The Obama administration's concern was heightened last year by questions about the integrity of Karzai's re-election.

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Not to mention the extreme difficulty of re-building trust, credibility, and integrity once it has crumbled.

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Exchanges just re-routed orders away from the NYSE, keeping market integrity intact.

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Independent pork-fighting groups -- or conservatives concerned with the integrity of competition in government procurement -- should re-evaluate their stance based on this new information.

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"That's where we're saving dollars, and we've done it in a very cautious and strategic way that brings integrity and accountability to the system but does not in any way affect the benefit structure, " Stabenow said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS