U.S and U.N Continue to Face Credibility Challenges Over Election Fraud

The fall-out from Peter Gailbraith's resignation letter continued over the weekend, as Karzai's main rival, Abdullah Abduallah, blasted the U.N.

“I have no doubt in my mind that it has seriously damaged the U.N.’s credibility in Afghanistan,” said Abdullah, the former foreign minister and election runner-up. The U.N has denied Gailbraith's allegations.

Meanwhile, U.S National Security Advisor James Jones voiced his support for President Karzai, stressing, "It’s very important that they support the legitimately elected president.” The remarks are puzzling, as the White House's desire to downplay the corruption involved in the August 20th elections is sending a message to the Afghan people that they will stand behind Karzai despite his blatant disregard for democracy. Karzai's corruption is not limited to the election process of course; one need only look at the exploding opium trade to seriously question why Jones and Obama are standing so firmly behind this guy? I suppose it's because we have not cultivated any viable alternative...