[ZenGum]

The election ...

Well, I wasn't expecting a resounding success, but this is a total SNAFU.

Karzai and his cronies rigged the first ballot.
They did it clumsily and eveyone saw it.
The international community leaned on the Afghans until they admitted it was dodgy and they needed another poll.
The taliban made lots of trouble.
Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from the run-off. Karzai was declared the winner and will be president.

Despite the fact that the poll was widely acknowledged to be fraudulent. No legitimate government, even more grounds for cynicism about democracy in Afghanistan.
And the taliban (and everyone else) have learned that they can disrupt an election with violence.
Karzai looks like a (successful) crook. Abdullah looks like a sore loser. The taliban have gained prestige and the influence that goes with it. The foreigners look like clumsy fools who can't even support their own puppet properly.

Election : fail.

: shakes head sadly :

I feel sorry for the Afghan people and all the soldiers who have served and suffered and sometimes died there.