[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Pages 27016-27017]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              AFGHANISTAN

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the aftermath of 
the elections debacle in Afghanistan.
  President Hamid Karzai's first term was characterized by a cloud of 
corruption and mismanagement. In his speech on Tuesday, President 
Karzai promised to battle corruption and to build a government that 
includes elements of his political opposition. Our President, President 
Obama, said that Mr. Karzai's performance should be measured not in 
words but deeds. I believe this to be true, and I wish to offer some 
thoughts on how President Karzai can rebuild the confidence of the 
Afghan people as well as the international community.
  I am afraid the time window for this new government will be very 
short, so President Karzai needs to move quickly and with resolve. We 
might ask, what are the markers by which we should measure the progress 
of this new Afghan Government? I believe there are at least five areas 
to review.
  First: President Karzai intends to build a better legislative 
framework to combat corruption. This is good. But he has also said that 
corruption cannot be solved by replacing high-ranking officials. I 
could not disagree more with that assessment. With a host of government 
officials accused of corruption, we will not see a significant break 
with the past. A large part of battling corruption is removing the 
perception of corruption. Keeping these officials in place will only 
serve to fuel a commonly held perception that Mr. Karzai refuses to 
resolutely deal with this issue of corruption.
  I echo President Obama's call for strengthening the country's 
anticorruption commission. The establishment of such a body is long 
overdue and could play a key role in rebuilding Afghanistan's trust in 
the legitimacy of the Karzai government. The CIA should not--should 
not--be cooperating with Wali Karzai. If we are serious about 
corruption, we should also be judged by our deeds and not our words.
  There are ministries in Afghanistan that are in need of serious 
reform. The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, must confront 
the corruption practiced by police officers on a daily basis. The 
Agriculture, Energy, and Private Development Ministries also require 
substantial reforms.
  A second area to examine: President Karzai should move quickly to 
publicly distance himself from some of the more unsavory characters 
from his election campaign.
  GEN Abdul Rashid Dostum, the Uzbek warlord, has been accused of 
terrible human rights violations for his role in detaining thousands of 
Taliban fighters who were suffocated in shipping containers. Mr. 
Karzai's Vice Presidential partner, Mr. Fahim, has been accused of drug 
trafficking.
  I fully acknowledge and I think everyone in this body fully 
acknowledges that President Karzai has a difficult job of balancing a 
wide variety of Afghan power centers and ethnic groups. We know that. 
But building a foundation for his country on such dubious grounds not 
only calls into question his judgment but seriously endangers the 
prospects for sustainable reform.
  Third: Karzai should keep in place those who have competently 
fulfilled their responsibilities.
  Most noteworthy, perhaps, is the Governor of Helmand Province, 
Governor Mangal, who continues to struggle on the front lines against 
the Taliban. I had the opportunity this past August to meet Governor 
Mangal and to spend some time with him. He is very brave, and he is 
very competent. I think President Karzai should understand that the 
American people expect Governors to be strengthened and not undermined. 
Mr. Karzai should empower provincial Governors and local leaders who 
have proven their ability to lead. At the national level, the Health 
Minister has also done a commendable job, and the Education Ministry 
has made some important strides.
  We cannot tell Karzai whom to retain or dismiss in his new 
government, but these personnel decisions send a very strong signal to 
the Afghan people and the international community of where he intends 
to lead the country in the short term.
  Fourth: President Karzai needs to take steps to improve the election 
process in Afghanistan.
  Systemic and widespread fraud marred the 2009 election. President 
Karzai should call for an inquiry into the 2009 electoral process led 
by experts from Afghanistan and the international community. 
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for next year. Without a serious 
investigation and an effort to address the shortcomings of the 
electoral system, the elections in 2010 and in the future are at risk. 
Without clean electoral processes in place, the Afghan people will 
continue to question the legitimacy of their elected leaders.
  Fifth and finally: The viability and legitimacy of this new Karzai 
government will be determined in large part by whom he decides to 
incorporate from the opposition.
  While his main opponent, Abdullah, has said he will not join a unity 
government, there are competent people from his team who can play a 
constructive role in Afghanistan.
  We want and need President Karzai as a reliable partner. I hope his 
reelection will provide the opportunity for a fresh start in 
Afghanistan, a start that is characterized by a commitment to good 
governance, political inclusion, and a realization that Afghanistan's 
future must be based upon the rule of law.
  When I saw President Karzai in August just after the election, I 
implored him to confront these pressing issues and explained that the 
patience of the American people was not infinite--in fact, it grows 
shorter by the day.
  The next few weeks will be pivotal. President Karzai can do so much 
to rebuild the confidence of the international community and the Afghan 
people in this short period of time. As President Obama determines our 
troop commitment to the Afghan theater, it must be done with a 
confidence in Afghanistan's decisionmakers--a confidence that 
frequently does not often exist today.
  President Karzai cannot let his golden hour pass. It is too important 
to the future of Afghanistan. It is too important to the Afghan people. 
Finally and most critically, it is too important for the American 
families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and have relatives 
currently serving in Afghanistan. The sacrifice made by U.S. troops and 
civilians working to bring stability and a democratic future to the 
country cannot be overstated or undervalued. This should be the 
starting point for any discussion with President Karzai.
  I believe he has a solemn obligation to get this right, just as we 
have an obligation here in the Congress to get our strategy in 
Afghanistan right. There won't be just one way to do that. We will get 
it right only by vigorous debate, only by an honest dialog of the 
challenges we face.
  But one of the most significant challenges, in addition to the 
obvious security challenge as well as the developmental challenges, is 
this central concern we have about governance. Governance in 
Afghanistan starts with

[[Page 27017]]

President Karzai. He has an opportunity to demonstrate he is committed 
to these reforms on corruption, on the better delivery of services to 
his people, but he has not done very well in a lot of those measures in 
the recent past. He has to prove himself first and foremost to his own 
people that he is serious about these reforms, but I think he also has 
an obligation to our government and to the international community to 
demonstrate that he wants to get this right.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Florida is 
recognized.
  Mr. LeMIEUX. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. LeMIEUX. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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