Boston Globe details on what Kerry did in Afghanistan - fascinating

[karynnj]

Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, has played a mediating role since he arrived in Kabul on Friday. He met with opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah and had a meeting and two meals with Karzai, delaying his flight to Pakistan yesterday until well past midnight because their talks lasted longer than expected, aides said.
<snip>
Aides said Kerry’s message in private to Karzai echoed his public remarks, aired by CNN yesterday, that Karzai should accept the Electoral Complaints Commission ruling and that President Obama should wait until Afghan leaders resolve the crisis before sending more troops to bolster the Afghan government.
<snip>
Kerry closely coordinated his negotiations with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Richard Holbrooke, the president’s special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan; and US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry.

On Friday, Kerry dined with troops from Massachusetts in Kabul. Yesterday, he visited Marines in the war-torn Helmand Province and held a shura, or traditional meeting, with 275 elders

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/10/19/kerry_pushes_for_runoff_election_in_afghanistan/

I wish there were video of Kerry holding the shura!

One interesting aside - the international committee used statistical analyses to try to estimate the true % of votes cast. I immediately think of Palm Beach 2000 and Ohio 2004 - in both cases, very convincing cases can be made that more people woke up and went to the polls intending to vote for Kerry than Bush,

[Luftmensch067]

1. How amazing!

Well, not really -- he did everything I might have wished he'd do and it's not really a surprise that he did! I guess that's why I'm here. :-)

As for your last paragraph, it's certainly been hard not to think about the irony!!!

[beachmom]

2. Maybe the NYT wasn't that far off with their weird headline.

Kerry may support more troops IF:

1. A legitimate Afghan government is in place
2. A real counterinsurgency strategy will be used
3. Civilian support will also be in place for building

But, if there are additional troops, it will still be like MH mentioned: not spread all over the country but only in the most densely populated places.

I have no idea. But I think we were wrong to separate Clinton from Kerry. It seems they are actually on the same page.

[karynnj]

3. From the quotes, it is more that he won't rule out more troops

my biggest problem is the NYT changed "may back" to "backs" - which is different. Many reading just the headline will get the impression that he backs sending 40,000 troops now.

I think that Clinton and Kerry are on the same page, if it is a big page. Only if you decide that any one who includes some elements of counterinsurgency, which include protecting the villages, and giving aid to reconstruction, as being on the same page.

Even in his hearings, Kerry said that more was needed than just counterterrorism. He was concerned about the roots that would just produce more Terrorists to replace those killed. I wonder if this "pause" is not being used by Obama in much the same way Kerry wanted a deadline used in Iraq, to push the Afghanis to make the changes needed in terms of moving to "good governance". I also think that Clinton has herself moved from hawk to the middle, making her position likely closer to Kerry's.

[blm]

4. She started out as a hawk and pushed that position early on. That she moved towards middle ground

on this is more likely due to the fact that Obama, himself, is settling into the middle-ground position.

[karynnj]

5. From what she has publicly said in the media or at SFRC,

I think you may be right on her position and the shift. I have not seen anything contradicting that.

But, I do think that the CNN irresponsible comment, in their original article, taken alone paints Kerry as more dovish than he is. I think Tay's posts puts his position and history into perspective. Even in 2006, Kerry was speaking of working to reconstruct Afghanistan's infrastructure and improving safety. The hearings, among other things, play with different ideas of how to do this. I think where he differs from some with similar goals, is that he is willing to be honest in evaluating whether the underlying conditions make this possible and the willingness to accept that there are limits on what can be done. (The contrast between him and McCain in the Couric parallel interviews was startling in answer to a question on that. )

[blm]

6. Kerry's emphasis has ALWAYS been on building infrastructure at community levels in Afghanistan

and that is where he wants the troops' security efforts focused. But, he has also consistently stated that the military's FOOTPRINT needs to be decreased in those communities while they target more narrowly the actual terror groups.

[karynnj]

7. NECN has two little videos of Kerry with soldiers in Afghanistan

and with Zadari of Pakistan. http://www.necn.com/Boston/World/2009/10/19/General-Petraeus-and-Senator/1255946276.html

[karynnj]

8. Kerry is back in Afghanistan

Still working to get Karzai to allow a legitimate result.

http://blog.taragana.com/n/sen-john-kerry-flies-back-to-afghanistan-to-renew-talks-amid-the-countrys-electoral-crisis-199936/

[TayTay]

9. Really interesting article

On who is talking now in Kabul and who is silent.

http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/nationalsecurity/2009/10/wheres-dick.html

There is more going on here than meets the eye, I can feel it.

[karynnj]

10. That is interesting

"a man not known for shouting"

This is wonderful to see. I can understand Holbrooke shouting - and Biden walking out on a dinner in the past. It likely has to be hard dealing with someone, who is in a key position, who is unwilling to end practices making things impossible. It is interesting that Kerry is trusted to speak to both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

[beachmom]

12. Great minds think alike. :)

[beachmom]

11. Okay, that sounds scary. And it is bizarre that the "shoutfests" on cable

haven't picked up on this. The neanderthal Right, rep'd by Cornyn on Sunday don't have a very good attack on Obama. Saying he is being "indecisive" and he better hurry up. That kind of talk is not that persuasive. They don't offer an alternative at all. Democrats are preoccupied by HCR. So maybe that is why this is not as big as it could be.

Best quote from the article:


Three administration officials, who asked not to be identified by agency, told us that, while Holbrooke is laboring away hard behind the scenes, he's received direct orders from the White House to cool it publicly while Washington desperately tries to unscramble the Afghan electoral mess between President Hamid Karzai and his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

"This process is so sensitive. He'd love to deal with this. The White House thinks ... it's not the time for him" to be out front, one of the officials said of Holbrooke.

Perhaps it was that reported shouting match in Kabul a few weeks back between Karzai and Holbrooke?

Instead, it's Sen. John Kerry - a man not known for shouting - who has been in the Afghan capital, dickering with Karzai in the hopes of getting him to accept a run-off, or a compromise with Abdullah.

[TayTay]

15. Off point, but I actually shudder to think what cable news would do with this

A lot of cable news is currently occupied with "is Obama tough enough" bits. Well, sometimes the shouting and chest-thumping stuff doesn't work. I honestly wonder if a moment of genuine, tough-nosed diplomacy could even be in the cable news script. It just doesn't seem to be something that the cable news people know how to do.

[YvonneCa]

16. IMO, they not only do not know how to handle a story...

...about 'genuine, honest, tough-nosed diplomacy'...but they have no (or little) desire to do so. Conflict...the louder and more disgusting...gets themratings, and $$$. It also explains, for me, shows like no-rules wrestling, Jerry Springer, wife-swap shows, Glenn Beck ...on and on.

[YvonneCa]

13. Just saw this in LBN from AP...

...http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3mpSI8fPqHjCQ2uJQchn_R1BUoQD9BEIG280

[YvonneCa]

14. Now, having actually read the article...

... :7 all I can say is AMAZING! This is about as 'All Hands on Deck' as it gets. I'll sleep with my fingers crossed that this works out.