LAY OFF CHALABI
 |
James Joyner | Thursday, April 24, 2003 |
Christopher Hitchens takes the critics of Ahmad Chalabi to task in his typical wry fashion. While I frankly know very little about Mr. Chalabi and have no insight as to whether he should emerge as the leader of Iraq or even if he’s a plausible candidate, I find Hitchens’ Fisking of the most commonly-heard criticisms compelling:
Yasser Arafat hasn’t been in Jerusalem for some considerable time, after all, and before his disastrous return to Gaza, he hadn’t been on Palestinian soil for decades. The Dalai Lama hasn’t been in Tibet since the 1950s. Perhaps these leaders should be criticized more for being out of touch. But the fact remains that they are not. More important, both Arafat and His Holiness consider themselves to be axiomatic and self-evident leaders while Chalabi does not. But the fact remains that his forces provided invaluable help and intelligence in the recent campaign, and it is to the Iraqi National Congress that several senior Baathists have recently chosen to surrender. If this does not demand praise, surely it merits a little recognition?
One would think.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Krugman on the Debt and Deficits
- A Question About Bonuses and Bailouts
- Republican Purity and Conservatism
- SNL Obama China Skit
- Journalistic Ethics and Illegally Acquired Documents
- National Debt Hysteria?
- Educating Illegal Immigrants
- Caption Contest
- Nathalie Blanchard Facebook Smile Leaves Her Depressed
- Glenn Beck, Community Organizer
Comments are Closed
