US> Afghan President Hamid Karzai is a manic depressive.

[Savwafair2012 Profile]

US intelligence suspects Afghan President Hamid Karzai has received treatment for manic depression, contributing to the uneasy US ties with him, a new book by legendary reporter Bob Woodward says.

"He's on his meds, he's off his meds," the US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, is quoted as saying in the new book "Obama's Wars," according to a pre-release account Monday in The Washington Post.

The paper added that according to US intelligence reports Karzai has been diagnosed with manic depression.

President Barack Obama's administration has had a shaky relationship with Karzai, publicly challenging him last year over allegations of corruption and vote-rigging.

The public criticism has stung Karzai, who has raised eyebrows in Western capitals by accusing foreigners of rigging the election and speaking of the possibility that he would switch to the Taliban.

Eikenberry, formerly the top US commander in Afghanistan, is known to have doubts about Karzai. In a diplomatic cable leaked last year, Eikenberry said Karzai was "not an adequate strategic partner" and questioned the strategy of boosting US troops.

Obama ultimately decided late last year to order another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, but also to set a goal of mid-2011 to begin handing over security to local forces.

Woodward's book outlined fierce divisions between the White House and the Pentagon, with the military pushing for more troops once the young president took over last year.

Peter Galbraith, a former UN envoy in Afghanistan who was sacked last year after alleging election fraud, last year also raised questions about Karzai's mental stability.

[Thesaint Profile]

Personally I feel that "Manic Depression" especially when being treated has no bearing on a persons ability to do a Job like his. The reason I say this is because Winston Churchill was a known Manic Depressive. His wife, Clementine Hozier (Clemmie to Winston) said Winston called it his "Black Dog". I'm sure many public and important figures suffer with depression and I would go further to say that "work/job" would be a great help. I would say however that depending on the Job, certain vocations would be better without that ailment.
i.e. fingers on triggers directly, but even then there are probably more than we think.

Karzai problem isn't manic depression, it's corruption and that (lets face it) goes with the territory in this world and more often or not is encouraged by the puppet masters, it locks them in, in all sorts of ways. I feel the system has no place now for any honest men/women any more. The honest people soon get shipped out so as not to upset the Status Quo but they will be back (until power corrupts).


P.S. I've fought with the "Black Dog" nearly all my adult life and it's the worsed, believe you me!