I didn't know until this day that it was Barzani all along

From an Associated Press report:

The Kurdish Parliament on Sunday elected veteran guerrilla leader Massoud Barzani the first president of Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, prompting horn-honking celebrations by his supporters.

The 111-member assembly meeting in this northern city unanimously chose Barzani, a Sunni Muslim Kurd and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, to a four-year presidential term.

The Kurdish region comprises three northern provinces and has enjoyed autonomy since the first Gulf War in 1991. The region is expected to remain autonomous even after Iraq drafts its new constitution, which will be put to a referendum later this year. Kurds hope the region will be part of a federal Iraq.

I have no special insight into this. It just gave me a chance to dust off a Godfather quote.