Making a Commitment, Briefly

President Bush Discusses the Iraqi Interim Government, Official White House Transcript, June 1, 2004:

"Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. Chalabi is an Iraqi leader that's fallen out of favor within your administration. I'm wondering if you feel that he provided any false information, or are you particularly --

THE PRESIDENT: Chalabi?

Q Yes, with Chalabi.

THE PRESIDENT: My meetings with him 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. "

MSNBC - Transcript for Feb. 8th 2004:

"Russert: If the Iraqis choose, however, an Islamic extremist regime, would you accept that, and would that be better for the United States than Saddam Hussein?

President Bush: They're not going to develop that. And the reason I can say that is because I'm very aware of this basic law they're writing. They're not going to develop that because right here in the Oval Office I sat down with Mr. Pachachi and Chalabi and al-Hakim, people from different parts of the country that have made the firm commitment, that they want a constitution eventually written that recognizes minority rights and freedom of religion. "

Special Guests of Mrs. Bush at the State of the Union, January 20, 2004

Dr. Adnan Pachachi President, Iraqi Governing Council Dr. Pachaci is President of the Iraqi Governing Council and President of the Iraqi Independent Grouping. He is former Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Minister Hoshyar Zebari Iraqi Interim Foreign Minister Mr. Zebari is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and was the KDP's head of International Affairs before being named Iraqi Interim Foreign Minister on September 1, 2003. He holds a Masters Degree in Sociology from Essex University.

Dr. Ahmed Chalabi Iraqi Governing Council Member Dr. Chalabi is founder and head of the Iraqi National Congress (INC). He is also a mathematics professor and a businessman.

Interview of the Vice President by Jim Angle of Fox TV News December 11, 2001

Q Now, the Iraqi National Congress, the opposition to Saddam, has been getting some money from the United States; that money runs out at the end of December. And in the past, we have not allowed them to spend that money on military training or for operations inside Iraq. Will they get more money? Can -- will those prohibitions be lifted?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: The policy towards Iraq clearly is going to evolve over time. But they remain very much an area of concern for us because of the threat that Saddam Hussein has represented in the past and does in the future.

In the course of addressing that threat, we'll want to work with our friends and allies in the region. We'll want to work, I think, with the Iraqi opposition, with the Iraqi National Congress. I personally met with Mr. Chalabi myself in years past, and I would expect that they will be a part of a continuing effort as we think about how best to deal with that threat.