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Let us all praise his Excellency, Hamid Karzai, for his magnificent beneficence!
Karzai – the head of Afghanistan’s inept, grossly corrupt, and widely despised government – has finally been forced to admit the obvious: he stole the August 20th presidential election. He and his henchmen were not even slightly subtle about fixing the vote to install him for a second term, including bribing numerous warlords to deliver their followers’ votes to Karzai, as well as creating fictional polling places that magically voted unanimously for him.
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Then, the country’s “Independent Election Commission” – made up entirely of Karzai appointees – dutifully stepped up to certify that their patron had won 55 percent of the vote, thus negating the need for a runoff. Beyond incredible, this result was politically impossible, causing such an outcry in Afghanistan and around the world that it could not stand. Finally, Karzai petulantly conceded that – gosh – maybe he was a couple of decimal points short of a legitimate victory, so he has now agreed to a runoff election.
Western powers subsequently embarrassed themselves with a ridiculous outpouring of effusive praise for this thief. Desperate to have a credible central government in Afghanistan to support our military goals there, Washington is backing Karzai. President Obama himself hailed Karzai for his “constructive actions… for Afghanistan’s new democracy” – as though the guy is George Washington reincarnated!
It’s folly to think that anything credible will come from November’s rushed-up runoff vote to keep Karzai in power. He’ll win, but he’s a loser, and Washington should not be attaching America’s good name to him – much less using his “election” as a rational for committing more American lives and money to the misguided war there.
“Karzai accepts runoff in Afghan election,” www.yahoo.com, October 20, 2009.
“White House Sees Victory For Karzai In a Runoff,” The New York Times, October 17, 2009.