Allawi met with Senators Levin and Warner the day Levin called for al-Maliki's ouster

[sabra]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/08/iraqi-with-cia-.html

<snip>

On Saturday, the Washington Post published an opinion article featuring Allawi's byline which slammed Maliki's leadership of Iraq. On Sunday, Allawi met with Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John Warner, R-Va., the chair and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in Jordan. That day, the two men released a pessimistic statement about Iraq's political future.

A Levin spokesman said the BGR firm played no role in arranging the meeting; a Warner spokesman referred questions about the meeting to Levin's office.

Experts said Allawi does not have the resources to pay $50,000 a month plus expenses for Washington representation.

"He doesn't have that kind of money," said Bruce Reidel, who spent 25 years with the CIA and the National Security Council, covering the Middle East. "Somebody's paying for it, and it's not him."

[Skidmore]

1. The best government money can buy.

Two, two, two parties for the price of one. Do we have any takers?

[TwilightGardener]

2. Something totally smells about all of this. I am trying to figure out

just whose team Levin and Clinton play for. If a new PM takes over, there will be no leaving Iraq, and Levin knows it. There is no good reason to oust Maliki--no one leader, especially one who is installed by the US over the wishes of the citizens, is going to be able to put Humpty-Dumpty together again. This is starting to feel like a product roll-out, a "new political strategy", the way the surge was sold as a new military strategy--all in an attempt to buy time and placate us until the oil is pumping and the contract ink dries.

[spanone]

4. wasn't Maliki ELECTED??? wasn't that one of many reasons for the invasion???

[TwilightGardener]

7. Yep, that's what I'm saying--although he was only "sorta" elected, arbitrarily

replacing him with someone completely of our own choosing will be yet another arrogant disregard of Iraqi self-determination. But of course, that's what we do. When the puppet starts cutting his own strings, he gets dangerous--time for Maliki to spend more time with his family!

[seemslikeadream]

3. just as I thought

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1654530&mesg_id=1654603

[The Wielding Truth]

6. A contract? Money? Sick. Put these crooks away!

[Nimrod2005]

5. This stinks!!! Something is wrong here...!