Gideon Rachman links to a Newsweek story claiming that UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalizhad "is seriously considering running for Karzai's seat himself when the next elections are held in 2009."  Khalizhad is one of the few Bush administration figures whose reputation has been enhanced during his tenure, and he was generally agreed to be a breath of fresh air as ambassador to both Afghanistan and Iraq, but this is just ridiculous.  Rachman put it best: " gives a whole new spin to the idea of American imperialism."  It's true that figures like Khalizhad and Petraeus have much more power than a normal General or Ambassador, but for Zal to actually run for president just seems deluded.  I think we already have enough influence over Afghanistan's government, with the military presence there and everything...