BuzzMachine

I'm well past the point where any thing coming out of the NPR is to be treated as suspect, until confirmed with a second source. If they announce last night's Lakers/TWolve score, I'll check it elsewhere just to confirm it.

Hi Jeff,

Can you find a link to that? I listened to the two audio clips for today's ATC, and neither clip contained any suggestion that Allawi was corrupt.

As a tip, if you listen to the clips, listen to the WMP versions, the RM versions point to the same clip.

At any rate, as I was casually listening, I heard neither Peter Kenyon nor Robert Siegel make the claims you raise.

Patrick Cockburn, correspondent for the Independent didn't make those claims either, but did say that most Iraqis would have trouble with Allawi as he would be seen as an out of touch exile.

Would you point me to the link?

Thanks! (Side note, your RSS comes out chronologically backward, and sorry to hear of your troubles will trollbles.)

Anne: I looked and didn't find the right link; found another report, but not this one. It was from a correspondent -- drat, can't remember the name -- who just returned from baghdad. I'll look again. j

Thanks, I do appreciate that.

Since he received the unanimous support of the Governing Council it would seem that SOME Kurds, Shia and Sunni find him fit for the post.

Since the GC picked him and he will "help" Brahimi pick the rest of the govt ministers, it would seem that the GC has decided to act independently.

All of this is good. Iraq will be governed by Iraqis. There is no "win" for America except to leave a peaceful nation that can defend itse;f and govern itself. That requires the will of the Iraqi people.

It will be interesting to see how the Iraqi people react to this. It won't be good if it is viewed as US influence.

Andrew Cockburn is much more positive about Hussein Shahristani in an article in Salon.

I believe Jeff is talking about Marketplace's reporter. Technically, I think this is PRI (Public Radio International) rather than NPR. My impression of PRI is that they are considerably to the left of NPR. None of the NPR reporters I heard had anything very negative to say.
The reporter claimed that one Iraqui businessmen he knew said he had made payoffs to Allawi to get contracts. He also termed Allawi as the second most disliked member of the Governing Council.

Jeff,

Via Atrios, comes Spencer Ackerman in TNR with the best overview of our new compliant strongman.

Read it and you can maybe understand the accusations of corruption and disaffection you may have heard on Marketplace.