Chris Durnell, at the Third Rail, notes:I'm sure everyone by now knows of the assassination attempt on Karzai. I'm just glad he's OK. Just a little while before head dirtbag Hekmatyar recorded a message for the Afghanis. Something tells me Hekmatyar's message for uprising was to coincide with the assassination of Karzai to make America look weak and feeble. It fits Al Qaeda's profile of killing resistance leaders before major strikes. While I do not think a successful assassination would mobilize Afghanis against the US, it would have given Hek the iniative in this next stage of the war. The declaration, the boom in the market, and a dead Karzai all in the same day would have been a devastating strike, making The Secret Army of Doom look formidable. Missing on El Presidente — and having the helpful Merkins ice the attempted snuffy on the spot — made them look like blowhards who blow up civilians and screw things up in general. This is not only the sort of tactics, but also the sort of competence, they would bring to any government they'd happen to impose — 'nother words, about what you'd expect from a bunch of Pashtuns. |