Not only are we losing on the battlefield, the cat is out of the bag on Karzai's fraud.
Related: America Silent on Stolen Afghan Elections
"Election panel cites widespread Afghan fraud; Orders recount with Karzai on verge of victory" by Pamela Constable and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post | September 9, 2009
KABUL - The turmoil over Afghanistan’s presidential election deepened yesterday when a UN-backed panel said it had found widespread fraud and ordered a partial recount, just as election officials announced that President Hamid Karzai appeared to have gained enough votes to win....
In the days immediately following the Aug. 20 Afghan vote, US officials were uniform in praising what President Obama called “a successful election.’’ Obama said he looked forward “to renewing our partnership with the Afghan people as they move ahead under a new government.’’
The growing political crisis threatens to create a direct confrontation between Karzai and his Western backers, who have been increasingly alarmed by mounting evidence of ballot box stuffing and other irregularities, much of it reportedly benefiting Karzai’s campaign....
The election commission said that Karzai had won 54 percent of 5.4 million valid votes tallied - 91 percent of the total. The results indicate he probably has enough votes to avoid a runoff....
See: Afghanistan's Election Returns
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The Obama administration had hoped the election would quickly produce a credible partner in the faltering battle against Taliban insurgents....
US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, meeting with reporters yesterday evening, read a statement calling upon all candidates and their supporters to “show patience as the process continues.’’
Of course, if this were Iran, shithead would be hollering about the unfairness of it all!
The difficult scenario facing the United States is that Karzai may end up returning to office even more hostile toward the administration, and under a cloud of domestic suspicion, just when Obama most needs a strong partner to prosecute the deepening conflict with the Taliban.....
The unresolved election raises the prospect of street protests by angry opponents of Karzai or a belated runoff that could be volatile, costly, and difficult to carry out once cold weather sets in. Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai’s top challenger in the presidential race, has charged the entire vote was a “state engineered fraud’’ and has hinted he may not be able to control his emotional supporters if the government steals the election....
I'm sorry, readers, but because Firefox sucks I had to use Safari and I couldn't get a link.
