Kerry to WH: No Afghanistan troop increase until election crisis is solved

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Saturday it would be "irresponsible" for the United States to commit more troops to Afghanistan until the war-torn state solves its election standoff.

"It would be entirely irresponsible for the president of the United States to commit more troops to this country, when we don't even have an election finished and know who the president is and what kind of government we're working in, with," Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) told CNN's State of the Union in the interview, which will air on Sunday.

Separately, U.S. officials are still awaiting the Independent Election Commission's latest recount results. It is possible that the thousands of allegedly fraudulent ballots could slim down President Hamid Karzai's lead by so much that it triggers a runoff election against Abdullah Abdullah, the state's second-most popular candidate.

But Karzai has long insisted he won the election fairly, and his aides have suggested in recent days that he may not accept the commission's findings. In any event, U.S. officials -- who seem to believe Karzai would win that contest anyway -- said last week they expected the incumbent to participate in a second round, if necessary.