Bush critic visits USF

Since his book Endgame was published, Scott Ritter has been considered an expert on American foreign policy and the Persian Gulf region. Ritter has frequently questioned the decisions of President George W. Bush’s administration concerning Iraq.

Ritter, also a former U.N. chief weapons inspector, has been on several cable news networks, discussing the possible alternative to war with Iraq. Tonight he will speak on the subject in the Special Events Center.

Ritter gained national attention in mid-January when records of two arrests for sexual misconduct were made public.

In 2001, police say they arrested Ritter after he tried arrange to meet with a 14-year-old girl. He was arrested again later in the year after allegedly trying to meet with a 16-year-old girl. Both times he ran into traps of police.

Having served as a former major in the U.S. Marines Corps under Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf during the Gulf War as a ballistic missile technology expert, Ritter joined the U. N. weapons inspection team (UNSCOM).

Sponsored by the University Lecture Series, Campus Green and Alliance of Concerned Students, Ritter will talk about his documentary In Shifting Sands: The Truth about UNSCOM and the Disarming of Iraq. Ritter will also talk about his experiences from more than 30 inspection missions in Iraq, 14 of which he led.

Before the lecture, Ritter’s documentary will be shown at 5 p.m. in SEC. The lecture is free to USF students with valid student ID, others will be charged $5.