Brahimi is Sideswiped by the Governing Council

this is a smooth move. the council is being undermined by the brahimi, who is clearing the way to go back to sunni domination of iraq. the council, the closest thing to a legit ruler in iraq in response, has nominated a shiite member.

to dismiss allawi now seems like dismissing the iraqis voice, as the council is fairly representative of iraqi interests.

so...in response to the council? brahimi says that allawi is "just another candidate" for prime minister. could you downplay the nomination of the most important governing body a little more?

Iraqi Council Nominates a Member to Be Prime Minister
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: May 28, 2004
Filed at 12:04 p.m. ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The Iraqi Governing Council on Friday nominated one of its members -- Iyad Allawi, a Shiite Muslim who was prominent in the exiled opposition against Saddam Hussein -- to become prime minister in the new government taking power June 30, members said.

The White House said the nomination was only one of many recommendations being made to U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has led the process for drawing up the new government and is expected to announce the final lineup by Monday.

The council is ``one of many groups that have made some recommendations to Mr. Brahimi,'' White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

Brahimi's spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, said that the envoy ``welcomes and respects the choice of Mr. Allawi.'' He did not say whether Brahimi backed the nomination.

``Mr. Brahimi respects this choice and very very soon, we will be discussing with the prime minister-designate the formation of the whole Cabinet,'' Fawzi said.

Brahimi joined Friday's council session after Allawi's nomination was announced, said Mustafa al-Marayati, an aide to council member Raja Habib al-Khuzaai.

``It is a done deal. Hameed al-Kafaei, the spokesman for the Governing Council, said. ``He is a prime minister-designate.''
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i like the soundbite right at the end of the article "its a done deal". way to spin.

yesterday in the post (i can't link or find the article) david frum was talking about how brahimi is basically an old school arab politician, and rabidly pro arab, pro sunni. frum insinuates that bush is being pro UN, and the corruptable UN has an avowed stability and anti US policy. enter the politician to bring things back to 'stability' where the UN might be able to get some UN food for oil action back in the mix..... yep. the UN. biggest scam in the history of the world. not a lot of talk about it...anyways frum has more to say on this and chalabi:

Chalabi’s many enemies and detractors have let loose a huge swirling mass of innuendo and conjecture about what exactly the raiders were looking for. Was Chalabi plotting a coup? Was he leaking secrets to Iranian terrorists? Was he embezzling money or counterfeiting currency? It is puzzling to me that the same people who refuse to believe the US government when it says its forces hit a terrorist safe house, not a wedding partner, are all credulity when anonymous sources inside that same government declare that Ahmed Chalabi is the center of a vast sinister conspiracy.

Chalabi’s friends have meanwhile responded with conjectures of their own: that the CPA has done a deal with Lakhdar Brahimi and the United Nations. It is Chalabi more than anyone who has exposed the full magnitude of the UN oil-for-food scandal, including possible involvement of Kofi Annan’s son – the UN is determined to shut the investigation done, and these days the US government is eager to placate the UN.