The conquest of Afghanistan

From Evidence of fraud could force Afghan runoff vote at McClatchy:

Administration officials Monday said that given the likelihood of an eventual Karzai victory, the U.S. and its allies should press him to form a coalition government that would include Abdullah and some Western-educated technocrats and to crack down on rampant official corruption.

More honest would be to declare Afghanistan a conquered territory and impose direct military occupation rule, letting it be known that Karzai, Abdullah and others would be serving as informers and translators. That's what it will have to amount to anyhow since any actual Afghan government would be a liability, not an asset, in the war.