From the New York Times:
Karzai Says He Was Assured C.I.A. Would Continue Delivering Bags of Cash
KABUL, Afghanistan — The C.I.A.’s station chief here met with President Hamid Karzai on Saturday, and the Afghan leader said he had been assured the agency would continue dropping off stacks of cash at his office ...
No surprise here.
ReplyDeleteHow does one get into Karzai's business?
From his point of view, he probably deserves the payoffs. Being the titular head of a puppet government for an invading country is pretty dangerous work.
What are the alternatives for Karzai and his family once the U.S. turns tail and runs? Pleading for asylum in the U.S.? Being assassinated by the Taliban?
High risk.
ReplyDeleteHigh reward.
You went to Business School, didn't you Steve?
Bags of cash? Did the CIA get some good smack at least?
ReplyDeleteHamid knows he's only president for life.
ReplyDeleteYeah but the cost of those bags of cash is having a giant target on your back:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_attempts_of_Hamid_Karzai
Also a lot of that cash probably has to be used to pay off people - his enemies and his own retainers.
Steve for President!
ReplyDeleteI hear he's going to run on "The Man Who Would be King" platform.
Any bets as to how much time elapses between wheels-up of the last American C-141 from Bagram airfield, and the entire Karzai government being strung-up with piano wire from Kabuls lampposts? I figure about three days.
ReplyDeleteMr. Anon: Sir, I'd give it a week, but that's just because Hamid's such a snappy dresser, and I'm a sucker for snappy dressers.
ReplyDeleteYou don't think that Hamid will bribe someone to help smuggle him aboard that last American C-141 to leave?
ReplyDeleteThe prospects of Karzai staying on to govern Afghanistan after the US pull out are effectively zero.
ReplyDeleteHe'll be on the plane.
Anon.
"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThe prospects of Karzai staying on to govern Afghanistan after the US pull out are effectively zero.
He'll be on the plane."
His junior ministers may not be so lucky - only so much space on a C-141. I wonder how many sovs the jump-seats will be going for.
Karzai was a CIA asset long before they installed him as prez of Carjackistan.
ReplyDeleteI first saw this on the TV news in a bar. All of the anchors were doing their best to imitate Captain Renault- they were shocked, shocked, to discover that Hamid Karzai was taking CIA money. I thought everybody had known that for the past 10 years, but that shows you how out-of-touch I am, assuming that everyone can use common sense.
ReplyDelete