Chalabi Meets Rice "in a faceoff seen as political rehabilitation"

Chalabi Meets Rice in Washington

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By BARRY SCHWEID AP Diplomatic Writer

http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8DP1D9OB.html

November 09,2005 | WASHINGTON -- Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, whose relations with the United States have ranged from hot to cold, met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday in a faceoff seen as political rehabilitation.

Chalabi also is to meet with Vice President Dick Cheney and Stephen Hadley, the White House national security adviser.

The talks at the State Department were declared off-limits to reporters and photographers, which is unusual since cameras are regularly permitted to record the start of Rice's meetings with prominent foreign visitors. But without explanation the cameras were excluded, as they were when Rice met with Chalabi two years ago when she was President Bush's national security adviser.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called the visit "something curious." In a Senate speech Tuesday he cited reports Chalabi was under FBI investigation on suspicions he leaked U.S. intelligence to Iran. "It is very difficult to track how this man, who gave us such misleading information before the invasion of Iraq, now under active investigation for endangering American troops, is now the toast of the town," Durbin said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11043-2004Jun2.html




A little FYI.


;)

If I were Chalabi I'd be wary of associating with Bush.

If I were Bush I'd be wary of associating with Chilabi.

From Kennedy speech March 2004, referring to Chalabi's distorted WMD and Iraq intelligence that led to invasion:

snip

The Pentagon's favorite Iraqi dissident, Ahmed Chalabi, is actually proud of what happened. "We are heroes in error," Chalabi recently said. "As far as we're concerned, we've been entirely successful. That tyrant Saddam is gone and the Americans are in Baghdad. What was said before is not important. The Bush Administration is looking for a scapegoat. We're ready to fall on our swords, if he wants."

snip

nt