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This sounds like something from a movie: The Wall Street Journal says that the CIA station chief in Kabul, identified only by the nickname “Spider,” has become a key power broker with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The White House calls in Spider at crucial times to calm Karzai’s nerves, and he’s been especially crucial ever since General Stanley McChrystal was fired in June. Identified as only a former Marine in his fifties, Spider has apparently clashed with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, who opposed his return to Kabul. Spider first met Karzai before the Afghan war; "He's spent time with Karzai like no one else has,” says one former intelligence official.