Critics of the war effort in Afghanistan suggest that our troops are doing nothing but supporting a corrupt regime personified by Hamid Karzai. The reality is considerably more complex. It’s true that Karzai is the president but he is only the top figure in a government structure that includes cabinet ministers, governors, and lots of other officials, including, lest we forget, an elected Parliament. That Parliament has now displayed its independence by rejecting 17 of 24 cabinet ministers nominated by the president.

Those who were ratified were the most competent ministers with the longest record of service; those who were rejected tended to be warlords and political hacks. With this vote, the Parliament displays good judgment and reminds us that Afghanistan is not ruled solely by one flawed man. There is a functioning democracy in place, however imperfect. It is very much to Afghanistan’s credit that it has some checks and balances in place on the man at the top. It is impossible to imagine a Taliban regime subjecting its choices to approval by a Parliament and seeing some of them disapproved. The Taliban, after all, claim to speak in the name of god and have no qualms about violently eradicating those with dissenting opinions. Thus this parliamentary action serves as a useful reminder that the government we are fighting to safeguard is immeasurably more liberal and civilized than that which would replace it were we to leave prematurely.