Matt Yglesias on the fractious nature of Afghan politics:
Today, Afghans head to the polls fearing attack from Taliban forces who’ve labeled the process a “program of the crusaders.” Most likely, Taliban efforts to derail the voting will fail, and incumbent President Hamid Karzai will stay in office. A smooth election, if it happens, should provide a morale boost for an Obama administration that’s lately been struggling with grim assessments of Afghanistan’s political situation. But even given a best-case scenario, no election result should distract from the United States’ desperate need to frame realistic objectives in Afghanistan.
