We have of late been chronicling the utterances of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. First he meets with President Obama in Kabul, and thanks American taxpayers for their contributions to his nation. Then he announces that “foreigners”–like, um, the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan–are trying to corrupt the Afghan government. This earns a rebuke from the White House and Karzai calls Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to clarify matters on Friday.
But then came the weekend. According to a member of the Afghan parliament who met with Karzai on Saturday, the shaky U.S. partner said, “If you and the international community pressure me more, I swear I am going to join the Taliban.” Oof. It is, let us say, a less than positive sign when the leader of the government you are fighting and dying for threatens to join the group that is fighting and killing you.
In a gaggle this morning at the White House, Gibbs noted his obvious discouragement. When asked if the President Obama has confidence in Karzai, Gibbs said “President Karzai is the elected leader of Afghanistan.” That’s not saying much, especially when you consider that Karzai’s election was marred by widespread accusations of fraud, which Karzai shows no interest in allowing an independent panel to investigate.
So what happens tomorrow? We’ll find out. Karzai is still scheduled to come to visit with Obama on May 12.
UPDATE: TIME’s Tony Karon explains the back story of the deteriorating relations here.