More Afghan angst

A disappointing, though not necessarily surprising, decision made today by the challenger to Afghanistan's president Harmid Karzai.

Fearing that the runoff election will be as fraudulent as the initial election (which international observers said should not have been won by President Karzai), the challenger has pulled out of the runoff.

This decision serves to place more stress on the credibility of Mr. Karzai's government, and it certainly adds a pressure point to the Obama administration as it considers whether to increase America's military presence in the country.