CNN was no help, but here's a bit on Afghanistan

In an AP article about the Afghan elections, a purported Taliban spokesman says:

"Our demand to the people of Afghanistan is, 'Don't participate in this election because it is a U.S. policy.' The Taliban is against all U.S. policies."

I love when people make unsupportable blanket statements like this. All U.S. policies? How about Arbor Day? Are you against trees? How about our policy of not executing enemy prisoners? Is he opposed to the Geneva Convention? How about subsidies for farmers in the Grain Belt? Tariffs on imported olive oils and cheeses? Federal highway funding in Montana? I wonder if the Taliban is against the No Child Left Behind Act.

This is like telling an ex "I hate everything about you," but then realizing that, actually, he's wearing a pretty nice shirt.

Sort of hidden towards the bottom of the article is the more salient fact that:

"Gunmen dragged election candidate Abdul Hadi from his house in southern Helmand province Thursday night and killed him.... His death brought to seven the number of candidates killed in the lead-up to the polls."

This reminded me of the article from the Times last month about a candidate who "is one of seven women campaigning to represent Afghanistan's nomadic tribes, known as the Kuchis, in the Parliament to be elected Sept. 18." The article makes her out to be near-saintly, a widow traveling the countryside, talking about securing grazing lands and midwives for her people. In a country with candidates being dragged out and shot, however, it's hard to imagine any but the most ardent do-gooders running for office; democracy gets a bit muddied when only a serious ulterior motive would make running for office worth the risk.

Other than that bit of cynicism, all looks hopeful. Certainly better than anything going on in Iraq.