Seems like Uncle Sam is rather confused, some call him visionary, others plain crook....what is he? ---------------------------------------------------Vice President Richard Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz all know from their personal contact with Chalabi — and their own checks of his background — that the State/CIA view of him as a small-time exile opportunist of shady character is wrong. They believe, on the contrary, that Chalabi is a man who has the character, vision, and strength needed to become an outstanding leader who can help move the Arab world away from the path of anti-American and backward-looking tyranny and toward a path of struggle toward modernity and democracy. If their assessment of him is sound, Chalabi could be the key figure in the success of President George W. Bush's new policy against terrorism, tyranny and threats of biological and nuclear war.Ahmad Chalabi---------------------------------------------------There might be a kernel of truth to some of his opponents’ arguments – that Chalabi and his followers are dreamers, that the challenge of leading Iraq is too complex for someone who has been in exile so long, etc. But it’s obvious to me that America has been doing everything it can to shaft Chalabi at our own expense for a very long time.My conclusion at the time was that the State Department was going to great lengths to make things hard for Chalabi. It hasn’t changed. If we had consistently supported his opposition movement from the end of the last Gulf War until now, we might not be preparing to move hundreds of thousands of troops to the Gulf today.Why the bureaucrats don't Like Ahmad Chalabi---------------------------------------------------But as Mr. Chalabi's team moves forward against five competing exile teams, umpires at the CIA and the State Department keep throwing yellow flags on the field. They see Mr. Chalabi as a charming, articulate, multilingual Iraqi exile leader, better suited to the cut and thrust of London's exile politics than to the cut-throat politics of post-Saddam Iraq.No one is more upset at the idea of Mr. Chalabi becoming Washington's man in Baghdad than Jordanian leaders, past and present. He was sentenced April 9, 1992, to 22 years hard labor by a Jordanian state security court on 31 charges of embezzlement, theft, misuse of depositor funds and speculation with the Jordanian dinar. The court also handed down harsh sentences and fines to 16 others, including several brothers and close relatives who were members of the board of Mr. Chalabi's Petra Bank, or owners of affiliated companies.Jordan's establishment does not look forward to a Chalabi-run Iraq propped up by the U.S. military. But given Jordan's total dependence on Iraqi oil, it's a safe bet that a President Ahmad Chalabi would receive a royal pardon in Jordan.A bankable ringer to replace Saddam?----------------------------------------

I expect that whomever the US sticks in as the Iraqi head of the government that we impose will be a lame duck from day one. He might as well get a suit with a bull's eye painted on the front.

President, viceroy, governor, sheriff. It is difficult to know what to call Jay Garner, the retired US general who will run Iraq if and when Saddam Hussein is deposed.Man who would be "King of Iraq"

Oh Brother, is this guy naive!!!! Syed Mohammad Bahr Uloom, a leader from the Islamic Ahl al Bayt Foundation said the U.S. forces must leave immediately after the military operation. "We do not accept governorship by the coalition forces," he said. "Right after they have finished their military work, we will tell them thank you, it is time now for the Iraqi people to rule Iraq." Leaders all say they speak for the people of Iraq, but the people of Iraq have still not spoken-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"As early as possible, we support the formation of an Iraqi Interim Authority, a transitional administration, run by Iraqis, until a permanent government is established by the people of Iraq," the allied leaders said in a joint statement."It's the Bush administration that's calling the meeting and deciding who's invited and what's the purpose. At the highest levels those questions are undecided," said one official, who asked not to be identified.The U.S. military flew Chalabi to Nassiriya on Sunday, giving the INC a head start over other Arab opposition groups in establishing a political presence under U.S. protection.Iraqi opposition figure Kanan Makiya said in Washington on Tuesday the militia of several thousand armed men, led by a man named Abu Hatem Mohammed Ali, captured the headquarters of the Amara governorate, 230 miles southeast of Baghdad, without support from U.S. forces."He was then told by a CIA officer whose name I do not know but who spoke perfect Arabic that he had to vacate that city. ... He was threatened with bombing and strafing of the building, the compound he took over, so he decided it would be better to be wise and he did withdraw in fact," he added.Vacate or Else ............