NYT:In Afghanistan, U.S. Envoy Sits in Seat of Power

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http://nytimes.com/2004/04/17/international/asia/17AFGH.html?hp

April 17, 2004

THE SATURDAY PROFILE

In Afghanistan, U.S. Envoy Sits in Seat of Power

By AMY WALDMAN

KABUL, Afghanistan — "So what are we doing today?" Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, asked the United States ambassador, Zalmay M. Khalilzad, as they sat in Mr. Karzai's office.

Mr. Khalilzad patiently explained that they would attend a ceremony to kick off the "greening" of Kabul — the planting and seeding of 850,000 trees — in honor of the Afghan New Year.

Mr. Karzai said he would speak off-the-cuff. Mr. Khalilzad, sounding more mentor than diplomat, approved: "It's good you don't have a text," he told Mr. Karzai. "You tend to do better."

The genial Mr. Karzai may be Afghanistan's president, but the affable, ambitious Mr. Khalilzad often seems more like its chief executive. With his command of both details and American largesse, the Afghan-born envoy has created an alternate seat of power since his arrival on Thanksgiving.

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So: ... In Afghanistan: a PNAC king sits upon a throne ....

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1. Did I mention that Zalmay is PNAC ? ....

And was, before his current gig as Lord of Afghanistan, an executive employed by UNOCAL ? ...

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2. And Condi's "specialist"

In 2001, you know, when we were paying the Taliban and trying to find a strategic solution to al qaeda. And realizing that it was more important to work with the southern warlords. Nah, it didn't have anything to do with those pipelines you silly goose!