Wanted: A Credible Iraqi President

THE AFGHAN MODEL

As the U.S. struggles to install an able and acceptable government in Iraq, there seems to be a palpable longing for a figure like Hamid Karzai. Anointed by Washington, Karzai was named head of Afghanistan by a delegation of his countrymen soon after the fall of the Taliban. With the 24-member Iraqi Governing Council bickering to a standstill, the idea of a dominant Karzai-like leader in Baghdad is gaining widespread appeal. In an interview last week with a San Diego television station, Secretary of State Colin Powell seemed almost wistful: "We don't yet see somebody like the gentleman who took over...

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