Afghan Lawmakers Diss Karzai on Cabinet—Again

Afghanistan's parliament today rejected more than half of President Karzai's second list of Cabinet nominees—including two of three women—dealing him a fresh political blow as his government struggles to face the growing Taliban threat. Two weeks ago, parliament rejected 70% of Karzai's picks. The rejections leave his government without confirmed leaders for 11 of the 25 Cabinet posts.

Washington and its allies have been pressing Karzai to get his second-term administration in place ahead of a Jan. 28 international conference on Afghanistan, but that appears all but impossible now. The 224 lawmakers present today approved only seven of 17 nominees, though Karzai does have his foreign, defense, and interior ministers in place. (More Hamid Karzai stories.)