World / Hamid Karzai Afghan President Threatens to Join the Taliban Under pressure, Karzai becomes increasingly erratic By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff Posted Apr 5, 2010 4:44 PM CDT Copied Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks to locals during a shura, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, Sunday April 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Golnar Motevalli, Pool) Hamid Karzai has told Afghan lawmakers he will join the Taliban if his western backers kept pushing him to reform. The legislators said the Afghan president's comments shouldn't be taken at face value—he was pandering to pro-Taliban members of parliament, and he seems unconcerned about losing western support. The remarks are characteristic of his increasingly erratic behavior as he struggles to maintain his grip on power. The Obama administration voiced disappointment with Karzai's outburst. "On behalf of the American people, we're frustrated with the remarks," Robert Gibbs said. Karzai told Afghan lawmakers that he explained his comments to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this weekend, the AP reports. (More Hamid Karzai stories.) Report an error