Karzai Gets New Term as Afghan Runoff Is Scrapped

[spanone]

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials on Monday canceled plans for a runoff presidential vote, declaring President Hamid Karzai the winner after the withdrawal on Sunday of his last remaining challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

The announcement capped a fraught election widely depicted as deeply flawed by corruption and voting irregularities..

Azizullah Ludin, the chairman of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission, said the Constitution did not require a runoff and the second-round vote had been canceled following Mr. Abdullah’s announcement that he was dropping out of the race.

Mr. Karzai had earlier demanded that the runoff take place as scheduled on Nov. 7.

Listing the commission’s reasons for canceling the vote, Mr. Ludin said the electoral body wanted to spare Afghans the high costs and security risks of a fresh round of balloting. The concerns reflected the difficulties of holding an election amid a growing Taliban insurgency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/world/asia/03afghan.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

[rug]

1. How convenient.

[spanone]

2. wow, he didn't even need a supreme court to appoint him!!!!

[KharmaTrain]

3. As Though It Was Going To Be A Real Election?

Without Abdulah Abdulah and the Taliban participating, any results would be tainted. C'est la vie. Now the time has come for President Obama to move...either double down or do the right thing and get our troops out. If Karzai is THAT popular, then his own people will stand up and defend him.

It used to be helping a country run an election was a noble concept, except in a country that is so fractured that any result will not be recognized by all. Maybe, just maybe, someday we and "the west" will learn that our system isn't a one-size fits all...

Bring the troops home and, more important...the billions spent on the booosh adventurism. We have far bigger needs and priorities here.

[tekisui]

5. You got it, but it won't happen.

The only viable options for Obama is to go all-in or articulate and implement an exit strategy. Politically, militarily and logically. Any of this middle way or escalation or 'stay the course' will lead to disaster.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Doubling Down Will Be A Disaster As Well...

Seems no one in the Pentagon bothered to study the Soviet invasion and how they were bled dry not by US weapons alone but by a large country that only can be "pacified" by those who live there. 100,000 troops may quell violence but it won't end it...if anything, it will stiffen the resolve of those who once saw us as "liberators" and now as occupiers.

If this country's security is so vital, then let our "allies" step up. They're far more affected by the country's drug trade and terrorism threats (if such a thing exists) than we are. I thought we gave up Cowboy diplomacy...

[spanone]

8. i think the pentagon is counting on 'bleeding Obama dry'

[KharmaTrain]

9. You May Be Spot On...

If not the military then the mercenary contractor who are making billions from this adventurism and have their tentacles deep within the Pentagon. The dirt and slime is so deep between the two it's created a co-dependency. As the XTC song "Generals and Majors" says..."Generals aren't happy unless they're fighting a war"...

[tekisui]

4. Let's send more troops to prop up the illegitimate and corrupt.

What do you call a political leader who wins through fraud and corruption?

And, what do you call a foreign army that supports him through force?

[spanone]

6. if your administration is so corrupt your rival pulls out.....YOU WIN !!! IT'S SIMPLE

[Soylent Brice]

10. K&R