WSJ Votes Chalabi

January 25, 2005

Today’s Wall Street Journal, faithfully reflecting the neoconservative view on Iraq, takes a whack at both the CIA and Iraq’s Prime Minister Allawi—and says that it prefers none other than Ahmed Chalabi.

The Journal says: “It is now looking more and more as if in Sunday’s election Iraqi voters will deliver a repudiation to Langley’s branch office in Baghdad.” By branch office, the Journal means Allawi, suggesting it would like to call Allawi a “CIA stooge.” And it adds:

Unlike his rival and distant relative, the independent-minded and often-infuriating Ahmed Chalabi, [Allawi] shared the CIA’s view of how things ought to be done in a post-Saddam Iraq.

Let’s leave aside the spectacle of the Journal opposing someone for doing what the CIA wanted. The point is, the Journal—and the neocons—have long insisted that the Shiites in Iraq (including Chalabi, now, it seems) ought to rule. In its editorial, the Journal blasts “the Allawi-CIA” regime for corruption, and again praises Chalabi. It seems that the Iraqi defense minister last week threatened to arrest Chalabi and deport him to Jordan, where he is wanted on bank fraud and embezzlement charges. None of that is important to the Journal : They praise Chalabi and attack Allawi for corruption.

Now, the Allawi government is undoubtedly corrupt. But Chalabi virtually symbolizes corruption and ill-gotten gains. Yet, as I reported yesterday, he is on track for a high post in the next Iraqi government—perhaps even prime minister.