Karzai Aside, Many Afghans Won't Miss Bush

As President Makes Surprise Visit, Opposition Lawmakers Look Forward To Change

(CBS)  This story was written by CBS News' Fazul Rahim in Kabul.

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President Bush told his Afghan counterpart Monday that the United States will stand by Afghanistan, regardless of the transition of power at the White House next month.

Speaking to reporters in Kabul, Mr. Bush said he had told President Hamid Karzai, "You can count on the United States. Just like you've been able to count on this administration, you will be able to count on the next administration."

But many Afghans are counting on the new administration to bring change, rather than a continuation of President Bush's policy.

The leader of the biggest political opposition alliance to Karzai's administration, Fazil Sangcharaki, told CBS News, "President Bush's Afghan policy has been full of mistakes."

"He underestimated the threat of the Taliban, he invested heavily on a specific circle of incompetent and corrupt technocrats, led by President Karzai. We hope the President-elect will not follow his footsteps and instead invest in the Afghan nation," said Sanghcharaki.

As Mr. Bush enters his last month in power, Afghans are becoming increasingly skeptical of the U.S. and allied forces' ability to tackle a growing Taliban insurgency and curb the violence that plagues their country.

President Bush's trip was viewed by some as little more than a morale booster for U.S. troops and the political leaders of Afghanistan.

Another opposition lawmaker was equally critical.

"This is Mr. Bush's farewell trip to a country he invaded over seven years ago, promising to bring security and prosperity," said Afghan parliamentarian Saleh Registani. "But seven years on, the situation has deteriorated to the extent that whatever we gained so far is seriously threatened."

"Mr. Bush's biggest mistake, I think, was to start another war before he could finish this one. The diversion of much-needed resources and troops to Iraq has pushed us to the verge of loosing to the Taliban, so we hope the upcoming president has learned from the mistakes of his predecessor," said Registani.

The President arrived in Afghanistan unexpectedly Monday morning after visiting Baghdad on Sunday. His first stop in the country was the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, where he addressed American troops. (Read the main story.)

Mr. Bush rejected a suggestion during the news conference that America is failing to meet its promise to bring security and prosperity to Afghanistan, but acknowledged the fight wasn't over and the enemy was proving formidable.

"I just sited the progress, it is undeniable, I never said the Taliban was eliminated, I said they were removed from power, they are lethal and they are tough," Mr. Bush said.

A recent report by the Brazil-based International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) said the Taliban currently hold a permanent presence across 72 percent of Afghanistan.

Though the think-tank's findings were disputed by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces and the Afghan government, suicide bombings have claimed more than 4,000 lives this year alone.

[metsobitso]

The only people who will miss Bush work for the military industrial complex and the oil companies.

[impeach_o]

terrorist wont miss bush and cant wait for obama..

something is wrong there..dont you think?

[impeach_o]

Bush is the man who made fools out of the DNC..



made a lot of ''patriotic liberals'' VERY RICH BY SELLING THIER PATRIOTISM and TRUTHS and exposing lies..

and at the same time made a mockery of the DNC''s call for impeachment for all those ALLEGED CRIMES

is the most hated man in middle east ( I never seen a man that is loved by his enemy only a liberal moron would think otherwise) and striked fear in the hearts of terrorist..

[impeach_o]

he Taliban reneged on an agreement with Big Oil & Gas before the invasion holding out for a larger share of pipeline tariffs for their people. The US decided a regime change was a better choice.



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Posted by InTheShade at 12:59 PM : Dec 16, 2008
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that agreement was alive and well TILL THEY DECIDE TO HOST A CRIMINAL THAT WOULD KILL THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS..

THEN ..THAT IS THE TIME WE DECIDED TO HAVE THE REGIME CHANGE..


(liberals always tend to forget the smallest but most important things)

[impeach_o]

americans you elected this baby killer twice ... so you are guilty as much as him


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Posted by ruslant at 04:52 AM : Dec 16, 2008
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These morons will TRY TO KILL YOU before we elected this ''baby killer'' and will CONTINUE TO KILL YOU after this ''baby killer'' leaves office..

JUST A GRIM REMINDER FOR YOUR ARSE..something micheal moore forgot to add in his movie

[impeach_o]

its not the afghani that we want..its whats under ground..

come on...does any liberal here really REALLY care about any of this other than an excuse to rant about bush

[intheshade-2009]

Duly Afghan President Karzai is protecting a US led consortium for the TAPI Caspian Sea Pipeline which will supply Southeast Asian markets. Additionally, 1.6 billion barrels of oil, in the Afghan-Tajik Basin, and 15.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, in the Amu Darya Basin will be exploited.
The Taliban reneged on an agreement with Big Oil & Gas before the invasion holding out for a larger share of pipeline tariffs for their people. The US decided a regime change was a better choice.

[ruslant-2009]

americans you elected this baby killer twice ... so you are guilty as much as him

[jgunther7]

deathofusa says: protecting these ingrates from the Taliban. I don%u2019t know where you are coming from, you seemed to have swallowed the fairy tale being promoted by Cheney and Co. for the gullible. The Russians drove the Taliban out of Afghanistan in the 1980%u2019s and installed a democratic government. The United States and the CIA overthrew the government and installed the Taliban, their operatives, in power. Later George Bush used 9/11 as an excuse to invade and throw the Taliban out so that he could install an oil pipeline through the country. The people of Afghanistan are being slaughtered while the Taliban and the US play for power. The battle continues. The people of Afghanistan and the rest of the world know what is going on, the people in the US are gullible and are being lead around blindfolded by the oil companies. The people in Britain just want to decolonise Afghanistan and share in the pipeline profits. BP is already making plans. And you say the people of Afghanistan are ingrates?

[jgunther7]

The people of Afghanistan never asked for Bush or the US to invade their country in the first place. Being an Afghan living in America, Hamid Karzai was parachuted in as a willing stooge. It is just a matter of time before the US and Karzai are given the old shoe in the face and heave ho treatment.