Good to see there really are some good people in Iraq... sad that some local cops in Iraq have to be the ones to point out to the rest of the world that the people the Bush Administration picked to lead Iraq are just as crooked as the contractors picked by the same group of people. Pretty much tells the story of the hearts and minds campaign. ______________________ Iraq congress members under investigation Allegations include abduction, robbery, assault, car theft By Lisa Myers Senior investigative correspondent NBC News Updated: 7:39 p.m. ET April 28, 2004 Members of the Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi were airlifted into southern Iraq the day Saddam’s government fell. Chalabi was President Bush’s guest at the State of the Union address. Even today, the INC gets $340,000 a month from the Pentagon to feed the United States intelligence information. But NBC News has learned that members of the group are now under investigation by Iraqi police in Baghdad — allegations of: abduction robbery stealing 11 Iraqi government vehicles assaulting police by firing on them during a search. An Iraqi police official says one doctor claims he was kidnapped at gunpoint: “They bound him, took him to an unknown place and after he got back to his house he discovered they took $20,000. We caught the suspects and they said they were from the INC.” Iraqi authorities tell NBC that four INC operatives are under arrest, and an arrest warrant has been issued for the INC’s chief of intelligence. The INC confirms its offices were searched six times and 11 cars seized. But officials say they’ve done nothing illegal. “There is something going on which basically is, what it appears to me, is trying to put political pressure on the INC,”according to INC official Mudhar Shawkat. All this comes in the wake of findings that key intelligence on weapons of mass destruction provided by Chalabi’s group was false, perhaps even fabricated. In fact, the former head of the weapons hunt, David Kay, questions why a group that provided “fabricated information” is still on the U.S. payroll. “You know, once taken, excused," says Kay. "Twice taken you’re an idiot. And I think we’re now at the point of we’re really an idiot.” Tonight, a Pentagon spokesman says he knows nothing about the police investigation but that the 4 million taxpayer dollars going to Chalabi’s group is already being reviewed.
Bush/Cheney are joined to Chalabi at the hip. Now, after this whole mess, Chalabi and his happy pickpockets are going to be reviewed?? I'd laugh if it wasn't so sickening. Another Bush Administration scandal floating under the radar of a supposedly biased media.
This is a danger we face, and I hope doesn't happen: Chalabi becomes another Shah. We support this dishonest corrupt stooge, and call Iraq a democracy. Meanwhile a people's first exposure to democracy is greed, corruption and democracy. It poisons not only Iraqis minds toward the concept, but possibly the middle east. Any future attempts to promot democracy are futile because people can point to Chalabi, and this non represntative bunch of puppets running things now, and say, 'yeah look how great democracy has been.' Legitimate attempts to democratize anything in the region will never find fertile ground to take root, because of this. An opportunity at something really positive from this whole mess gets ruined by guys like this. In a reaction to this Chalabi, and his ilk are overthrown by extremists, and the country becomes fertile ground for terrorists, and their supporters. We end up having a situation to Iran in 1978. And because it was all supposedly done in the name of democracy, it's democracy that has a bad name.
no kidding, the LIBERAL media is too obessed with Kerry and his phoney medal scandel to care about actual important things like this
...classic bobblehead attempt to equate Iraqi Insurgents with terrorists, equate Iraq war with War on Terror.....yawn...
Classic moronic t_j attempt to disparage a source rather than using evidence or facts to form an intelligent argument.
I think that when the government shovels this much money, so quickly, to a new 'venture,' -- regardless of what that venture might be -- there's going to be some corruption or scandal -- or at least an attempt to skim and scam. I'd hope all the players here would take their heads out of their partisan asses long enough to ensure the money is spent efficiently. I fear the "trust me, i know what i'm doing" Bushies will be too obsessed shoveling to pay enough scrutiny to where it's going.
I agree. I heard John McCain yesterday calling for a bipartisan plan for moving forward with Iraq. He said that we needed to come up with a plan that everyone agrees with because this mission is far too important for us to fail. We need to come together during this time of war, I just don't see this administration even making attempts at bipartisanship. I SOOOO wish that McCain had won in 2000.
What about the fact that Chalabi gets in on the war crimes tribunal, Douglas Feith is in charge of handing out contracts for Iraq, hands contracts to Chalabi's son and Chalabi's nephew, who gives work to Feith's old law partners. Nice work if you can get it.
