I agree, I think alot of people are mis-reading this. We aren't going to blow the oil for food scandal wide open - we are going to get something for it, the UN resolution. What happens to Chalabi himself - he may well be expendable.
I'm not sure its a bad deal - let's face it, does anyone really expect Kofi Annan and Chirac to walk off in handcuffs? It's not going to happen. The media is burying this oil for food scandal anyway. So if we can get something out of it, let's do it.
Any help we can get in stabilizing Iraq, in the long term view, is alot more important then a few million in bribes.
You may well be right, but I hate the cynicism involved in believing that it is anything BUT a "bad deal".