Video: WikiLeaks’ latest: Afghanistan a 'cesspool'

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   >>> as we mentioned, as all of this plays out around the globe, the secret documents keep tumbling out of wikileaks onto the web and newspaper front pages. the diplomatic cables revealed just today are all about afghanistan , a nation where the u.s. is in year nine of a costly war. afghanistan is depicted as a cess pool of corruption and everything is for sale, and its leader, hamid karzai , as unstable and erratic. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell has been going through this latest round of documents. with us again from the washington newsroom, andrea, good evening.

   >> reporter: good evening, brian. we knew the karzai regime was bad, but these cables show just how corrupt u.s. officials believe it really is. according to one cable cited by "the new york times" tonight, after afghanistan 's new cabinet took office last january, the u.s. embassy wrote home that the agriculture minister appears to be the only minister that was confirmed about whom no allegations of bribery exist. the u.s. ambassador carl eikenberry wrote in july of 2009 , it remains to be seen whether karzai will refrain from this blame america tactic he uses to deflect criticism of his administration. his inability to grasp the most rudimentary principles and his insecurity as a leader, combined to make any admission of fault unlikely. an august of 2009 report says karzai pardoned five border police caught with 273 pounds of heroin in their vehicle. before the august election in 2009 , $600 million was drawn out of afghan banks with hundreds of millions routinely flown out of the country. according to "the new york times," a cable quoted one afghan official explaining that there are four stages of which his colleagues skim money from u.s. development projects. when contractors bid on a project, at application for building permits, during construction, and at the ribbon cutting ceremony . this year, the white house has noticeably pulled back from overt criticism of karzai , acknowledging the conflict as between pressuring karzai to clean up the pressure and trying not to alienate him any put as the u.s. hopes to begin withdrawing u.s. troops next summer. brian?

   >> andrea mitchell in washington with the latest round of leaks. andrea, thanks.

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