An Iraqi Underdog On Comeback Trail

Upon his return, he acknowledged, "the first reaction was very bad. . . . I knew it would be very hard and very dangerous. And I accepted it. Israel was a taboo, and every time you break taboos you pay a heavy price."

Alusi's political unraveling began when Chalabi ousted him from a senior role in the Iraqi National Congress. He said Chalabi urged him to go to London or to take his family to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

"I got the impression they wanted me to hide out, to put me in a freeze," Alusi said. "But I wouldn't."

His sons were killed Feb. 8, when a car pulled alongside his and rifle fire riddled the doors and shattered the windows. He appeared on television soon after, sounding measured but defiant. Observers said that performance won the admiration of many Iraqis, even those who vehemently opposed his trip to Israel.

"He was so composed in light of a tragic event. All Iraqi people felt sorry for his children because they had nothing to do with his visit or his tendencies," said Wamidh Nadhme, a political science professor at Baghdad University. "He derived a certain respect from that."

In an increasingly sectarian country dominated by religious parties, Alusi's secularism and willingness to visit Israel also earned the attention of U.S. officials. He was invited to Washington in March, where he testified before Congress on the future of Iraq.

"Mithal Alusi is a moderate, democratic voice, respected by Iraqi intelligentsia," said a Western official in Baghdad, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.

Still, Alusi advocates reducing U.S. influence in Iraq.

"We cannot accept them as a shadow government," he said. "We cannot accept that anyone in Baghdad has a higher position than the prime minister."

Throughout this year, Alusi worked to build his political organization. During the campaign, he made frequent appearances on television.

"Some people like that he speaks so directly and criticizes his opponents so strongly. He goes after them," said Saleh Mutlak, a Sunni politician who calls Alusi's trip to Israel " a big mistake."

In an interview soon after the election, Alusi seemed exuberant. Based on reports from supporters who monitored polling stations across the country, he believed his party was on track to win several seats. Whatever the outcome of the election, he said, he has already won.

"People said that I had ended my career and maybe my life," Alusi said. "But Iraqis thought differently."