U.S. Hand Seen in Afghan Election

[neomonkey]

KABUL, Afghanistan — Mohammed Mohaqiq says he was getting ready to make his run for the Afghan presidency when U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad dropped by his campaign office and proposed a deal.

"He told me to drop out of the elections, but not in a way to put pressure," Mohaqiq said. "It was like a request."

After the hourlong meeting last month, the ethnic Hazara warlord said in an interview Tuesday, he wasn't satisfied with the rewards offered for quitting, which he did not detail. Mohaqiq was still determined to run for president — though, he said, the U.S. ambassador wouldn't give up trying to elbow him out of the race.

MORE: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-meddle23sep23,1,1747890.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Eye and Monkey]

1. "U.S. Hand Seen in Afghan Election" - wow! ya think???

Gary Trudeau should run with that one...

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Really, you think??????

Nah......

Shadows of Chile and guatemala

[AIJ Alom]

3. I would like to predict the following result...

Hamid Karzai in a squeaker....90% of the vote over all others 5%.The remaining 5% will write in candidate Osama Bin Forgotten.

[Tripmann]

4. Was the hand..

..holding a small wooden x with puppet strings attached by any chance??