Hamid Karzai's Brother on CIA Payroll

(Thumbnail image from daylife.com)

“There is some breaking news about the American war in Afghanistan. The New York Times is just reporting, late tonight, that the brother of Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai, his name is Ahmed Wali Karzai, 'gets regular payments from the central intelligence agency and has for much of the past eight years.'” --The Rachel Maddow Show

That was Rachel Maddow of MSNBC talking about The New York Times story about Karzai’s brother, who was allegedly paid by the CIA for a variety of services, including helping to recruit for a paramilitary force.

The story breaks during the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the start of the war and raises questions about America’s strategy, especially because of Karzai’s supposed links to the illegal opium trade.

Media outlets have focused on what this means for the Obama administration and the CIA.  We take a look at coverage from CBS, The Guardian, MSNBC, The Washington Independent and FOX News.

CBS News reports on the damage to the U.S. position in Afghanistan.

“The U.S. has a prickly relationship with Afghanistan’s President Karzai, but it has been openly critical of the president’s brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, long suspected of involvement in the country’s booming illegal opium trade. [...] the timing of this revelation couldn’t have been worse I think for the Obama administration. It undercuts the legitimacy of any argument we were making about the corruption of the Karzai regime.”

The Guardian says the story will cast light on the role of the CIA in general.

“This is no doubt going to bring back to life the debate on how clean the CIA's hands should be in a dirty war.”

MSNBC's Morning Joe gives also gives the perspective that “dirty hands” may be nothing new for the CIA.

“Has anyone taken a look at the leadership of Afghanistan? It’s a bunch of thugs. There’s a lot of thugs out there. Who do people think the CIA puts on its payroll?"

The Washington Independent says the story may provide an explanation for why drug accusations against Karzai’s brother have never quite stuck.

“At this point, everything about the U.S. policy toward the Afghan drug trade — from tolerance to eradication during the Bush administration to an evolving approach to cultivating alternatives — now ought to be questioned.”

Finally, FOX News tosses all that aside, saying this was actually orchestrated to lessen pressure on the Obama administration.

“Why would this word leak out on the front page of The New York Times, at a time when we’re debating whether or not to send more men and women over there? …This will be now be one of the things that the administration potentially could use a as a reason why they would not support a troop increase in Afghanistan because they will say that the government’s relationship with the brother of Karzai is tainted now… I think there is a political reason why this on the front page.”

So what do you think? Will this have a negative impact on the Obama adminstration and the war in Afghanistan? And are such tactics necessary for the CIA to get the information it needs?