MidEast Report

AND NOW, PLAN "G" (COMING SOON: PLAN "H")
This was long overdue:
(from the Washington Post)
The United States and the top U.N. envoy to Iraq have decided to exclude the majority of the Iraqi politicians the U.S.-led coalition has relied on over the past year when they select an Iraqi government to assume power on June 30, U.S. and U.N. officials said yesterday.

At the top of the list of those likely to be jettisoned is Ahmed Chalabi, a Shiite politician who for years was a favorite of the Pentagon and the office of Vice President Cheney, and who was once expected to assume a powerful role after the ouster of Saddam Hussein, U.S. officials acknowledged.

Here's a Frontline interview with Chalabi from July, 2003 which suggests that he has taken spin and dance lessons from the Bush Gang:

FRONTLINE: You had argued for a long time that [Iraq was] tightly connected with Al Qaeda, as far back as 1998. I remember meeting with you--

CHALABI: Yes.

You told me there were lots of connections.

Yes, there were.

Well, those have not quite been demonstrated.

Well, they should look further. We can--

But you haven't successfully been able to demonstrate--

We have very strong leads on that, and we have very strong evidence that they have.

You have strong evidence that there's links between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein?

Yes. You see, the point is that the U.S.--

Where are these? Where is this evidence though?

In U.S. hands.

Why hasn't it been--

Because I have not been able to talk to the people, or get the information out of the people they have in their hands.

But this is not material that you've provided to the press at any time?

No.

But you're certain that there is this information?

Yes.

It just hasn't been released to the public?

Yes. But I don't think they have it. They have not gotten it. You see--

I thought you gave it to them.

It is not. It's the U.S.. Look, the US has several thousand detainees from Saddam's regime. They should do a better job of getting information out of them. The information is there. We know it is.

So it's in Guantanamo?

No. In Iraq.

It's in Iraq, where they have detainees?

Yes.

And those people can tell them, but they just haven't told them?

Yes. Yes.

But you, as far back as 1998, were arguing that there was a strong link between Al Qaeda--
Yes.

But I never saw concrete evidence.

We gave the names of the people who we knew were doing the links. What is the kind of thing that you want? There were visits of Al Qaeda here and there was money that changed hands between them and--

What kind of money changed hands between--

Funds were given to Al Qaeda.

From--?

From Saddam ...

To--?

To Al Qaeda. …

... But you say you have actual evidence that there was money--

We have people who say they did it.

Do you have any documentary evidence of any kind?
Of what?

I was told ... that you had a document that states -- it was instructions from the intelligence office in Saddam's government to destroy--
Yes. There is such a document.

That is a document that you could show us?

Well, I've seen it. But I do not have it in my possession. They could show it to you, I think.

Who can show it to me?

Our intelligence people.

Your intelligence people?

[Yes].

So after this interview, we can--

I don't know if you can do it right now.

Well, I think its very important to make this -- this is something you've talked about since 1998, and I think it's a very important point. It's one of the points that drew America to this war.

Yes.

Correct? So it's very important to establish the truth of it.

Yes.

I mean, if there is such a document, it makes sense for you to share it, no?

I'm not saying no. No, I'm saying that I can't--

I'm somehow not getting the feeling that I'm going to see the document.

Well, you are erroneous.

OK. Great. I hope to see it.

Well, we expect to show it to you.


Almost a year later...nothing. I wonder if Chalabi still expects to show us this evidence? Is he holding on to it until the very last minute? Somehow I doubt it. I expect that a year from now, we'll still be waiting for it.

As the Post article notes, for the past few years Chalabi has been the favorite of the Cheney-Pentagon crowd, that is, of the exact people who have bungled the occupation of Iraq at every turn, and would have bungled it even further by trying to install this self-serving double-talker in a position of permanent power in Iraq. Even ignoring the allegations of financial corruption against Chalabi, the guy hasn't lived in Iraq since 1953, and thus has no legitimacy among Iraqis who've spent the last thirty-five years of their lives suffering under Ba'athist Party rule, and probably wouldn't be too excited about having this expatriate rich kid as their new leader.

posted by Matt Duss @ 2:02 PM