Chalabi’s out. See also Josh. And don’t miss Juan Cole’s “Top Ten Myths About Iraq, 2005.”
The Mahablog
Politics. Society. Group Therapy.
Chalabi’s out. See also Josh. And don’t miss Juan Cole’s “Top Ten Myths About Iraq, 2005.”
We’re in that standard Middle Eastern conundrum operating everywhere from Palestine to Saudi Arabia to Lebanon to Iraq: we can have either a secular crook, like Chalabi, or we can have more honest, but extremist religious based players, like the SCIRI crowd (and the other recent winners of the election.)
That said, we could either get an Iranian-backed kleptocrat like Chalabi, or we can get more honest Iranian-backed theocrats like Baby Sadr, et al.
I suppose it sure makes the high price paid to remove Saddam from power all the more worth it, given who will be replacing him.
I fear Chalabi may prove to be a kind of Harriet Miers situation: yes, plenty there not to like, but given the likely alternatives…