What the hell? I went to the -- I assumed -- stupendously boring Ahmed Chalabi press conference this afternoon and it went something like this:
Chalabi: I was attacked this morning, but I'm fine, thanks. Question: Can you tell us about the counterfeiting charges against you and the murder rap against your nephew? Chalabi: Oh, those... (chuckle.) They were reduced to a summons. I went to the judge (al-Malaki) today and all charges have been dropped against us.This was in Arabic, and I'm obviously paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. But jeeze; what the hell? Dropped charges? I've got a call in to al-Malaki, but so far, no response on this. I wonder if it's just a translation error. Very weird. [UPDATE: Ho, ho. Turns out Chalabi asked that the charges be dropped -- not that they were.]
both reuters and aljazeera are reporting the same thing.
heard it here first tho!
How “convenient” is that? just as well i’m not the cynical type i guess.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A045931A-A300-4E2B-91E5-101BBFADBE13.htm
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6125203
What are the chances that the Allawi government got word from the Bush White House that any potential emberrasments between now and Nov. are to be whitewashed?
Just wondering..
marceaumarceau wonders:
What are the chances that the Allawi government got word from the Bush White House that any potential emberrasments between now and Nov. are to be whitewashed?
It can’t be so. After all those investigations of American intelligence failures, after the offical American disavowals and condemnations of Chalabi, after all the scandals arising out of Iraq, this sort of smug, overt nose-thumbing assertion of privilege and insider-power over legitimate democratic process would raise red flags all over the American media. Clearly this sort of story would all but knock the RNC and even Chechen hostage-taking right out of the headlines.
[/sarcasm]
Well, no. Actually, nothing of the sort has happened. If you read the “respected” US media, there’s nothing whatsoever about Chalabi’s criminal charges. CNN has a story about an attempted ambush of Chalabi’s convoy, but nary a word about his charges being dropped. The (once) Great Gray Lady picks up the Reuters feed, burying it deeeeep under something called “International Index From Reuters”, many clicks below the front page.
LATE FLASH!!! CNN now does have a homepage headline about the charges being dropped! Oh, never mind … it’s the Kobe Bryant rape charges (which, of course, knocked the RNC out of the top spot on their homepage).
Who can be surprised any longer at who this administration cozies up to? First Osama and Saddam were our new best friends, and shortly thereafter they became personal representatives of Satan. And for all we know, they’ll become our new best friends again, depending on what this administration deems expedient at any given moment. Chalabi’s whole gig has been a series of revolving doors, as has ours, depending pretty much entirely on mutual back-scratching of one kind or another, with varying entities of any and all avowed possible political connection. Honor, decency, respect, principled behavior - they don’t even enter into it as far as the current administration and its seemingly fairly sleazy collection of inside-Iraq supporters is concerned. I can’t say I’d be surprised at having confirmation of this report - disgusted, shamed and/or angry, yes. But, sadly, I wouldn’t be in the least surprised.
This is unsurprising… first they are a friend, then they are an enemy, then they are a friend.
The majority of the world knows Chalabi is a crook (and now, a turncoat) but what can we do?
Christopher,
I’d like to know, if Iraqi life is such hard as International reports Channel would like to tell us.
Are all Iraqi opposite to american occupation?
It seems to be a disaster over there!!!!
Ho, ho, so, if you’re saying he was having a press conference in Iraq, and the charges have not been dropped, then Why Hasn’t He Been Arrested?
I heard it on NPR this morning. Just about broke my heart.
Oh well. At least I can remain hopefull after hearing that Pinochet’s immunity was revoked in Chile. Oughta hang that bastard from the same tree as Milosivec.
Hello. First, thank you for continuing to post your important first hand accounts.
Second. I’m wondering if it’s possible to do any research regarding the permanent US bases that we (the US) are supposedly building in Iraq. The stories are vague in the press here. Yet, all pundits seem to agree that it is an important story and that that “someone” ought to be writing about them. thanks and take care.
Thanx Chris for the information, But I think the charges werent dropped exactly but they were lowered to a lower status, thats what I understood from an interview that Chalabi had with Al arabiya news channel…
Keep up the great work and be very careful, oh and Guillaume from Paris, the majority of Iraqi people are very glad that the US removed Saddam, but are quite angry about how slow things are taking shape, like for eg electricity comes on and off every 3 or 4 hours, sanitation is still bad, and first and foremost security is almost inexistent, especially when we still have loony tunes (the likes of mahdi militia) marching the streets and threatining everyone
Hi, Wife— My source on this is the investigative judge, Zuhair al-Malaki, who filed the initial charges against him and still in charge of the investigation. If Chalabi is saying in one press conference they’ve been dropped and then saying on Al Arabiya that they’ve been reduced, it sounds like Chalabi needs to get his story straight. Al-Malaki, on the other hand insists nothing has changed.
Hiya Chris, well let me just say that the Chalabi crisis is turning out to be like one of those tom and jerrys episodes, where in one episode tom is running after jerry and in the other you see tom running away from jerry. Its all a political game that only a handfull know the rules of how to play it…..