Picks for Afghan Cabinet show little sign of hoped-for reform

[Forkboy]

US had pushed Karzai to make bolder choices

KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai opted for continuity over change in the list of his Cabinet nominees he presented to Parliament yesterday, retaining some leaders supported by the West but also several viewed as incompetent and two accused of involvement in the fraud that tainted the recent presidential election.

The naming of the Cabinet nominees was the first major test of whether Karzai would make the type of bold changes President Obama was hoping for when he decided to commit an additional 30,000 troops to fight a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.

During the three months of painstaking deliberations over White House strategy in Afghanistan, skeptics of an increased American commitment expressed fears that Karzai would not be the type of partner needed to rebuild a shattered country - one who could shed corrupt and ineffective officials and win over members of the opposition.

By those standards, the Cabinet list was not encouraging.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2009/12/20/picks_for_afghan_cabinet_show_little_sign_of_hoped_for_reform/

[clear eye]

1. Thanks for keeping us informed, even if the news is bad. n/t

[Forkboy]

2. Yeah, not good news, but not unexpected.

I really wish we could just wash our hands of the whole area. Talk about wishful thinking though.