Chalabi

Gary Sisco · February-9th-2006, 08:23 AM

Say what you want about him, and I have nothing good to say, he played the gringos for years like a fine angler plays a trophy trout. Hundreds of millions of workin' Americans' dollars dumped into his coffers over the years. The Great Iraqi Hope of the neocons. Yacka yacka. As I was saying at the time, an "oppositionist" (never mind party) that hadn't actually been in Iraq for many years, is what were called "sofa parties" in Nicaragua during the revolution (meaning the parties were so small they could hold their conventions on a sofa).

Elections results this past time out? 0.3% of the vote. Way to go! Coming on like Lyndon LaRouche out there, bud!

Nevertheless, his wallet is full for life, no problem. Absolutely no reliable intelligence out of him, nothing. Hundreds of millions, nevertheless.

An operation that would leave the mafia slackjawed with envy.

groover · February-9th-2006, 10:32 AM

As Sade used to sing, he's a smooth operator!

Solo Jazz · February-9th-2006, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Say what you want about him, and I have nothing good to say, he played the gringos for years like a fine angler plays a trophy trout. ...

LoL.

Partially true.

Chalabi, crook/opportunist that he is, merely aligned his interest with that of the 'Gringos' (ironically, much like Saddam some years ago). In other words, the Gringos 'allowed' Chalabi to play-his-hand, because it suited THEIR interest at the time. As my fifth grade coach told me many years ago, "don't take your eyes off the BALL"!

The trick for people like Chalabi, is to recognize a time will come when the interests of the BIG MONEY/POWER contingent diverges from individual interests like those of Chalabi. If Chalabi doesn't have at least BILLION in non-traceable wealth hidden somewhere (and as a former Banker, I suppect he does) he's a fool.

There were reports, if memory serves, that U.S. troops watched as Chalabi's offices were raided in a search for documents as evidence in a case against him. Simply, the GIG-IS-UP, and if Chalabi is smart and stays true to himself (being the crook that he is) he'll simply take the money and run. Least wise, he'll find himself facing a kangaroo court playing the part of a scape-goat; ala Saddam!

...that is all...

Gary Sisco · February-9th-2006, 11:38 AM

Actually, the US troops were watching (providing security, actually, they had the place surrounded) not only as it was raided but as he was, briefly, arrested.

If you want to follow this ball, you have to keep your eye on the money. Don't worry about it. He's got some king hell of an "offshore" account, and he'll be long gone before anyone can make a move to ground him in Iraq. It wasn't all that many months ago when the press carried an article about one of his guys leaving Iraq with millions *in cash* with which to purchase weapons on the international market. Of course, the guy was never heard from again -- never mind the box of cash.

Having had the dubious privilege of watching the gringo honchos in action (several times, now, in different places, many of the exact same people), they always make the same mistake, so far: trusting people because they speak English and know the lyrics the honchos want to hear. Duh. You'd think they'd learn after half a century or so, but no .....

Tanager · February-9th-2006, 01:21 PM

Gary, the saddest thing about people like Chalabi is that they're impossible to stamp out - he'll resurface again when the time and place suit him.

Solo Jazz · February-9th-2006, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tanager

Gary, the saddest thing about people like Chalabi is that they're impossible to stamp out - he'll resurface again when the time and place suit him.

Yep, yep!

In the case of Chalabi, however, if the funds he's accused of embezzling while a Banker in Jordan were running thin, I am sure his Iraq 'windfall' courtesy of the U.S. treasury will allow him, and those closest to him, to hide-out for three or four lifetimes. And, if he's smart (the jury is still out) that's exactly what he will do; hide-out!

If he gets sentimental, and buys into his own hype, i.e., Nationalistic with talk of freeing the Iraqi people - his 'goose' will be cooked!

The best thing that could happen to Chalabi at this point is, the world will never mention his name again; if he's smart he'll do everything in his power to facilitate this end!

time will tell....

