Emanuel Awards “Hypocrisy Moment of the Week”

CHICAGO, IL—U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) named President George W. Bush’s claim of having only a casual relationship with Ahmed Chalabi as his “Hypocrisy Moment of the Week.”

When presenting the award Emanuel noted, “We’ve given Chalabi $40 million, and Bush doesn’t know who he is?  Maybe if he was a Pioneer or a Ranger, he’d know the guy.  As far as I can tell, the only thing Bush didn’t give Chalabi was a tax cut.”

Further illustrating the President’s hypocrisy, Emanuel referenced the photo of Chalabi standing behind First Lady Laura Bush as their personal guest during the State of the Union.  (PHOTO BELOW ON LEFT)

Emanuel also presented a picture from the President’s Thanksgiving trip to Iraq which also calls Bush’s statement into question.  In the photo, President Bush and Chalabi are posed smiling for the camera.  (PHOTO BELOW ON RIGHT)

The controversy over the depth of Bush’s relationship with Chalabi erupted after a press conference on June 2^nd when President Bush said:

“My meetings with him [Chalabi] were very brief.  I mean, 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.”