Karzai Threatens to Join Taliban and Accuses the United States of “Massive Fraud”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai continued his attacks on the United States and the West — not long after his high-profile event embracing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, here. Despite demands for explanations of earlier criticism of the U.S., he ramped up the attacks by telling leaders that he would consider joining the Taliban against the U.S., which he accused of “massive fraud” in the country.

Admittedly, I have been a long critic of both of these wars and their cost to our nation. I am particularly disgusted by the impression that our leaders are willing to spend hundreds of billions and sacrifice hundreds of lives simply because it is not politically tenable to withdraw from the conflicts. Obama does not want to be accused of “losing” either war so he has increased the effort.

Now, while our states and cities continue to sell off property and cut programs for lack of funding, we are continuing to pour billions into a country led by a man who openly considers joining the enemy.

This is not about the lack of gratitude. It is about the lack of commitment to values that we support. For Karzai, the Taliban or the U.S. are simply political options to be exercised to keep power — he appeared entirely agnostic on the fact that the Taliban treat women as chattel or engage in terrorism.

One Iraqi at the meeting said that Karzai announced that “if I come under foreign pressure, I might join the Taliban’ . . . He said rebelling would change to resistance.”
Witnesses said that he repeated the threat twice and demanded that the Parliament give him more power.

Witnesses said that Karzai has been pandering to hard-line or pro-Taliban members of parliament.

I doubt that he is serious about joining the Taliban or that they would want him. The most disturbing issue is that Karzai appears to view the Taliban and the U.S. as completely fungible and has no problem stating a possible alliance with a terrorist organization killing both U.S. and Afghan troops.

In an interview, Karzai accused the United States of “massive fraud.” He notably did not back off earlier comments after a call from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Here is the exchange:

Karzai: “What I said about the election was all true, I won’t repeat it, but it was all true,.”

Reporter: “That the US carried out the fraud?”

Karzai: “That’s exactly what happened; I mentioned the elements who did it.”

It is good to have allies.

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