So now we have
the latest lie by Bush.
Bush says he had little contact with Chalabi By David Morgan
WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday distanced himself from Iraqi exile leader Ahmad Chalabi, the one-time top U.S. ally who was passed over for a job in the country's new interim government.
In the Rose Garden to praise newly announced Iraqi leaders, Bush said he had had little personal contact with Chalabi and that decisions on whether to include him or not in the new interim government were made by the U.N. envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi.
"Mr. Brahimi made the decision on Chalabi, not the United States. Mr. Brahimi was the person that put together the group. And I haven't spoken to him or anybody on the ground as to why Chalabi wasn't taken," Bush said.
Chalabi, a former Pentagon favorite once seen as a potential national leader, urged U.S. officials to invade Iraq as head of the exile group, the Iraqi National Congress.
Citing doubts about the intelligence the INC provided, the Pentagon now has cut off the group's $340,000 a month stipend, while Chalabi himself has publicly butted heads with the U.S. government and accused the CIA of smearing him.
Bush said, "My meetings with him were very brief. I think I met with him at the State of the Union and just, kind of, working through the rope line, and he might have come with a group of leaders."
"But I haven't had any extensive conversations with him," the Republican president said.
Ok, let's roll the cameras!
Preznit give Chyalabee Turkee! Q Mr. President, we were told you got to see Mr. Chalabi today?
THE PRESIDENT: I did see Chalabi. I met with -- well, let's see, I had the dinner, you saw that. I wasn't sure how long you were there, you probably timed it, but an hour or so -- are these the times? Oh, these are the people there.
I shook a lot of hands, saw a lot of kids, took a lot of pictures, served a lot of food and we moved on to see four members of the Governing Council -- the names are here. Talibani is the head of it right now, so he was the main spokesman. But Chalabi was there, as was Dr. Khuzaii, who had come to the Oval Office, I don't know if you all were in the pool that day, but she was there -- she was there with him, and one other fellow, and I had a good talk with them.
The Vice President
Q Now, the Iraqi National Congress, the opposition to Saddam, has been getting some money from the United States; that money runs out at the end of December. And in the past, we have not allowed them to spend that money on military training or for operations inside Iraq. Will they get more money? Can -- will those prohibitions be lifted?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: The policy towards Iraq clearly is going to evolve over time. But they remain very much an area of concern for us because of the threat that Saddam Hussein has represented in the past and does in the future.
In the course of addressing that threat, we'll want to work with our friends and allies in the region. We'll want to work, I think, with the Iraqi opposition, with the Iraqi National Congress. I personally met with Mr. Chalabi myself in years past, and I would expect that they will be a part of a continuing effort as we think about how best to deal with that threat.
With First Lady Xanax
Special Guests of Mrs. Bush at the State of the Union
Dr. Adnan Pachachi President, Iraqi Governing Council Dr. Pachaci is President of the Iraqi Governing Council and President of the Iraqi Independent Grouping. He is former Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Minister Hoshyar Zebari Iraqi Interim Foreign Minister Mr. Zebari is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and was the KDP's head of International Affairs before being named Iraqi Interim Foreign Minister on September 1, 2003. He holds a Masters Degree in Sociology from Essex University.
Dr. Ahmed Chalabi Iraqi Governing Council Member Dr. Chalabi is founder and head of the Iraqi National Congress (INC). He is also a mathematics professor and a businessman.
Who else is pals with Chalabi?
Jesse Helms
Rick Santorum
Paul Bremer
ACTION CHALABI! Airdropped into Iraq with lots of military
Trent Lott
[ed: I stole the pics from a DU thread]