NB: The Financial Times report (below) explains that at a
Congressional hearing today, Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, stated that the INC "had helped save American lives in Iraq."
ABC World News this evening carried a similar report, showing the video of that
clip.
Other reports protesting the new, bizarre campaign
against Chalabi include:
Michael Rubin, who worked in Baghdad at the CPA. When almost everyone
else there was hunkered down inside the walls of Saddam's palace, Rubin
was out in the streets, dealing with Iraqis. Rubin provides key
insights into Bremer's misrule in Iraq, which now can be said to include going
after an organization that in the view of the uniformed military has saved the
lives of US soldiers: http://www.nationalreview.com/rubin/rubin200405210849.asp
Also see Michael Ledeen http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen200405211643.asp and
Financial Times
Top US general defends Chalabi's INC
By Peter Spiegel in Washington and James Drummond in
Baghdad
Published: May 21 2004 20:37
General Richard Myers, the most senior US military leader, on Friday defended Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, saying the organisation had helped save American lives in Iraq.
His comments came just 24 hours after Iraqi police, backed by US soldiers, raided the home of Mr Chalabi, once the Bush administration's top candidate to lead Iraq, as part of a corruption investigation involving INC officials and associates.
President George W. Bush is due to give a major policy speech on Monday outlining a "clear strategy" on Iraq amid plans to hand over sovereignty to a caretaker government on June 30.
Trent Duffy, White House spokesman, said: "We are approaching a pivotal phase as we approach the June 30 transfer.
"The president looks forward, on Monday evening, to discussing with the American people and with a global audience a clear strategy on how we need to move forward."
Thursday's raid appeared to be a final break between Mr Chalabi and his former US patrons.
But Gen Myers defended the INC, saying its military intelligence had been "useful and accurate" during the year-long occupation.
"The organisation that he is associated with has provided intelligence to our intelligence unit there in Baghdad that has saved soldiers' lives," he told a congressional committee.
Gen Myers' comments reflect the personal support that Mr Chalabi enjoys in some sections of the administration, particularly the Pentagon. However, this support has been overriden by the importance attached to the political process by Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, and Lakhdar Brahimi, United Nations special envoy to Iraq. To them, Mr Chalabi has come to be seen as an obstacle to UN plans to form a caretaker government to assume sovereignty.
US officials continued to insist on Friday that they played only a passive role in Thursday's raid, and there were no US military, intelligence, or investigative personnel involved in the search of INC homes and offices.
Dan Senor, spokesman for the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority, said any plainclothes Americans who were on the scene were civilian contractors who work for the Iraqi ministry of interior. He said: "Their job is the professionalisation of the Iraqi police service. So they were there to observe and advise the Iraqi police during this operation, as they do on numerous operations. They are the only non-Iraqis, to my understanding, that were there."
Top US general defends Chalabi's INC
By Peter Spiegel in Washington and James Drummond in
Baghdad
Published: May 21 2004 20:37
General Richard Myers, the most senior US military leader, on Friday defended Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, saying the organisation had helped save American lives in Iraq.
His comments came just 24 hours after Iraqi police, backed by US soldiers, raided the home of Mr Chalabi, once the Bush administration's top candidate to lead Iraq, as part of a corruption investigation involving INC officials and associates.
President George W. Bush is due to give a major policy speech on Monday outlining a "clear strategy" on Iraq amid plans to hand over sovereignty to a caretaker government on June 30.
Trent Duffy, White House spokesman, said: "We are approaching a pivotal phase as we approach the June 30 transfer.
"The president looks forward, on Monday evening, to discussing with the American people and with a global audience a clear strategy on how we need to move forward."
Thursday's raid appeared to be a final break between Mr Chalabi and his former US patrons.
But Gen Myers defended the INC, saying its military intelligence had been "useful and accurate" during the year-long occupation.
"The organisation that he is associated with has provided intelligence to our intelligence unit there in Baghdad that has saved soldiers' lives," he told a congressional committee.
Gen Myers' comments reflect the personal support that Mr Chalabi enjoys in some sections of the administration, particularly the Pentagon. However, this support has been overriden by the importance attached to the political process by Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, and Lakhdar Brahimi, United Nations special envoy to Iraq. To them, Mr Chalabi has come to be seen as an obstacle to UN plans to form a caretaker government to assume sovereignty.
US officials continued to insist on Friday that they played only a passive role in Thursday's raid, and there were no US military, intelligence, or investigative personnel involved in the search of INC homes and offices.
Dan Senor, spokesman for the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority, said any plainclothes Americans who were on the scene were civilian contractors who work for the Iraqi ministry of interior. He said: "Their job is the professionalisation of the Iraqi police service. So they were there to observe and advise the Iraqi police during this operation, as they do on numerous operations. They are the only non-Iraqis, to my understanding, that were there."
