Paranoia and Conspiracy

Of course, he's cheney's puppet and no one else's!

Dispatches Lay Bare Rocky US Relationship with Karzai

12/02/2010 - The US dispatches unveiled by WikiLeaks show just how deep the mistrust is between the US and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Saudi Arabia's mediator role between NATO and the Taliban, it also becomes clear, faces several hurdles.

It is July 2009 and there are less than two months to go until the presidential election in Afghanistan. Incumbent Hamid Karzai is considered the clear favorite for a second term in office, but his relationship with the United States has turned frosty.

The president has taken to railing furiously against his political protector when talking to his own confidants, but he also doesn't hide his anger in direct talks with US representatives. The US ambassador in Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, is growing concerned and writes in a dispatch to Washington: "Karzai contended … that the US had lost its purpose over the past six years," according to a dispatch from July 2009. Referring to a meeting he held with Karzai, Eikenberry wrote that he was "questioning the US commitment to a strong partnership with Afghanistan."

For Karzai, it's also a matter of personal loyalty -- the proud Pashtun leader is convinced the US has thrown its backing behind his rival Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai believes the US is looking to get rid of him. {read rest}