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June 16th, 2014
08:49 PM ET
Former point man for President Bush in Iraq calls for U.S. intervention (TWO PART INTERVIEW)
Even as the United States has decided to send a small number troops to Baghdad to defend the embassy complex, the debate over how involved we should get in the Iraq crisis continues to rage.
Coming OutFront to argue for military intervention is Paul Bremer, who ran Iraq as President Bush's envoy after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
On Twitter
@Jazzie654 Oh yea. They’re omnipresent. But this guy - he is the epitome of calm when he realizes. Who wouldn’t stwitter.com/i/web/status/1…gp09vC
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Part of our conversation: vimeo.com/795428219/6aec….
He says this to Ukrainians: “ I ask the Ukrainian people for forgiveness, that I came to their land with a gun in my hand”.
Great job Erin!! These people have no shame.After destroying a county,4500 dead Americans,100,000 + Iraquis and
2 trillion $, Paul Bremer has the HUTZPAH to say he did a great job.Such hubris is blinding!!
Totally incapable of conducting an objective self analysis.
Erin has become an obnoxious liberal. I used to enjoy her interviews but you can see the bias come as soon as she opens her mouth. That's pathetic for a reporter in her position.
I thought this was an interesting study in how the truth gets lost to quickly. Sad that it has such life and death consequences. While not a fan at all of Bremner, he is correct in that Iraq was in pretty good shape by 2010/2011. The war was won and Iraq was on a path to a less violent and more prosperous future. After the election, Obama did exactly what he said he would do and negotiated his way out of there. The inept blunders of the previous 7 years had been dealt with at the cost of too many lives.
I think Erin tried to pull some revisionist history and Bremner did a good job of correcting her. Regardless, What the right wing fails to realize is the American People elected Obama to do exactly what he did (right or wrong). The sad part is we as American don't get the truth from the mass media and are left to make uninformed decisions. With CNN and Erin towing a line, and FOX and their crew towing a line, we don't really know whats going on. How do we fight against an enemy who ultimately wants to kill Americans if the news coverage is trying to make a political point at every turn. I blame this whole mess as much on the media as I do any politician. You have the right pushing for the removal of Saddam, you have the left switching positions the moment the war gets tough, and a Media who can't tell it the way it truly is. How do we ever expect to win??? This interview did a great job of encapsulating the whole mess of the last 10 years into about 5 minutes.
Not a Bremer fan at all. But, Erin burnett is no expert and an unfair interviewer. The NY Times reported in 2008 on the SOF Agreement distinguishing between compat forces and other military personnel. It cited then Secretary Gates (who also served under Obama) as saying that even under the SOFA there would be tens of thousands of US troops on the ground after 2011. Then came Obama. to hold him blameless as Erin and most of CNN and CNBC would like to do, is flat wrong and unworthy of a news organizatiom that claims to be fair (though not fair and balanced).
Erin you are a complete fool who knows nothing about world affairs. You speak from behind a desk and push propaganda for your democratic cause. That is not being a journalist, its being a puppet for Obama who will go down as the worst president in history and you will be by his side.
Finally, a push back of the revisionist GOP hawks. It's been too long, CNN....
I liked this interview because Erin challenged the person being interviewed. Too often, folks are interviewed on TV and the reporter fails to question what the person is saying and often is unprepared to really dig into the issue. Such interviews serve little purpose other than giving a person free time on air.
The essence of good reporting is preparation and the willingness to challenge, whether or not one agrees with either view. In this case, I think Erin was spot on and I completely agreed with her. Bremer was full of BS and he was exposed. Good job and keep up the good work!!
She's not challenging. She is giving her liberal opinion and taking sides.. It's clear as day.. She had the gall to state that It was not Obama's fault in the case of what now is going on in Iraq,,, Give me a break.
Erin is quite possibly the rudest interviewer I have ever seen! Almost impossible to watch!
Hard to question someone when you don;t have all the CORRECT facts.
CNN deleted my post from last night.. Here it is again.. Let's see howbiased you are.. Erin, sorry to say this but you just got schooled..
Thank you Erin. I was cheering when you thanked him and asked him to answer your question. I watch your show because you pursue evasive answers.
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CNN has almost lost me to Al Jazeera America. Who saw that coming.
Great interview Erin. Thank you for responsible journalism by calling out Bremner.
