Chalabi’s defeat puts U.S. friends in quandary (Got only 0.36% votes)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10575121/

Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi appears to have suffered a humiliating defeat at the recent Iraq polls, according to the uncertified preliminary results.

The news comes just a month after Chalabi had conducted a tour of Washington in an effort to patch up his tattered image in America. Paperwork shows that in November Chalabi’s Washington representative hired a powerful D.C. lobbying firm.

The election results in Iraq may present Chalabi’s ardent U.S. supporters with a quandary: Chalabi, as well as other losing candidates, is alleging fraud in the election, even though the Bush administration hailed the vote as a historic step for democracy in Iraq.

Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress (INC) was not part of the coalition, but 35 political groups on Thursday issued a joint statement threatening to boycott Iraq’s new legislature if complaints about tainted voting are not reviewed by an international body.

Preliminary results in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad indicate that Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress scored a minuscule 0.36 percent of the votes. Out of almost 2.5 million voters in Baghdad, only 8,645 voted for Chalabi.

the government will be filtered through them.

Iran has not attacked any of it's neighbors so why do you feel threatened? The west and Israel are the ones making the threats. Iran has only said it will defend itself. Iraq was the one that attacked Iran under US guidance. Iran did not attack. Just because the Administration says they are a threat does not make it so...

Maybe because there wasn't electricity for the central tabulator and they had to use paper ballots.

People in Iraq either hate Chalabi or have never heard of him.

How much of our money did the Bush White House give this con man?

special demerit for lack of historical perspective, and a double special demerit for the callous disregard of human life.

Chalabi's innoculation wore off right before said election to the horror of the bush cabal. And as for our money given to that neocon Pravda dirtbag - millions, even knowing Jordan wanted him extradited for fraud.

Right behind the stepford clone

of BushAmerican democracy.

n/t

And just look at what he's doing to make things better?

Washington DC by American neocons. Seriously, PR hacks and political strategists created the INC just like it was a new brand of cereal.

Why would that have any appeal to Iraqis?

These people are such idiots.

That this well heeled shill of an embezzler who fed for years at the CIA trough and peddled himself on K Street now cries foul is somewhat ironic...

More News at 5.

- yeah right!

Not to mention the canoodling he did with Judith Miller which got so many of their friends and family killed. Seeing as how the new government might decide to extradite him to Jordan to serve out his 22-year embezzlement sentence, he might want to consider putting his running shoes back on.

:headbang:
rocknation

I'll bet he'd do better.

:evilgrin:

difference between America and Iraq.

Most of the Iraqis voted for Islamic parties - that's democracy. This farrago is a repeat of the Turkish elections that were won outright by an Islamic coalition running on an anti-corruption ticket, subsequently declared null and void by the military Junta.

Just because a party has 'Islamic' in its name does not invalidate it as political entity no matter how much the western powers want it to. This is as ridiculous as labelling Christian Democrats in Europe as a bunch of wild-eyed fundamentalists.

The people of Iraq want a few things; foreign troops out, jobs, security, electricity,water and sewerage systems thats work 24 hrs a day. The result of this election shows that they have lost all confidence in Chalabi to provide any of these basic things. They may be wrong but it's their country and it was their election. If they do go down the road of a radical Islamic state as did Iran after '79 then they'll probably end up making the same mistakes and will eventually have to face the far more pressing economic issues.

The result may not be to the West's liking but don't forget who created the unholy mess in the first place. The fact that it's Bushco complaining about rigged elections has made the job even more difficult.

While Iraqi citizens were living under international sanctions and a ruthless leader, Chalabi was living the high life on American taxpayers and all he had to do was make up lies to start a war.

while Chalabi was speaking. There's a delusion that gets riskier all the time.

:rofl:

They have pardoned him there,last I heard, about 3-4 months ago. I guess Bushco promised King Hussein some aid or something for this big favor.

sorry ass of a man.

Can't help it...I don't even know if I should be laughing, but the sh*t just keeps hitting the fan for the Repugs...someone outfixed the election on them?PRICELESS!

what an asshole, glad Iraqi's rejected this liar & thief.

:shrug:

This shows how minuscule his support and popularity are. I don't think Iraq will be a safe place for him much longer.

Iraq people know he's a joke...

:kick:

I guess DIEBOLD didn't have their machines up and running in Iraq yet...otherwise .36% of the vote would have turned in 36% of the vote.

You know that's true

So much for Bush's latest prize pigeon. How does it feel to be plucked, Chalabi?

:sarcasm: If the Iraqi's saw through Chalabi, they are light years ahead of the neocon junta that runs things stateside. dubbie and the gang still coddle chalabi, though he needs to be extradited to Jordan.

Thank You Iraq for sending a sign!
:toast:

His visit here was very interesting in itself as DOJ was investigating him (the spying among others) while the State Department was celebrating him - and the MSM was putting him on our teevees without any probing questions.
His life might become a good novel some day - in the vein of Vanity Fair or Tom Jones.
Nice karmic turn of events.