Red carpet leads back to a nation in tatters

It's a daunting challenge, and experts say only time will tell whether Karzai, head of Afghanistan's fragile, six-month interim authority, will succeed in unifying a country of warlords and ethnic rivals - and in achieving a modicum of independence while relying heavily on foreign financial and military aid.

On his US visit, however, Karzai has showcased the kind of political finesse that US officials, scholars, and Afghan-American supporters say makes him the right man for the job.

At a Georgetown University arena Sunday, Karzai incited standing ovations, stamping of feet, tears, and wild applause from thousands in the mainly Afghan-American audience - wooing the crowd with a mixture of poignant story-telling, self-deprecating humor, and brash invitations to "Come to Afghanistan!"

He told of the conservative mullahs who visited him on the second night of Ramadan and with a rough, hand-drawn map secretly showed the Americans there where to bomb the Taliban. He told of satellite phone calls from all over Afghanistan offering, "One message:Central government, independence, and unity for our people."

Then, speaking alternately in Farsi and Pashto, Karzai he promised "hopeful times" painting a vision of democracy, security, and women's rights. He appealed to the crowd of professionals to return to rebuild Afghanistan, offering safety, favorable treatment - and passports.

'You can come here and be there too!" he shouted, laughing, as the crowd roared.

"His passion shows for his people - there is no doubt," said Farad Pazhwak, a Fairfax, Va., publisher.

"We are all Afghans," said Abraham Lutfi, a Burke, Va. engineer, who, like many in the audience, declined to mention his ethnicity in a show of Afghan unity.

In Washington, Karzai also struck a careful balance between his grateful acceptance of American aid - including a nearly $300 million financial package and ongoing military assistance - and his pledges to build a sovereign, independent Afghanistan that can "stand back on its own feet."

He brushed aside the suggestion that Washington's plan to help train and establish an Afghan national army would prove politically sensitive at home. "It's training and a relationship between two independent, sovereign countries and nothing to worry others," he said during a Rose Garden appearance with Bush.

Yet during what one congressional staffer called a Washington "love-fest," Karzai, who sat next to first lady Laura Bush at Tuesday's State of the Union address, seemed at ease with the new coziness of Afghan-American ties. Over coffee and pastry at the ornate Senate Foreign Relations Committee room on Tuesday, he joked with senators and even allowed one, Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts, to try on his trademark green cape.

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