Obama, Karzai, & U.S. V. Afghanistan “Wrestling Match”

From ABC’s Nick Schifrin in Kabul, Afghanistan…

It is no secret in this part of the world that politicians and pundits often send two different messages to two different audiences — by speaking in two different languages.

Consider this diplomatic answer, delivered in English at a press conference on Tuesday, by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in response to a question about rising tensions between the U.S. and Afghan governments: "While we have an issue and indeed tension between us on the question of civilian casualties, arrests of Afghans, and home searches, the fundamentals of our relationship are strong, the partnership is strong, and it will continue as a strong partnership toward the future."

Karzai has been complaining about civilian casualties and home searches for years. Those "issues" are certainly not what President Obama was referring to when on Monday night he accused the Karzai government of being "detached" — the most public example of a recent string of criticisms leveled by the Administration.

"They’ve got elections coming up, but effectively the national government seems very detached from what’s going on in the surrounding community," Obama said during his first primetime news conference.

Not exactly the fuzzy warmth conveyed by President George W. Bush, who once called Karzai "a fine inspiration" for the rest of the world.

But Karzai didn’t take Obama’s dig lying down, apparently. This is what he said in the same press conference today — in the Dari language:

"There are some issues going on with us and them [the United States]. It’s not like I say something and they keep quiet. They will also say something. We will both say something. So a soft wrestling match has been started between us, and God willing, the winner will be Afghanistan."

As Obama mentioned, Karzai is up for reelection this year and his support has plummeted – anecdotally, far more than the 31 point dip revealed by a recent ABC News poll. He must come off as critical — even harsh — of the United States because that message plays well here. But "a soft wrestling match"? Some in the crowd of journalists snickered when he said it.

"The national government is also exhausted from 30 years of turmoil," U.S. Ambassador William Wood told me this week. "Much of what we’re doing is aimed to give the communities, to give the districts, to give the provinces, the confidence to the people to resist this kind of infiltration and dark threat. If they resist, they know they will be backed up."

That’s an assurance that Karzai no longer has. Even if he only acknowledges it in Dari.