Run That By Me Again?

Thanks to Mickey Kaus for pointing out the following article.

In choosing an interim president, the three "B's" in Baghdad [Bremer, Brahimi and Blackwill] forwarded to Washington the names of two Sunnis on the Governing Council: Adnan Pachachi and Ghazi Yawar. The White House responded that either was acceptable. Hoping to boost Yawar's popularity with Iraqis by distancing him from Washington, his supporters leaked to American journalists a false report that Bush had decided on Pachachi. In fact, it was Brahimi who wanted Pachachi. When the 80-year-old Pachachi turned the job down, it went to Yawar by default. [Emphasis added]

Now, is it just me or is there a flaw with this explanation?

If you're trying to BOOST Yawar's popularity, doesn't this strategy demand that you keep your mouth shut, even AFTER he wins the presidency? I mean, that presumes that you want him to be popular as a president, and not just popular enough to become a president. Maybe that's too big an assumption?

I guess one could argue that the Iraqis don't read the papers. But then, what's the point of planting fake stories in the press in the first place?