The decision of the Shiite majority in the transitional parliament in Iraq to put forward the Islamic fundamentalist Ibrahim Jafari as prime minister will be a disappointment to many who were rooting for Ahmad Chalabi. But we would not count him out in the medium term. The head of the Iraqi National Congress has already made fools of those who ridiculed his lack of a democratic base, and he will still emerge as a formidable figure in the new parliament and, perhaps, the government. More substantively, he may be in a position to make good on what he once told a British broadcaster, in response to the question of whether Iraq needs another strongman like the Afghan leader Hamid Karzai. “No,” Mr. Chalabi replied. “What Iraq needs is another Erhard.”

His reference was to the great West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard, who some would argue did more, by setting the stage for free-market policies in free Germany, than any other man of his time to ensure the triumph of his country in the great contest with communist-controlled East Germany. He did this when West Germany was flat on its back, its stores barren of goods, and its people falling into fights over single potatoes. In 1948, he withdrew the old fiat currency and issued a new hard currency called the deutsche mark. Overnight – meaning within hours – his nation’s economy sprang to life. It set the stage for Erhard’s accession as chancellor 15 years later and ultimately, given the importance of Germany in the heart of Europe, for the West’s victory in the Cold War.

The point that needs to be marked here is that the actions that elevated Mr. Chalabi’s hero to the pantheon of the great statesmen were made not while he was chancellor of the federal republic. They were made beforehand, when he was merely director of economics for the Bizonal Council created by America and Britain. It is worth remembering that the occupation authorities, led by General Lucius Clay, were not always consulted by Erhard when he made his moves, which were considered highly radical. He plunged ahead based on what he thought was right, and often in the face of great skepticism, much the same way Mr. Chalabi has done so far.

Whether Mr. Jafari will rise to become Iraq’s Konrad Adenauer we would not want to discount entirely, but the principles with which he is most aligned are far different than those of the first chancellor of free Germany. As our Eli Lake reports today, Mr. Jafari was heavily favored by the mullahs in Tehran, who at the last minute exerted some influence over the United Iraqi Alliance in their deliberations. Mr. Jafari himself has been one of the strongest proponents in Iraq for basing the constitution solely on Islamic law. Mr. Jafari, until recently, has pandered to his audiences and called for the withdrawal of American forces. He will have to do some major recentering if he is to emerge as a constructive force in the new government.

It was last night unclear to what position, if any, Mr. Chalabi will accede in the new coalition, but it is not too soon to suggest that his detractors over the past two years have much to account for. For it is clear that Mr Chalabi is, as he has been all along, the best hope for Madisonian principles. He has already launched important projects for the new regime. He created the commission in charge of de-Baathification. This lustration was thwarted by the current interim government of Iyad Allawi and now needs to be resumed under the new coalition. Like Erhard, Mr. Chalabi was at the center of the policy to introduce a new and sounder currency, the dinar without the face of Saddam Hussein. Most significantly, he demanded the space inside the Shiite coalition for independent minded politicians who seek the kind of Iraq that will not be ruled by clerics but by a constitutional system. We are confident that whatever role Mr. Chalabi plays in the new government, Iraq and the West will be the better for his efforts.