Stirling Newberry, posting at Daily Kos, tells us what to remember about Ahmed Chalabi:

Bush Sr. Created the INC
Clinton fired the INC in 1996 after a failed coup attempt and bad information.
The Republican Congress brought them back.
The civilian leadership of DoD - Wolfowitz, Perle and Rumsfeld - made Chalabi the key player.
The INC had no presence in Iran until after Bush took office, and only had a relationship with Iran of any consequence after Hakim's assassination.
Chalabi and Dawa formed an alliance, causing Chalabi to shift towards Islamicism.
The attempt to cashier Chalabi is clearly attached to either building his prestige, or to distance Bush from him - either way, he needs to be pinned on Clinton.
The PNACers cannot distance themselves from him - he is the key figure in the creation of their Iraq.
Chalabi associates have a track record of getting big contracts from the Iraq war, and a track record of overpromising and under delivering.
Chalabi is a convicted felon, and no amount of seething charm will change this. Switzerland doesn't go after people at Saddam's request - so long as the money is clean when they get it, they will do business with almost anyone.