Hamid Karzai's election setback
What the Afghan president's resistance to a runoff means for his country, and for President Obama
Afghanistan's incumbent president and presidential candidate Hamid Karzai
(STR/EPA/Corbis)
How's this for a "major test for a young president," said Jake Tapper in ABC News. "As feared, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is refusing to accept" the conclusion of a United Nations review that there was "so much fraud" in the August election that Karzai didn't win 50 percent of the vote and must enter a runoff election with former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said this puts on hold any decision on U.S. troop levels, and raises doubt about whether we have a credible partner in the Afghan government.
Rahm Emanuel's warning, said Joe Klein in Time, "seemed designed to pressure Hamid Karzai to allow a runoff election and clean up his act." But it also sent a message to Abdullah Abdullah, who ran second in the election, that he needs to "make a deal with Karzai now." Abdullah may be the man of Afghanistan's future, but most analysts think Hamid Karzai—"who is Pashtun royalty—will win a head-to-head" runoff, so Abdullah should concede now in return for a power-sharing agreement if he wants some power right away.
A delay in the election might not be a bad thing for the U.S., said Gerald F. Seib in The Wall Street Journal. Yes, it "could slow down the Obama administration’s decision about how many troops to send and what strategy to pursue. And that isn’t a good thing." But a runoff will remove the questions about President Hamid Karzai that have been "hanging over Afghanistan for weeks—and by extension over American policy in Afghanistan." If Karzai agrees to a runoff and wins, he "could possibly emerge from the election controversy appearing to be the kind of solid leader American officials need" to continue stabilizing Afghanistan.
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14 Comments
Posted by Ernie, Monday, October 19, 2009, 1:11 pm Fraud in the elections? What do the people of Afghanistan expect from the worlds largest exporter of opium, heroin, and other narcotics? Mr. Karzai would like to get back to his heroin business if everyone would just leave him and his family alone.
Posted by swikabi, Monday, October 19, 2009, 2:14 pm Hey Ernie, no difference between Afghan election fraud and Bush/Cheney stealing the election, except Bush and Cheney just wanted to get back to their oil/war business and be left alone.And kudos to Obama for telling Afghanastan that we will not send more troops so long as their government is corrupt.
Posted by Fraud?, Monday, October 19, 2009, 2:17 pm Fraud? mmm mmm mmm obummer what a problem! Why didn't ACORN do a better job in Afghanistan? Isn't COI the international arm of ACORN up to the task? Face it, America can't get around its own election fraud, why do we expect a backwards, third world nation with little to no education, especially for women, to do better than our own community organizers? mmm mmm mmm obummer!
Posted by dj spellchecka, Monday, October 19, 2009, 2:40 pm adding to what mr seib at the wsj wrote....there's no reason to persue a war in a country where our most important ally isn't seen as being legitimate. until the election is settled, no policy charges or troop increases should be implemented. that's NOT 'not a good thing,' just a sensible position
Posted by Soldier, Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:34 pm Bring our military home. Why leave any of them there to die. Either go in to win, or get the heck out.
Posted by Cameron, Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:36 pm ACORN should have been hired to win this election. It worked here, and it could work there, too. Nuts to keep our military over there, just hanging around, dodging bullets, while they figure out that the country that is the largest grower of poppies in the world is corrupt. DAH... ya think?
Posted by Mehitabel, Monday, October 19, 2009, 4:35 pm Does amyone else see the irony in Republicans chastising Mr. Obama for a lack of leadership in delaying a decision on Afghanistan troop levels while they are stalling Health Care Reform at every turn?
Posted by Vet, Monday, October 19, 2009, 5:06 pm I find it inconcievable that anyone as smart and peaceful as Obama was unaware that Afghanistan was/is/will always be corrupt. It defies reason to even think that he did not know. What does Health Care have to do with Afghanistan and keeping our troops in the line of fire over there? Keep focused. Nationalized health care will bankrupt our country, and so will this war.
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