Really really long time for moderation
Good job with the Bremer interview Erin. So tired of these old Bush cronies speaking out about Iraq without being held accountable for their prior poor decisions. Thanks for holding this guy on question & trying to get him to give a direct answer. His attempted interview takeover was a ploy to try to "weasel" out of a tight spot. Proud of you!
The situation was stable with American troops there. President Obama withdrew troops. President Obama failed to enable Soldiers to remain. Bremer answered all the questions, and countered Burnett's points. Instead of acknowledging his statements she changes her arguments. Burnett acted like a tool in this interview. I was in Iraq several times and I am proud of what we did there.
The interviewer comes off as uninformed in this interview. She has her facts all wrong and sounds like she has a personal beef with him; I was actually a little embarrassed for her at one point. It is not a professional interview. News outlets are supposed to get and give the facts; not try to humiliate their sources on film as they are supposed to be neutral. The news outlets are not supposed to have an agenda.
The interviewer comes off as uninformed in this interview. She has her facts all wrong and sounds like she has a personal beef with him; I was actually a little embarrassed for her at one point. It is not a professional interview. News outlets are supposed to get and give the facts; not try to humiliate their sources on film as they are supposed to be neutral. The news outlets are not supposed to have an agenda.
Agreed. The NY Times was reporting in 2008 about the difference between combat troops and other troops that may remain in Iraq even in light of the SOF Agreement. In that 2008 piece, then Secretary of Defense Gates was quoted as saying there could be tens of thousands of troops in Iraq after 2011 even under the SOFA. Erin is just wrong and shouldn't be cheered for showing her ignorance.
Erin Burnett = Obama mouthpiece.........don't consider facts, just deflect criticism of O's Iraq policies like his trained parrot: "It's Bush's fault!!!!!!! It's Bush's fault!!!!". Bremer made you look like the demagogue fool you are.
Seriously, CNN? Someone calls Bremer a loser and you post it instantly. Criticize CNN and it's censored.
Nice.
Erin Burnett trying to debate Paul Bremer is a joke. Her knowledge compared to his on the subject of Iraq! Wow...
How brilliant it was for Obama to stay out of Syria? We would have in effect been helping these very terrorists. I find it laughable that the republicans still use Syria as evidence of Obama's weakness....while the result is just the opposite. Same is true for Libya, and same is true for Egypt....
The brilliance of George Bush Sr was he stopped right at the gate of Baghdad in 91, and waited till Saddam suppressed the rebellion. He had every authorization and power to clean Saddam out...yet He left Saddam in power to keep Iraq in check, and be the counter weight of Iran.
Bush jr. And his NeoCons, for reasons that cannot be explained, totally forgot the conservative principle. They in effect became the "new" democrats, who naively thought they could be the world police. After spending trillions of dollars without any visible accomplishment, they still have the face to be out bragging and pointing fingers....
My 2 cents are, please visit the real republicans like Mr Bush Sr. Be quiet, and take a lesson for a change. We already wasted so much money and lives....not just the brave soldiers, but millions of Iraqi too....Sad to say, their lives and ours would have been so much better with Saddam in place...like Mr Bush Sr. Envisioned...
It is not Obama versus Bush Jr..... It is neoCon and Bush Jr. Versus real Republicans and Bush Sr......
Ms. Burnett attempted to use this interview to blame George Bush and his former ambassador for the mess that Obama has caused in Iraq, even though the Obama administration has claimed Iraq as one of its foreign policy successes. However, Ambassador Bremer refused to let Ms. Burnett get away with her false claims and accusations by showering her with facts refuting them. Ms. Burnett looked foolish and so did CNN.
Exactly right. Burnett shows her true Liberal colors.
He was a tool and an idiot then, he is a tool and an idiot now.
Has CNN just become a branch of the Obama administration? Somehow even though Obama's been in office for 6 years, it's still all Bush's and Bremer's fault and no matter how many stupid mistakes this president makes, CNN goes to bat for him. She's obviously a mouthpiece for the democratic national committee. Hard to take this as serious journalism.
Paul Bremer is on the list of people destroying the United States.
Exactly, why are people still listening to this man.
Paul Bremer, you are a loser.
Exactly, why is he still talking. As Erin said, he got us in this mess in the first place.
Erin Burnett sounds like a disrespectful and whiny rights activist. What a blatant opinionated liberal extremist. Obama cult follower for sure. The former Ambassador was presenting facts she didn't like. Last time I watch CNN.