Jules Witcover
Just as President Obama is weighing how many troops to call home from
In a news conference the other day in
It was pretty tough talk from an ally awash in allegations of corruption who is on the receiving end of billions of dollars in what amounts to an exercise in U.S. nation-building. Offering no specifics, Karzai said his country would be obliged "to take unilateral action" if the attacks did not stop. "History is a witness how
The remarks were only Karzai's most recent complaints against the high civilian casualties in
No doubt much of Karzai's harsh critique was intended for domestic consumption. But it also may add to the impatience in the
Still, a general mood of acquiescence seems to prevail in
But an obvious way to attack the deficit lies in more quickly winding down the decade-long American involvement in
The
The finding and killing of
Now comes Karzai threatening to throw out the Western forces that for a decade have ensured his regime's survival, ostensibly taking on the nation-building role that never was the original and prime purpose for the American and
It would be easy, and doubtless satisfying to many American diplomats and officials who have had to deal with this unpleasant and allegedly corrupt man, to leave him to his difficulties. But Obama is not likely to let Karzai's grandstanding deter him from a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, which he committed to in lieu of his unachievable 2008 campaign pledge to end the wars in
Meanwhile, the new, limited U.S. engagement in the Western collective action to rid
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