Afghan Conference: The “Debate” Begins…

Well, that's what they're calling it… But it is not really a debate, but rather a series of speeches. Hillary was first and her speech can be summed up in four words: "It takes a village." Next up, Australia: The Aussies' comments can be summed up as follows: "It takes a village" + "national reconciliation." Then came the Russians: "arrest the druggies" + "national reconciliation" + "arrest the druggies" + "it does not take a village, we can handle things…" The French followed, refusing to be outdone: "it takes a village and we will lead the village" + a few swipes at Bush" + "enhance agriculture" And with those fine words, Afghan President Karzai, who has apparently heard enough, has left the "debate" about how to save his country… and with Karzai's exit, the room is again awash in shades of grey and black… -Live from The Hague, at the international conference on Afghanistan