BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Dignitaries gathered last month for a gesture of reconciliation -- reopening a Sunni mosque in Shi'ite Sadr City. As the cameras panned the robes and turbans, there stood Ahmad Chalabi, in an expensive Western suit.
The ceremony was largely symbolic. But the coverage gave Chalabi a chance to promote an image of a healer.
That may seem a minor role for a man who once was the Pentagon's favorite to lead Iraq after Saddam Hussein.
Chalabi's star fell after his assurances Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction proved false.
Now, as head of a committee to build public support for the U.S.-Iraqi security operation, Chalabi reports to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. There is talk of a cabinet position later. That would put Chalabi, a Westernized secular Shi'ite, back in the halls of power.
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