Chalabi and the Iranians

[Tom Storer]

Interesting article in the Guardian... Rather than cutting and pasting the whole thing, or simply giving the link, I'll compromise and give the link to the article and some excerpts.

US intelligence fears Iran duped hawks into Iraq war

An urgent investigation has been launched in Washington into whether Iran played a role in manipulating the US into the Iraq war by passing on bogus intelligence through Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, it emerged yesterday.

Some intelligence officials now believe that Iran used the hawks in the Pentagon and the White House to get rid of a hostile neighbour, and pave the way for a Shia-ruled Iraq.

[...]

"It's pretty clear that Iranians had us for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said an intelligence source in Washington yesterday. "Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the US for several years through Chalabi."

Larry Johnson, a former senior counter-terrorist official at the state department, said: "When the story ultimately comes out we'll see that Iran has run one of the most masterful intelligence operations in history. They persuaded the US and Britain to dispose of its greatest enemy."

[...]

The CIA allegations bring to a head a dispute between the CIA and the Pentagon officials instrumental in promoting Mr Chalabi and his intelligence in the run-up to the war. By calling for an FBI counter-intelligence investigation, the CIA is, in effect, threatening to disgrace senior neo-conservatives in the Pentagon.

[Uli]

Heheheh!

Who (m?) are you eating today!

Very interesting, but not surprising. Thanks, Tom.

[Al in NYC]

Whether connected with the Iranians at the time or not (it's pretty clear he is now), IMO Chalabi has pulled off one of the greatest scams of all time by taking advantage of the credulous ideologues in the administration. They were so eager to hear some dirt that would confirm their own biases, that they swallowed whole what this smooth slick-talking known criminal was telling them -- even as their own intelligence people warned them it was a bunch of BS. I mean, how many other con-men got a superpower to go to war for their personal ambitions?

[blawless]

Yes, such opportunistic partnerships are deeply shocking.