We already know that the Bush White House approved a CIA plan, at some point this year, to aid candidates favored by the administration in upcoming Iraqi elections, assuming such elections ever take place. (Bush aides later insisted that the plan had been scrapped, but skepticism abounds.)
But while that plan was kept secret for fear of inflaming an already-disastrous situation, the same Bush administration appears to also be working to influence the outcome of elections in Afghanistan. They’re not even hiding it very well.
Alarmed by the possibility that Karzai might not win in the first round (experts say he would win a runoff against any single candidate), the President’s supporters — including the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad — are scrambling to shore up votes. Senior Afghan officials, U.N. representatives and Western diplomats all claim that Khalilzad, an energetic Afghan American, is trying to induce several candidates — including the President’s main rival, Qanooni — to drop out and throw their support behind Karzai. The ambassador denies that, even though one candidate, Mohammed Mohaqiq, went public with such an accusation.
The administration really doesn’t get it. We tell the Middle East that we’re delivering the blessings of democracy, but then we play an active role in helping the candidates of our choice? Karzai is already struggling to maintain some semblance of a stable government. How do you suppose the country will react if his election is tainted by undue influence from American officials?
After Florida in 2000, the concept may be foreign to the president, but “democracy” means letting people vote, not working surreptitiously to pressure your guy’s rivals and rallying support for the favored candidate.