Committee for the Liberation of Iraq
The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI) was formed in 2002 by the director of the now defunct Project for the New American Century, Bruce Jackson, to "promote regional peace, political freedom and international security by replacing the Saddam Hussein regime with a democratic government."[1] Neoconservative lobbyist Randy Scheunemann was listed as the president and George Shultz, John McCain and Joseph Lieberman served as "advisors." Investigative journalist Jim Lobe and others have suggested that the CLI was a "spin-off" of PNAC and letterhead organization which relied on its diverse list of hawkish lobbyists and politicians to establish its legitimacy.[2]
Following the American overthrow of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, CLI put this message at the top of its website and took it down shortly after:
- Following the successful liberation of Iraq, the Committee has ceased its operations.
- To contact Randy Scheunemann, President of CLI, please write to the following address: 918 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E., Washington, DC 20003.
- Tel: +1- 202-543-8480[1]
Location
Eli Clifton and Jim Lobe's investigative work has revealed that the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) appears to be operating out of the same office as the CLI. Advisor to the ECI Michael Goldfarb provided the following explanation to Salon after a letterhead was sent from the ECI listing the same address as the CLI:
- "I’m on the record as an adviser to ECI and its no secret that I work at Orion, where the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq sign is still proudly displayed on the front of the building. ECI will be opening an office next week, but given the urgency of our cause, getting an office sorted out seemed less pressing than exposing Joe Sestak’s anti-Israel record."[3]
Key Principals
- Bruce Jackson - Chairman
- Randy Scheunemann - President
Key Advisors
- George Shultz - Chairman
- John McCain - Honorary Co-chair
- Joseph Lieberman - Honorary Co-chair
- Eliot Cohen
- William Kristol
- Richard Perle
Affiliations
Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ‘Mission Statement’, Archive of CLI Website, accessed 19 July 2010
- ↑ Right Web Profile, accessed 19 July 2010.
- ↑ Eli Clifton with Jim Lobe 'Emergency Committee Based At Old Committee For The Liberation Of Iraq' Lobelog.com, 15 July 2010