a worldwide consulting firm founded by Henry Kissinger. During his career, Ambassador Bremer received the State Department Superior Honor Award, two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, and the Distinguished Honor Award from the Secretary of State. Prior to his appointment as the top U.S. Administrator of Iraq, he was Chairman and CEO of Marsh Crisis Consulting, a risk and insurance services firm which is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Before rejoining government, Bremer served on the board of directors of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Akzo Nobel NV, the Harvard Business School Club of New York and The Netherland-America Foundation. He is also a Trustee of the Economic Club of New York.

Paul Bremer is the founder and president of the Lincoln/Douglass Scholarship Foundation, a Washington-based not for profit organization that provides high school scholarships to inner city youths.

Bremer was appointed Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism by House Speaker Dennis Hastert in 1999. He also served on the National Academy of Science Commission examining the role of Science and Technology in countering terrorism. In late 2001, along with former Attorney General Edwin Meese, Bremer co-chaired the Heritage Foundation's Homeland Security Task Force, which created a blueprint for the White House's Deptartment of Homeland Security. For two decades Bremer has been a regular at Congressional hearings and is recognized as an expert on terrorism and internal security. Some of Bremer's published work included "Warfare & Defence Military Science Alliance Response to Nuclear Weapons Proliferation", "The Alliance Response to Nuclear Weapons Proliferation: Deterrence, Defense, and Cooperative Options", and "Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism: Report from the National Commission on Terrorism".

[edit]
Administrator of Iraq
Following the removal of Jay Garner as civilian administrator of Iraq, Bremer was appointed as the chief U.S. executive authority in the country. Unlike Garner, Bremer was not a military man, and as a result was expected to bring unique political and diplomatic skills that many had accused Garner and other military leaders of lacking. Though Garner's experience was largely praised, Bremer's appointment was criticized by some human rights groups, who note that while chairing the National Commission on Terrorism, Bremer advocated relaxation of CIA guidelines which restrict working with individuals and groups who have a record of human rights abuses. [1] (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/08/international/worldspecial/08BREM.html)

As administrator of Iraq, Bremer's job was to oversee the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq until the country was deemed to be in a state in which it can be once again governed by Iraqis. Upon the advice of his subsidiaries, Bremer was empowered to issue decrees to modify Iraq's society and infrastructure. Some notable decrees have included removing all restrictions on freedom of assembly, suspending use of the death penalty, and establishing a Central Criminal Court of Iraq. [2] (http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/index.html)

On July 13, 2003 Bremer approved the creation of an Iraq Interim Governing Council as a way of "ensuring that the Iraqi people's interests are represented." The council members were appointed by Bremer, and were chosen from prominent political, ethnic, and religious leaders who had opposed the government of Saddam Hussein. Though the council was given several important powers (such as the appointment of a cabinet), Bremer retained veto power over their proposals.

Bremer's office was a division of the United States Department of Defense, and as Administrator he reported directly to the United States Secretary of Defense. His senior advisor Dan Senor served as coalition spokesman, working with military spokesman Mark Kimmitt.

On June 28, 2004 at 10:26 AM local time, The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority formally transferred sovereignty of Iraqi territory to the Iraqi interim government, two days ahead of schedule. Bremer departed from the country on the same day. In his final farewell speech to the Iraqi people, he closes in Arabic from his heart "Long Live Iraq! Long Live Iraq! Long Live Iraq!".

Bremer was known for wearing tan desert combat boots with his suits.

another bio from a different site:

PAUL BREMER Update

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, III

Chairman & CEO
Marsh Crisis Consulting
"Experience
* Member, President's Homeland Security Advisory Council, June 2002
* Chairman, Marsh Political Risk Practice (2000 - present)
* Chief Operating Officer, Kissinger & Associates - Strategic Risk Consulting firm (1989 - 2000)
* Director, Air Products & Chemicals Corp (1993 - present)
* Director, Akzo Nobel NV (1997 - present)
* Trustee, Economic Club of New York (1993 - present)
* Director, Harvard Business School Club of New York
* Ambassador-at-Large for Counter-Terrorism, U.S. Department of State (1986 - 1989)
* Chairman, bipartisan National Commission on Terrorism
* Ambassador to the Netherlands (1983-86)
* 23-year career in the U.S. diplomatic service, including: Special or Executive Assistant to six Secretaries of State. Responsible for the State Department's Crisis Management and Emergency Response Center (for four years)

Education
* MBA, Harvard University
* CEP, Institut D'Etudes Politiques of the University of Paris
* BA, Yale University

Languages
* French
* Dutch
* Norwegian"
http://www.marshcrisisacademy.com/content/40_thought_leadership/!_bremer_bio.asp

The following link provide some duplication of information, but it also includes links to headlines about Bremer:

"L. Paul Bremer III ("Jerry") has been Chairman and CEO of the Crisis Consulting Practice of Marsh, Inc., a subsidiary of the Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC), since October 2001. Marsh Crisis Consulting assists corporations in planning for, managing, and recovering from a "full range of crises such as financial misconduct, natural disasters, product recalls, class action lawsuits and terrorism." Also see re Marsh.

In 2000, Bremer served on the National Commission on Terrorism. He also served on the National Academy of Science Commission to examine the role of science and technology in countering terrorism. He chaired the March 2002 Heritage Foundation study -- Defending the Homeland. He continues on the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for mass destruction terrorism. On June 11, 2002, Bremer was appointed to President George Walker Bush's Homeland Security Advisory Council. Bremer replaced Jay Garner as the top civilian administrator of post-war Iraq in May of 2003, carrying the title of Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority.

In 1981, Bremer was appointed Executive Secretary of the State Department by Secretary Alexander Haig. Bremer directed the State Department’s 24-hour a day crisis management and emergency response center. He was named Ambassador to the Netherlands in 1983 and, in 1986, President Ronald Reagan appointed Bremer as Ambassador-at-Large for Counter Terrorism.

Bremer served at the Embassies in Afghanistan and Malawi, as well as service as Deputy Ambassador at the American Embassy in Norway. President Reagan named him as Ambassador to the Netherlands in 1983 where he served for three years.

Bremer was a Managing Director of Kissinger Associates, Inc.(1989-2001). Bremer joined Kissinger after serving twenty-three years of service in the Diplomatic Corps under six Secretaries of State.

Bremer is also the Founder and President of the Lincoln/Douglass Scholarship Foundation, which is a Washington-based non-profit organization that provides high school scholarships to inner city youths.

Affiliations

* Trustee, Economic Club of New York
* Director, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
* Director, Akzo Nobel NV
* Director, Harvard Business School Club of New York
* Director, The Netherland-America Foundation
* Senior Advisor, Americans for Victory Over Terrorism (AVOT)
* Member, International Institute for Strategic Studies
* Member, Council on Foreign Relations "

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=L._Paul_Bremer

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