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OK, that's it! Let no one say that the administration has not handled the situation with its typical forbearance and caution. Other, rasher leaders would have shunned Ahmad Chalabi after it became apparent that his network of informants were liars and that he could not be trusted. But the U.S. has not been overly swift to act. Sure, there were suspicions that he had passed classified information to Iran, but this is not a group that rushes to judgment.
Now, however, the straw has finally broken the camel's back:
Sources in Baghdad tell NBC News that as of this week American military and civilian officials have cut off all contact with controversial Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi, the former favorite of Washington's once powerful neoconservatives.The reason, the sources say, is "unauthorized" contacts with Iran's government, an allegation Chalabi denies. Iran has been accused of arming and training rebel Shiite forces in Iraq....
Since September 2007... American military officials and civilian officials working out of the U.S. Embassy had contacts with Chalabi. At that time he was installed as the head of a "services" committee for Baghdad that was to coordinate the restoration of services to the city's residents.
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Forces-Iraq, even escorted Chalabi on a trip, on U.S. helicopters, to address reconstruction issues. And American officials attended meetings with him and supported his efforts.
Call it tough love.
Note: By the Charlie Black code of lobbying, it is now not OK to lobby for Ahmed Chalabi.
Comments (28)
Only 5+ years too late.... Impeccable timing. What a greasebucket Chalabi is. I say we helicopter him into the middle of Basra and let him fend for himself.
Bush can join him.
May 15, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dude, this administration is late for everything. They waited years to unload Rumsfeld, Gonzo and Rove, too.
Getting rid of Chalabi long after the real damage is done and long after any political benefit could have been gained from his ouster is just the usual course of business for these tone-deaf incompetent fuck-ups.
May 15, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Word.
May 15, 2008 12:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
They just noticed?
May 15, 2008 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
No problem...
With the money "We the Taxpayers" have given him (I'll guarantee he's a Billionaire many times over by now) he can still do whatever he wants to entangle us in the messes which eventually kills many innocent folks... and makes him richer and more powerful.
Of course, this is all brought to us by the folks who have grown up with the religious belief that when you think god talks to you and gives you direction you CANNOT listen to any other reason... even when the proof is indefensible. (Look to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a prime example)
May 15, 2008 11:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Has McCain met with, spoke of, denounced, renounced or otherwise distanced himself from Chalabi?
Hmmmm....does McCain even know who Chalabi is?
C'mon Johnny, quickly now, is Chalabi shiite or sunni?
May 15, 2008 11:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly Josephcast. They should drop off the whore Judith Miller as well.
May 15, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
I certainly have no use for Judith Miller. But can we all please refrain from using demeaning terms for women like the one used here. There are plenty of good epithets to hurl at her without going down that path.
May 15, 2008 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll believe American military and civilian officials have cut off all contact with Chalabi when
he's found dead and the body is positively identified by third party sources with irrefutable evidence.
May 15, 2008 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
When you lay down with dogs, you get fleas. And even after you send the dog away, you've still got fleas.
May 15, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Nothing hurts more than realizing he meant everything to you, but you meant nothing to him."
May 15, 2008 11:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
This devious lying crook could have never succeeded in his quest to have the U.S. illegaly invade Iraq and overthrow his old nemesis S.Hussein without his equally criminal, corrupt, deceptive accomplices in the Bush administration. It is comical to read they are now shunning him. The've done this before. Remember they raided his mansion in Baghdad a few years back? Confiscated files! What a sham. In the meantime he has amassed billions (taxpayer's) and is laughing all the way to the bank.
In December of 2005 they named him Iraqi Oil Minister for crying out loud!
May 15, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Here Chalabi, have these suitcases full of American dollars. The taxpayers are too stupid to care about how we reward those who help us promote our phoney wars of choice. Oh, you have another master, as well? But we thought you were a Bush loyalist. Oh, you were working for anyone who had a suitcase full of cash? Golly gosh! I think it's time to go pretend to clear some brush and count my Halliburton earnings! That should keep me busy till I croak!
May 15, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Correction: illegally
May 15, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
They are not cutting off contact because of any of the failures Chalabi caused in Iraq, they are cutting off contact because having ties to him is complicating their Iran is the bad guy narrative. Its tough to claim they are killing Americans when your best bud is playing footsie with them. If he let go his contacts, not likely he's been doing it all along, he'd be back in their good graces in a heart beat.
May 15, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
I doubt that Chalabi has more unauthorized communication with Iranian fat cats than Cheney does, but, whatever...
May 15, 2008 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why does the US government consider it necessary for Iraqi politicians to obtain 'authorization' from them before contacting the government of the neighboring state?
Why is this considered compatible with Iraqi sovereignty?
May 15, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
My bet is that this does not include Cheney.
May 15, 2008 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cheney still probably has him in his "Alltel 5" circle!
May 15, 2008 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pentagon to "Brokeback Iraqi"...
I can't quit you!...
May 15, 2008 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I STILL think Chalabi--if he lives--will end up as Iraqi strongman, replacing Maliki and whoever replaces him (prob'ly pretty soon).
May 15, 2008 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
John Prine: So sad to watch good love go bad.
We'll always have that magical March in 2003, Ahmad. We'll smile every time we think of that whole Curveball incident! We might miss your mendacious sense of humor most of all. You take care, big guy.
May 15, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dude! What are you thinking? What about the crew?
No, clearly we should helicopter him into the middle of Amman, Jordan. The chopper crew can stay overnight, grab a nice meal and a couple brews, and head back to the war zone the next day.
May 15, 2008 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Finally! Ahmad is officially a free agent!
Now he can go find some exiled Iranian loser, make up some BS, package it as "intelligence" and... Voila!
Here's a new "Curveball", ready to sell to the CIA.
Nice job, if you can get it!
May 15, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ok, but would it still be ok for the AEI neocons to throw fabulous dinners in Chalabi's honor (sic)? After all, they did so in Fall 2005, long after his ties to Iran were exposed.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?articleId=10637
May 15, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
There was the old assertion that the "CIA arabists" and the "DOS arabists" just didn't get Chalabi by an interesting crowd of people.
I cannot fathom the frustration of DOJ in wanting to discuss Chalabi's involvement with Tehran and being told by those in charge of DOD at the time that they could not.
It is too bad that Chalabi didn't get the opportunity to swap CDO's in exotic schemes on Wall Street, he might have had an opportunity to have made an honest living and caused much less harm.
It was the statement: "We are heros in error" that galled me.
Why would anyone considering the facts, and not allowing the facts to stand in the way of their opinions, to be surprised if Chalabi yet again had another political opportunity and political epiphany with Iran considering his former behavior?
A man was walking through the woods when he came upon a snake stuck under a fallen log. They snake asked him to pull him out but he said, "no, you will bite me". The snake promised not to bite the guy but he still wouldn't free the snake. After much pleading, the man finally let the snake free, who immediately bit him. He couldn't believe it. He said to the snake, "You promised not to bite me!! How could you do such a thing?" The snake replied, "Hey, you knew I was a snake."
May 15, 2008 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/148381.php
It is such a sad fvcking story that somebody will make millions when a movie is finally made about it.
May 15, 2008 9:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Sources in Baghdad tell NBC News that as of this week American military and civilian officials have cut off all contact with controversial Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi, the former favorite of Washington's once powerful neoconservatives."
So, according to NBC, a guy who was convicted by Jordan in absentia as an embezzling swine, and who passed top secret information for the US to Iran as a spy, is "controversial".
What would they say of him if we had videotape of him committing each of 12 murders as a serial killer, and a videotaped confession after each murder?
May 17, 2008 5:58 AM | Reply | Permalink