Gordon B · February-9th-2006, 06:54 PM

Gary, you are preaching to the converted. I doubt that a single JC'er is a supporter of Chalabi.

Gary Sisco · February-10th-2006, 09:00 AM

I didn't think anyone was. It just cracks me up how the DC boys get taken for (very expensive) rides, nearly all the time. As often as they decide to get some killing done, anyway, which is all of the time. They've been doing it or hiring proxies to do it for them, every second of my 52 years, somewhere. I'd hate to think how many slimebags the American people have bankrolled through the years (and still -- who do you think pays someone, like, say, the El Salvadoran officers who are "retired" in the US -- you guessed right: us).

It's not a matter of supporting or not, Gordon, the point is that this guy (and many others through the years) was able to play the most powerful people in the world so easily. All he had to do was say what they wanted to hear, in English. Didn't matter a wit if what he had to say had any semblance of reality; he just had to say what they wanted to hear.

And once again, there were people in the know all the way along the line telling them that Chalabi was a fraud, but, no ..... Just hand him a dumptruck load of American working people's money and set him up for life, for no reason whatsoever except the seemingly endless gullibility of DC marks and johns.

GregM · February-10th-2006, 02:38 PM

The saddest part is it's people like chalabi who represent the arab world's chance at reform.

Hariri was a better man, but look what happened to him.

Gary Sisco · February-10th-2006, 02:46 PM

If Chalabi was their best chance, they don't have one. Talk about corruption. The only thing he's good for is lining his own pockets with other people's money.

Gordon B · February-10th-2006, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

I didn't think anyone was. It just cracks me up how the DC boys get taken for (very expensive) rides, nearly all the time. As often as they decide to get some killing done, anyway, which is all of the time. They've been doing it or hiring proxies to do it for them, every second of my 52 years, somewhere. I'd hate to think how many slimebags the American people have bankrolled through the years (and still -- who do you think pays someone, like, say, the El Salvadoran officers who are "retired" in the US -- you guessed right: us).

It's not a matter of supporting or not, Gordon, the point is that this guy (and many others through the years) was able to play the most powerful people in the world so easily. All he had to do was say what they wanted to hear, in English. Didn't matter a wit if what he had to say had any semblance of reality; he just had to say what they wanted to hear.

And once again, there were people in the know all the way along the line telling them that Chalabi was a fraud, but, no ..... Just hand him a dumptruck load of American working people's money and set him up for life, for no reason whatsoever except the seemingly endless gullibility of DC marks and johns.

I can't argue with you, Gary. He's a smooth operator who is much smarter than the people he cons.

Gary Sisco · February-11th-2006, 09:26 AM

The whole situation in the Mid-East is hopeless until a huge majority of all of the differing peoples there, no exceptions, accept that a secular, democratic republic where everyone's a citizen equal politically and before the law is the only rational solution. Until then, "everywhere is war." My own thoughts are that the commodity and modernity will accomplish the same over time, more than any amount of firepower from anywhere will, but it will likely take another generation or maybe two. Once the bulk of the kids get real access to the whole wide world and its ways and things, the tribalism will start breaking down, one of the positive aspects of capitalism's ascent to globalty. It's a corrosive that breaks down things like cultural and religious exclusivity. Sometimes in a positive manner, sometimes a negative, depending on where the observer's standing, but break them down it does. It won't be any different in the Mid-East, it'll just take more time's all. TV and the internet will go a long way toward creating new desires in people, there as it has everywhere else.

That's one of the reasons I'd pull back on the firepower, myself. Some things become historically inevitable and that's one of them. So I see no point in adding to the frackas. There's more than enough firepower there as it is without adding the US's to it, especially when the only way they seem to know how to use it is massively, when one well-placed shot would do the job more effectively.

But nothing anyone has to say matters much so long as its firepower doing the talking. The historical process will work its way out, anyway, regardless. A bit of patience would make the whole a lot less bloody in the end, but no ... that would require reason and there aren't any reasonable sides there, so history will resolve it for them, eventually.