For Crying Out Loud!

Lead article in NYT about our buddy Ahmed Wali Karzai (dominant player in Kandahr, President's brother and incredibly dubious figure) and the realization by the US and pals that he is not going anywhere.  After lobbying President Karzai and getting nowhere, NATO folks are trying to deal with the challenge they face. 

“My recommendation was, remove him,” a senior NATO officer said this week, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “But for President Karzai, he’s looking at his brother, an elected official, and nobody has come to him with pictures of his brother loading heroin into a truck.”

Please!  You don't need proof beyond a reasonable doubt since the "decider" is not a legal forum, such as a trial, but the President of the country and brother of the person in question.  If Pres. Karzai wanted to move brother Karzai, it would happen.  Or there would be a family feud, but the idea that we need to convince President for Life Karzai about his brother's bad behavior is more ridiculous than an evil smoke monster accusing others of deceit.

And yes, Ahmed Wali Karzai has been helping out the CIA--who are experts in working with scum and then finding themselves tied to them.  Sometimes, we never learn.  

Some have regarded the case as a test of American will to confront President Karzai. “Watch what the Americans do,” said a diplomat in Kabul. “If they let Ahmed Wali stay in power, it means they are not serious about governance.”

Um.  Yep.  We are trapped by our words and deed.  But if A.W. Karzai was so damned useful to the CIA and the US, wouldn't we have been making better progress in Kandahar?  Or does association with him undermine pretty much everything that NATO, Canada, the US and others are doing there?  I vote for the latter.

It reminds me of the US letting Karadzic and Mladic to wander around Bosnia after the Dayton Accords.  Condoning the freedom of accused war criminals weakened every other effort in Bosnia.  Associating with Klepto Karzai is pretty much the same.  Are there tradeoffs?  Certainly, but it has become clearer and clearer that the Brothers Karzai are impediments to progress.  President Karzai may be around for awhile, but perhaps ....   Ah, never mind.