On CNN’s State Of The Union this morning, John King asked President Barack Obama whether Afghan President Hamid Karzai had stolen an election that’s been widely disputed and battered with allegations of voter fraud.
“There is no doubt that there were reports of fraud out there that, at first glance, look pretty serious,” the President said.
As for the mission in Afghanistan and the possibility of sending more troops, the President said the original U.S. goal in Afghanistan was to gain a victory over Al Qaeda. “To the extent that our strategy in Afghanistan is serving that goal, then we’re on the right track. If it starts drifting away from that, then we may have a problem.”
On health care reform, the President says he knows Max Baucus’ bill won’t reach his desk in its current state, but praised it nonetheless, saying “it provides health insurance to people who don’t have it, at affordable prices.”
Obama said “there are a whole bunch of details that still need to get worked out,” but added that “I’m pleased that basically we’ve got 80 percent agreement” on the bill’s contents.
King also asked the President about CIA investigations, and whether Obama will heed calls to stop them.
“I have no interest in witch hunts, but ultimately, the law is the law and we don’t go around picking and choosing how we approach it,” the President said.
As for the place of race in criticism of the President, Obama said, “Are there people out there who don’t like me because of race? I’m sure there are.”
However, Obama said, “that’s not the overriding issue here.”
