White House Delays Troop Decision

As Afghanistan awaits a recount of the disputed Aug. 20 elections and President Hamid Karzai takes a hard line on the possibility of a runoff, the White House has signaled it will hold off on its decision to send more troops to the area. The president's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, cited his concern for a secure Afghanistan administration to support the increase in troops, and suggested that a preemptive surge in troops would be "irresponsible" and "reckless." His words echoed Senator John Kerry's advice in his recent spot on Face the Nation. Karzai won a majority vote in an August election that was marred by fraud. The White House is reportedly unsupportive of Karzai, whose government and family have been accused of corruption. If the recount shows that Karzai received less than 50 percent of the vote, it will trigger a runoff, though Karzai's camp has already suggested that it won't accept one.