Afghan President Hamid Karzai Longs For 'Golden Age' Of The Bush Years

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Longing for the early years of the Bush administration, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been consumed by anti-U.S. conspiracy theories, convinced American officials are now working against him, according to a diplomatic cable from the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.

The cable was sent in July 2009, which would become the deadliest month for foreign troops since the 2001 invasion. The surge in casualties resulted from an offensive to oust the Taliban in opium-rich Helmand Province, as well as the increasing power of roadside bombs. On July 7, when Amb. Karl Eikenberry met with Karzai, the Afghan president was looking backward rather than forward, wistfully longing for the early days of the Bush administration, which he referred to as a "golden age."

"Karzai then returned to a familiar theme, his wish for Afghan-U.S. relations to recover the spirit of 2002-04 -- a period Karzai sees as a 'golden age' in the relationship," wrote Eikenberry in a July 16 cable obtained by WikiLeaks and published by The New York Times. "He would like for U.S. forces to again be able to drive their humvees through villages, greeted warmly by villagers who would shout, 'Good morning, Sergeant Thompson.' Karzai claimed, as he has many times, that his concern over the erosion of public trust in the U.S. was a driving factor in his increasingly strident criticism regarding civilian casualties, night raids and detentions."

Eikenberry took issue with Karzai's characterization of that period being a "golden age" -- and reminded him that he should be looking forward to the future rather than back to the past. Even in 2002-2004, Eikenberry told Karzai, it was clear that "trouble was brewing as the focus on security and reconstruction drifted and declined due to lack of resources and a comprehensive strategy."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/28/karzai-golden-age-bush-years_n_801712.html

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Crooks love the company of other crooks.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Karzai was happy to be Mayor of Kabul

and the Taliban and the regional warlords were happy to leave it that way too. Karzai is right: the fake war of the Bush years in Fuggetaboutitstan was at least realistic.

[asjr]

2. Ah, yes, the days when the sacks of money

were rolling in.

[DCKit]

6. As fast as he could stuff it into his pockets.

He's going to either go back to being Mayor of Kabul, or exile, once we're out of there.

If we ever leave, that is. How can we go when there's that pipeline to watch over?

[Javaman]

3. Typical tyrant crook...

alls great when the money spigot is flowing freely, but as soon as the gravy train is cut off, they become paranoid nuts who have no sense in knowing how to actually govern.

yet another one of george w. morons* puppets who lost his strings.

reality sucks karzai.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. um, er, the gravy train is still on schedule and running fine

only now the train leaves with boxcars of dead Afghanis. Karzai does have a point.

[Javaman]

5. If you honestly believe that karzai gives a whit about the Afghans,

I have a bridge to sell you.

Did you know that the majority of US forward operating bases are situated along a pipeline running through Afghanistan?

did you know that Afghanistan now is producing oil as of one month ago in their south western areas?

did you know that karzai is a former Unical exec?

The money for Afghanistan is now being funneled through the oil corps. karzai served his purpose, he's now pissed that he's not in charge of the oil. The same oil he signed away (just like Iraq did) to the oil corps instead of keeping it nationalized(as was the rest of Afghanistan's natural resources before we invaded).

He's a half wit puppet with a drug running brother controlling most of the heroine distribution in that country.