Ahmed Chalabi, one time darling of the White House who helped sell invading Iraq and may have sold US secrets to Iran is now central to ‘success’ in the Sunni Triangle!?
U.S. officials maintain that it’s up to the central government to provide Iraqis with longer-term stability. Iraqis agree, especially when it comes to services beyond the capability of neighborhood councils, such as providing electricity, bringing doctors back into neighborhoods, establishing and paying a police force and building a school system, Traditionally, Iraq’s central government delivered these services.
“The key is going to be getting the concerned local citizens — and all the citizens — feeling that this government is reconnected with them,” Gen. David Petraeus, the top military commander here, said Saturday. Chalabi “agrees with that.”
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki named Chalabi as head of the services committee, a consortium of eight service ministries and two Baghdad municipal posts, that is tasked with bringing services to Baghdad, the heart of the surge plan.
Chalabi “is an important part of the process,” said Col. Steven Boylan, Petraeus’ spokesman. “He has a lot of energy.”
So now we put our troops’ lives back into the hands of this Iraqi scoundrel and acquiesce while our leaders head for war with Iran. As the drumbeat for airstrikes on Iran continue, I wonder if the same naval and air force avaitors that have privately expressed contempt for the intelligence and policies leading up to Iraq will have the strength to resist orders when they are asked to bomb Iran. Again, as I have said before it was only when the most highly educated and trained members of our military began refusing orders in Vietnam that that war came to an end. Though many paid a horrible price they saved more lives than anyone will ever know.
