Abdullah Bargained for Cabinet Posts

Abdullah Abdullah did not necessarily go gently into the night when he bowed out of the Afghanistan presidential race. Though the candidate tried to claim conscientious objection to a flawed electoral system, U.S. and Afghan officials say that Abdullah was negotiating with Hamid Karzai for power sharing and cabinet posts, though it's unclear which side initiated the conversations. During negotiations, one of Adbullah's advisers was bargaining for cabinet posts, said one Afghan official. Karzai has vowed to fight corruption, though there's speculation about whether he would do that by removing top officials or enacting constitutional reforms.