Obama administration, Democrats turn up heat on Karzai

[laststeamtrain]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Obama administration, Democrats turn up heat on Karzai
By John Walcott and Hal Bernton, McClatchy Newspapers 28 mins ago

WASHINGTON -- As two commissions reviewing allegations of fraud in Afghanistan's August 20 presidential election haggled in Kabul Sunday, a top Obama administration official and a senior Senate Democrat publicly turned up the heat on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to find a credible end to the electoral dispute.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said on CNN that President Barack Obama wouldn't make a decision on his military commanders' request for as many as 80,000 additional American troops in Afghanistan until the administration is convinced that the country has a credible central government.

"It would be reckless to make a decision on U.S. troop level if, in fact, you haven't done a thorough analysis of whether, in fact, there's an Afghan partner ready to fill that space that the U.S. troops would create and become a true partner in governing the Afghan country," Emanuel said.

<snip>

Two administration officials, both speaking on the condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak publicly, told McClatchy Sunday that the U.N. commission has concluded that more than 75 percent of the 1.5 million questionable ballots it's reviewed were fraudulent votes for Karzai.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20091018/wl_mcclatchy...

[placton]

1. PREDICTION:

Obama talks tough, his surrogates talk tough, and nothing happens. It's like I can read the future!

[David Zephyr]

2. This is what I'd hoped to hear from Obama. I like this. A lot.

Why should our armed forces prop up Karzai, who is a Cheney stooge, and a crooked as Chalabi was.

[bemildred]

3. Karzai Camp Hardens Its Line on Recount

KABUL -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai may not accept the results of a vote recount from the summer's general election, officials from his campaign hinted, adding a further twist to the already fraught post-poll political environment. On Sunday, his supporters began demonstrations against "foreign interference" in the elections.

As they await the results of a recount to try to adjust for widespread fraud, officials from the Karzai campaign began over the weekend to cast aspersions on the process, centering their criticism on the United Nations-backed Electoral Complaints Commission, which is re-tallying the numbers. The commission finished its audit Saturday, and is reviewing it before releasing it in coming days. If Mr. Karzai is found to have less than 50% of the vote, it could force a run-off with his top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

Karzai campaign spokesman Waheed Omar said Sunday that the recount process is being "politically manipulated" by outsiders and that the results may not be acceptable.

"The ECC is pretty much controlled by foreigners, and its foreign commissioners intervene in the process," said Maeen Mirstyal, a lawmaker and chief advisor to the Karzai campaign. The commission denies the charge.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125587282013392519.html...

[earcandle]

4. For the children of war

Lullaby For Hamza

preview of an unreleased cover of a Robert Wyatt song by The Granite Countertops

horns by junko

[daedalus_dude]

5. Obviously, Afghanistan is going bad because the Afghans are failing us.

[western mass]

6. Shape up, or else!

or else, we'll have some more stern words for you!

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Pull the troops out and let Karzai fight his own battles!

Let him guard the pipeline himself!

[InfiniteThoughts]

8. the right strategy ...

the correct strategy is that the US leaves the election of Afghan Premier to the afghanis, else this is going the way of USSR invasion of Afghanistan. Also, if Obama decides to prop Karzai even after realizing that Karzai didn't win the elections, this is no longer Bush's Afghan war, it is Obama's Afghan war.

Also, the credibility of US is at stake here. US made a lot of noise after Iran election results (justifiably so!) and it would be hypocritical of US to put up with election fraud next door.