Thursday, May 27, 2004
Neo-Cons Get Visit from FBI
We've covered Ahmed Chalabi's deception before and now we're seeing that investigations are under way to determine who provided classified information to this scallywag:
At a well-appointed conservative think tank in downtown Washington and across the Potomac River at the Pentagon, FBI agents have begun paying quiet calls on prominent neoconservatives, who are being interviewed in an investigation of potential espionage, according to intelligence sources. Who gave Ahmed Chalabi classified information about the plans of the U.S. government and military?
The Iraqi neocon favorite, tipped to lead his liberated country post-invasion, has been identified by the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency as an Iranian double agent, passing secrets to that citadel of the "axis of evil" for decades. All the while the neocons cosseted, promoted and arranged for more than $30 million in Pentagon payments to the George Washington manqué of Iraq. In return, he fed them a steady diet of disinformation, and in the run-up to the war he sent various exiles to nine nations' intelligence agencies to spread falsehoods about weapons of mass destruction. If the administration had wanted other material to provide a rationale for invasion, no doubt that would have been fabricated. Either Chalabi perpetrated the greatest con since the Trojan horse or he was the agent of influence for the most successful intelligence operation conducted by Iran, or both...
(Emphasis mine. From Salon, Free daypass or subscription needed)
I think the NEOs were so desperate to have things go our way in Iraq that they "overlooked" some of the more unsavory aspects of Chalabi's character. They figured if we give him a total of $30 million he'll make sure we're taken care of. Alas, this is more than just a nasty case of buyer's remorse. It's a tragedy whose effects won't be felt for another generation.
This also brings the number of espionage investigations against the Bush Administration to two. We should've never learned the name of Valerie Plame. And I suspect W and the boys are starting to wish they'd never heard of Chalabi either.
| Permalink Here
We've covered Ahmed Chalabi's deception before and now we're seeing that investigations are under way to determine who provided classified information to this scallywag:
At a well-appointed conservative think tank in downtown Washington and across the Potomac River at the Pentagon, FBI agents have begun paying quiet calls on prominent neoconservatives, who are being interviewed in an investigation of potential espionage, according to intelligence sources. Who gave Ahmed Chalabi classified information about the plans of the U.S. government and military?
The Iraqi neocon favorite, tipped to lead his liberated country post-invasion, has been identified by the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency as an Iranian double agent, passing secrets to that citadel of the "axis of evil" for decades. All the while the neocons cosseted, promoted and arranged for more than $30 million in Pentagon payments to the George Washington manqué of Iraq. In return, he fed them a steady diet of disinformation, and in the run-up to the war he sent various exiles to nine nations' intelligence agencies to spread falsehoods about weapons of mass destruction. If the administration had wanted other material to provide a rationale for invasion, no doubt that would have been fabricated. Either Chalabi perpetrated the greatest con since the Trojan horse or he was the agent of influence for the most successful intelligence operation conducted by Iran, or both...
(Emphasis mine. From Salon, Free daypass or subscription needed)
I think the NEOs were so desperate to have things go our way in Iraq that they "overlooked" some of the more unsavory aspects of Chalabi's character. They figured if we give him a total of $30 million he'll make sure we're taken care of. Alas, this is more than just a nasty case of buyer's remorse. It's a tragedy whose effects won't be felt for another generation.
This also brings the number of espionage investigations against the Bush Administration to two. We should've never learned the name of Valerie Plame. And I suspect W and the boys are starting to wish they'd never heard of Chalabi either.
| Permalink Here
