Occupation of Iraq a failure, Chalabi says

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- On the fourth anniversary of the war he peddled as a historic liberation campaign, Ahmad Chalabi on Tuesday sat in his fortress-style villa in Baghdad and pondered what might have been and how it all went wrong.

Chalabi, sipping cardamom tea in an elegantly appointed salon, absolved himself of mistakes and insisted he had no regrets. Instead, he recited a litany of missteps he blames on the Bush administration, the U.S. military and newly minted Iraqi politicians who couldn't overcome their "parochial" interests for the good of the nation.

"The war was a success," Chalabi declared, "and the occupation a failure."

Four years and five assassination attempts since he returned from exile alongside U.S. forces, Chalabi, 62, said he's proud that Iraq has an elected government, a constitution approved by the people and an 80 percent debt reduction brokered largely by the United States.

But he conceded that those successes are overshadowed by an entrenched insurgency, undisciplined Iraqi forces, an expanding U.S. troop presence and a leadership plagued by sectarian rivalries.

Chalabi prefers not to dwell on the faulty prewar intelligence he pushed on hawkish U.S. leaders or his stewardship of the purges of former Baath Party members, which cost thousands of Iraqis their livelihoods just after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

more:http://www.sacbee.com/341/story/141312.html

He should be in prison, not in an elegantly appointed salon. :puke:

[Demeter]

1. Chalabi Throwing Another Curve Ball?

Why anyone would believe anything this man said on any subject defies explanation.

[Rose Siding]

2. Sometimes there's just no justice

"Other grave errors followed, Chalabi continued, settling into a plush armchair and reaching for his favorite snack - a nutrient-rich biscuit his chef makes from Tibetan goji berries purchased abroad."