"Experience has shown that forgetting Afghanistan is a strategic mistake," the editorial concluded.

In Afghanistan, where power has been progressively centralized in president Hamid Karzai, it is more important to gauge what he might be looking for in the U.S. elections.

The next U.S. president, whoever he is, will have to deal with Karzai. And regardless of which of the many scenarios materialize after Karzai's current (and final) presidential term ends, one thing is clear: he will remain a major power broker in Afghanistan.

Over the past decade Karzai has undoubtedly had a much warmer relationship with the Republicans. He enjoyed great access to George Bush until the end of his term. A sign of the consistency in their relationship, Karzai and Bush talked via videoconference once a month.

"The president would have his son, Mirwais, on his lap. Laura would be sitting next to Bush. It was quite a warm relationship," one Karzai aide recalled.

When president Obama took office, he put an end to the monthly conferences, taking a harsher stance against Karzai -- one that has clearly backfired.

Karzai has increasingly felt the Democrats have tried to undermine him, particularly when he ran for his final reelection.

"The president believed they weren't trying to defeat him, but to wound him," a Karzai confidant said. A wounded Karzai, with his local legitimacy undermined, would be more obliging of White House orders.

The messy election went to the second round. Karzai remained in office, but a very changed man in his views towards America and the democrats.

While Karzai might be favoring a return of the Republicans, Afghan lawmaker Koofi believes he won't enjoy as warm a relationship even if Romney wins.

"Karzai's performance in recent years -- his inability to improve governance that is seriously putting the U.S. project at risk of failure -- means he will be a liability for the Republicans to have a warm relationship with," said Koofi.

A Republican return to the White House, Koofi says, might return the focus to the war against terrorism at a time when a much hyped "peace process" is not bringing results.

The Republicans have maintained a much clearer definition of the Taliban, while under the Democrats the definition has been blurred during efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to the war. But others believe it's not the Republican party of four years ago that would push for continuing this war. They want out of Afghanistan as much as Obama does.

No matter who wins the November vote in the U.S, one thing is clear: the Bush Market in Kabul is likely to retain its name after the Republican who began this war.

"During the time of the Russians, there was a market named after Brezhnev," said Haji Khan Agha, a retired army officer who owns a shop at Bush Market. "Many years after Gorbachev had come to power, the market was still called the Brezhnev Market."