A White House Favorite Is Becoming Its Nemesis

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON, April 26 — Before the war in Iraq, Ahmad Chalabi was the Pentagon's favorite exile, the man who supported the Bush administration's claims that Saddam Hussein was sitting on a huge stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, and who many in the defense secretary's inner circle saw as the future leader of a free Iraq.

A year later, he is a problem for the administration, a harsh critic of President Bush's endorsement of a United Nations plan to keep Iraq together until elections next year.

Inside the administration, officials bristle at Mr. Chalabi's characterization of the United Nations special envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, who is putting together an interim government that is supposed to run Iraq beginning on July 1. Mr. Bush has praised Mr. Brahimi and made it clear that the White House will support anything he comes up with for a transitional government.

Mr. Chalabi, whose own political fortunes in Iraq may be threatened by the United Nations plan, appeared this week on "Fox News Sunday" with another view of Mr. Brahimi, who put together the Afghan government two years ago.

"Mr. Brahimi is an Algerian with an Arab nationalist agenda," said Mr. Chalabi. "He already is a controversial figure in Iraq. He is not a unifying figure. He is supposed to be a unifying figure, so he can choose a government that will be effective."

more…
http://nytimes.com/2004/04/27/politics/27CHAL.html

[Lindacooks]

1. How much are we paying this prick every month?

I seem to remember a horrific figure like $300,000/month. Nice work if you can get it... especially for a convicted embezzler.

[liberalhistorian]

3. And Iraqis HATE

the fucker, they know him for the corrupt crook prick he really is and they want no part of him, least of all him having anything to do with the country's new government. For us, it would be like Richard Nixon being brought back to lead the country and there would be nothing we could say about it.

[0007]

5. I read that it was about $400,000 per month

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. $340,000 per month on defense budget

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040329-094918-2616r

[hang a left]

9. Is that before taxes?

[Norquist Nemesis]

12. LOL

[dusty64]

18. Disgusting.

x

[Kinkistyle]

14. "Token Iraqi Lackey" is a good-paying job!

Nice!

[saigon68]

16. HERE HE IS " OUR MAN IN IRAQ"

PRESIDENT CHALABI HEIR TO THE THRONE








A U.S. policy shift that may allow former Baathists join a new Iraqi government was akin to putting back Nazis in charge of Germany, Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi said April 23, 2004. Chalabi is seen in Baghdad in this May 1, 2003 file photograph. (Petr Josek/Reuters

[ScrewyRabbit]

2. He hoodwinked the entire administration

with his lies about WMDs, how much the Iraqi people wanted us there, etc.

The US should lock up this grifter in Iraq's worst prison and throw away the key.

[bemildred]

4. The administration wanted to be hoodwinked.

Chalabi is just a soon to be discarded tool.

[fishnfla]

10. how do liars feel when they are lied to, I wonder?

truly, there is no honor amongst thieves.

[gate of the sun]

11. I don't think he "hoodwinked" anyone

he was a valuable pawn to them. You let them off to easy by blaming him.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Same thing happened with Saddam

he was a BushCo stooge, got his own mind, and got offed -- Just like Manny Noriega. It's a pattern. Set em up, and knock em down.

[Gloria]

8. Wes Clark has been after this guy ...he brings him up in

nearly every recent TV appearance.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. Ahmad Chalabi

Probably just as good at selling rugs. However, I doubt that Cheney & Co were ever fooled, they simply needed a guy born in Iraq to lead the charge. It speaks volumes that this crook is the best they could do.

[symbolman]

15. In case you don't recall

HE was the one that told them (or acted as cover) on the WMD claim..

Later, he rolled into Baghdad with about 700 handpicked troops who PRETENDED to be an Iraqi crowd gone wild when the Statue of Hussein was pulled down..

people right here found photos that showed a fellow that was both one of his soldiers and the same guy at the Statue show.. (They killed an entire floor of a hotel so no media folks would report on that)..

this guys is probably sitting on 400 million or so of OUR money over there.. got a mansion happening..

what needs to be done with this guy is to tie him up and roll him over the Jordanian border, where he's wanted for Bank Robbery and Fraud..

and WE keep the money, maybe give it to orphans right HERE in the good old usa..

[ze_dscherman]

17. Better give to Iraqi war orphans

There are many of them, but 400 millions is a lot of money there. But, to be fair, they should make the U.S. pay reparations, just as Iraq still has to pay billions in reparations to Kuwait and other countries.