Today's News, a Couple Days Ago

Whoa! That was fast.

Ahmed Chalabi is Iraq's new oil minister. Iraq has an energy crisis and Chalabi is just the man to solve it, or so the Washington ghosted story-line would have us believe. I figured the Bush administration still needed Ahmed around despite his electoral goose-egg, but this is bold indeed.

Chalabi is going to have produce results in this very hot seat or risk losing what political capital he still has left. Then again, what if the energy crisis suddenly gets better? All credit to Chalabi. Neat.

Conspiracists, have at it.

Comments

[SR]

So, it appears Chalabi’s party doesn’t get a single seat in the new parliament, but he gets to be oil minister? (See article here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002705782_iraq27.html) Is he a “lame duck” or is MP status not required under the new Iraqi constitution to be a minister?

[Ken Shultz]

Chalabi is going to have produce results in this very hot seat or risk losing what political capital he still has left.

It appears, rather, that he doesn’t need political capital. …He can squander what he has, and somebody, somewhere will just put more in his account.

[jf]

A quick glance at the Iraqi constitution doesn’t seem to mention any requirements for the position of Oil Minister. I could be wrong.

[wayne]

I think Chalabi will fail and be replaced by either Dick Chaney, or Jeb Bush. This will be a win-win situation. After all, Dick Cheney is an “oil man” so that would be a good match. If Jeb Bush takes the post then all those disenfranchised Democrats in Florida will finally get a fair chance at voting.

[citizengnat]

He’s supposed to step down when the new cabinet is formed. But who knows, this guy just refuses to disapear.

[weldon berger]

If he retains the post after the new government is formed, it’ll be a big deal; now, not so much, since he held the position previously and still has his fingers in a lot of current government pies. The Aljazeera story was a bit vague on who made the announcement, so at this point even the assumption that the report is accurate may be premature.

[thoreau]

If he screws things up he can always get a Medal of Freedom.

[Adam]

SR, weldon, anybody else,

The North Korea Times (really?) is reporting that it’s a 30 day appointment.

[joshua corning]

“He became President of Iraq’s interim government for a period”

wait. is this true?

I don’t remember that

[Shem]

Joshua-It was waaaay the hell back in 2003. He was head of the temporary puppet government we installed as part of our first “turn the corner” campaign.

[Shem]

OT, but does anyone know how to use the strikeout feature on this board? None of the normal ones seem to work.

[joe]

One theory is that the US pushed to get Chalabi the job, because he’s their BFFE and all.

I don’t buy it. I think the Iraqis, aware that they are in deep trouble with their fuel supply, recognize that their only hope is to have us bail them out. And the mysterious affection this administration has for Chalabi lead them to conclude that he’s the best hope they have for securing that help.

Heck, look at what he’s already been able to sucker into doing.

[C]

I don’t buy it. I think the Iraqis, aware that they are in deep trouble with their fuel supply, recognize that their only hope is to have us bail them out. And the mysterious affection this administration has for Chalabi lead them to conclude that he’s the best hope they have for securing that help.
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Of course. America (and GW) to the rescue.

[Rick Barton]

The guy’s a crook but things are going according to the neocons’ design. Their boy is in. If Chalabi retains the position, Iraq’s oil will flow into Israel, facilitated by a “Historic strategically mutually beneficial deal”, or some such. The theft will be billed something like “an economic breakthrough that will that will be a powerful dynamic for peace in the Mid-east.”

This is one of the REAL reasons why American lives and money have been spent in this war that we were lied into.