It's all about Karzai

KABUL: He was once the toast of the town, a charming, urbane Afghan tribal leader voicing Jeffersonian ideals in perfect English, gliding effortlessly through the halls of power in Washington and the baking tents of the Afghan desert.

Since his rise in 2001, President Hamid Karzai's image has changed. Western critics now accuse him of weak leadership, cutting deals with warlords, tolerating drug smugglers and ignoring rampant corruption that has fed the Taliban insurgency.

Despite his critics both in Afghanistan and abroad, the 51-year-old Karzai appears the favorite in Thursday's presidential election, although a late surge by his chief rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, could force a runoff if none of nearly 40 candidates wins a majority.