I sure hope part of Obama's plan for Afghanistan includes getting rid of Hamid Karzai

I know that Karzai was the Bush Junta's hand-picked oilman to run Afghanistan and pave the way for a Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline., but the Bushes are, at least temporarily, out of Washington. And I can't imagine that propping up a corrupt operator like Karzai is worth the trouble, especially now if it means we'll be spending American money and American blood to do business with a guy who has just legalized rape in the country he leads:

Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, has signed a law which "legalises" rape, women's groups and the United Nations warn. Critics claim the president helped rush the bill through parliament in a bid to appease Islamic fundamentalists ahead of elections in August.

In a massive blow for women's rights, the new Shia Family Law negates the need for sexual consent between married couples, tacitly approves child marriage and restricts a woman's right to leave the home, according to UN papers seen by The Independent.

"It is one of the worst bills passed by the parliament this century," fumed Shinkai Karokhail, a woman MP who campaigned against the legislation. "It is totally against women's rights. This law makes women more vulnerable."

The law regulates personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and sexual relations among Afghanistan's minority Shia community. "It's about votes," Ms Karokhail added. "Karzai is in a hurry to appease the Shia because the elections are on the way."

[snip]

The most controversial parts of the law deal explicitly with sexual relations. Article 132 requires women to obey their husband's sexual demands and stipulates that a man can expect to have sex with his wife at least "once every four nights" when travelling, unless they are ill. The law also gives men preferential inheritance rights, easier access to divorce, and priority in court.

I'm quite certain that similar sentiments exist here in this country in the minds of men like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and in the proponents of the Quiverfull movement and other Jeebofascist zombies -- and probably some of our trolls, who will no doubt see this as a cue to post something in the comments. But while I would fully expect a Republican president to sacrifice the rights of women on the altar of political expediency, I still have some hope, however small, that Barack Obama, the father of two daughters, will decide otherwise.

(h/t)