HE'S BAAACK

Huckster Ahmad Chalabi May Lead Iraq

Took millions from CIA.

Ahmad Chalabi may soon go from persona non grata to prime minister. The man who took millions of dollars from the CIA to finance his unsuccessful political party and sold the Bush administration on the weapons-of-mass-destruction myth is being seriously considered to replace Iraq’s current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. Chalabi would fulfill fellow Shiites’ goal of getting Maliki and his party to step aside for another Shiite. Although his Iraqi National Congress never built a sustainable following, Chalabi may actually have a shot at Iraq’s top job. “Ahmad Chalabi is close to all the parties and is a good candidate,” said Nahida al-Daini, a leader with the Sunni Mutahidoon party. “But accepting him will also depend on internal and external approvals.”