give us the opportunity to discuss this. i would like to thank one person for his commitment and for the funding the foundation has provided to the facilities to make this work. the work is ahead of us. there is much to be done. we would like to further address some of these matters. the academy will try to communicate the recommendations of this report to as many communities as we can. your participation in helping that will be very important. i would like to thank you again for being here and your questions and recommendations. there are a lot of questions that have been answered.

i am in need of an important solution. one that can be implemented. the issue of math and science and ted mellissa literacy is very critical period. -- very critical. .

. [applause] >> upnext, remarks from the german chancellor angela mfrp erkel. 6:20 senator carl levin and then

7:00 live, washington journal. >> tonight on c-span, a memorial service for walter cronkite. former president bill clinton and other speakers. tonight at 8:35 eastern on c-span. >> 1.7 new immigrants each year. half are followers of islam. from weekly standard senior editor chris toe fear called well on c-span q&a. friday, september 4th, the german commander ordered an air

strike on two oil tankers held by the taliban. nato has launched an investigation into the incident. this is about 15 minutes. [applause] >> we won't be able to clear this up this morning. from the outset, i will say that

any innocent death in afghanistan is:mñ one too many. we mourn every single one. i mourn along with their family members i also mourn the victims caused by german actions. to me, it matters that today as chancellor in this house, i can tell this to these people. i think i can also say this in your name. [applause] >> afghanistan, this wounded

country discerns a more peaceful future. this is our hope. ladies and gentleman, we will study friday's event adz if a test tube. we will ask all the questions that have been on the table since the dpining of our commitment. it's necessary even to investigate this today. as german chancellor, let me state the following. first, the complete inquiry about last friday's attack is for me a duty. we will do this with all the means at its disposal. i cannot and will not judge today its outcome.

there won't be any white wash either. i will also guarantee i will not accept any premature judgement. i have heard many rumors in the last few days. i will not take it either from this country nor from abroad. i have spoken about just this with nato secretary ras mu son. i have been very frank. for me, the government will have a thorough assessment of the

attack this contributes to the international security and world peace and protects the life from evil terrorism. it was the reason for the mission from the beginning and still is. the afghan government agreed then and still agreed with it.

the conference will have to determine clearly in order to direct crime, and the drug trade. [applause] besides, the conference will have to draw clear goals for the new afghan government in terms of rule of law and human rights. above all, the conference will include a schedule. the conference will have to tell

us, what is the best way to adopt local conditions. how to gain a partnership of the different local leaders. in other wores, france, great britain, germany expect to  that will many expect to allow response take over strategy in all responsibility, i insist an afghanistan that is able to prevent the soil to terrorism once again.

we must see the process. this will allow a withdraw step by step of international troops. that's what i mean when i say a responsibly strategy. then we will have preached our goal. this will be a mix of development and security. we cannot have one with the

another. at the beginning, they called us the water boy. the government and defense minister. this of course in the collaboration of the

international community, the people of afghanistan were difficult to vote. they demonstrated peace and democracy. we have not closed our eyes either for the circumstances. the audit is very vital. the proof al2) accomplished by afghanistan. fifth, from the outset, we have insisted from our partners that the entire region be involved in the process. the german foreign minister has met with the afghan and afghan

yik government. it has now become part of the international strategy. six, the road to our goal has been mutual trust trust between the afghan government and friendly country equally important for me. i expect german citizens to trust they are doing all in their power to ensure the security. this with great care and the strictest assurance that the chosen route is the right one.

their principals have existed they concern the life and goods with all legal means germany has

partnership in the world. in the send, it has to do with the protection of life. doing nothing would cost us just as much as acting.

anyone who entertains the thought especially in terrorism should think about it. the circumstances that have led my pred sesor in afghanistan. it is because a taliban controlled afghanistan had become the cradle that gave birth to 9/11. friday, it will be the eighth anniversary. let us not confuse the causes.

a mission in afghanistan is a response to terror, not the opposite. the mission was and is in the most pressing interest of the security of our country. this has been vastly reported by parliament. let me thank all of you about this decision including in the

minority, you who have endorsed this. we must thank them as well. this opens for us the responsibility a stable fight against international terrorism. it is one of the toughest international challenge of our

lifetime. >> armed services committee chair was among the snartz who recently travelled to afghanistan. now he talks about the trip and the need of training before any additional american troops are deployed. this is about 35 minutes.

>> i believe the best way to succeed in afghan tan is to take major steps to strengthen and support the afghan army and police for their own stablt and progress. we need a surge of afghan

soldiers. the obama security forces partner with that effort it's an important step. the change in strategy to "live, eat and train together with the afghan security forces, to plan and operate together, depend on one another, hold each other accountable." the success of the afghan security forces is our goal. the best way to achieve our goal is to increase and accelerate dramatically our efforts to

support the security forces in their efforts to become self sufficient before we consider, above the levels already planned for the next few months. this will ensure that the afghan army and police will have the equipment and support to secure their own nation. for a long time, manufacture us have urged the establishment of troops and 160,000 afghan police by 2013. i believe it is both possible and essential to advance those goals by a year to the year

2012. to do that, we'll need more trainers. large number of young iraqis switched over and became the other side. he said most of the fighters we

see in afghanistan are afghans. what we don't see are politically motivated.

when we visited the village. when we asked him how long should american forces stay here. they said "until the moment that you make our securitys forces self sufficient. then you will be welcome to visit us not as soldiers but as guests." we need a surge of afghan security forces. we have not done that enough to put that in motion.

our support will show our success that we will do so without creating a bigger military foot print. >> senator, if you are talking about not adding anymore u.s. troops there, would you suggest those already on the ground

complete their mission? and how many trainers do you think we need? >> first thing, i met with secretary clinton and gates and admiral mull lynn. they obviously understood it. they welcomed it. the three of us met.

senators reid and kaufman were with me. i'm saying it carefully and clearly that we should complete the plan and number of combat forces that should go in. whatdñ÷ we must do is focus on stremg of the afghan forces and do it in a way we have not yet done. about six months ago or so, the majority of armed services committee wrote to the president urging that there be an increase in the goal for the size of the afghan army.

that was may 19. that was talking about the important answer of a much larger goal. the first goal is $130,000. without ourselves, creating a much larger foot print or target as the taliban can attack and make proper use of. on the equipment side senator mccain and i wrote in march to secretary gates. quoting him saying the main

problem in getting equipment to the afghanistans is what he calls a confiscated peace time system. more trainers, eye larger afghan army. more equipment for about six months, at least. these are the steps that i believe we need to take before we consider addition follow combat forces in afghanistan.

we have not adopted a shift to get the equipment to afghan. instead of much coming here with the shift. i think most of my colleagues will support getting essential equipment. that's major stuff. other things to the afghan army to take major responsibility for their own security. what we do not yet have in place. although everyone agrees that theé' potential is there, a pl to reintegrate into afghan society, the local fighters. that's what we have to do. take those steps before we consider additional combat

forces. >> i'm saying this is my recommendation to the president. i don't think there's much support in sending more troops to afghanistan. >> i believe the best way to defeat the taliban in afghanistan and they are incredibly unpopular is for the afghan army to be enlarged, strengthened and to co-op these local fighters. my judgement is how we can best succeed in afghanistan. we have a number of things going for us. only 5% of the people support

the taliban there. second, they have an army willing to fight, an army dedicated and motivated. that should be our focus. >> separate from that, you agree with the speaker as a democrat. >> there is significant number of people in the country that have questions about deepening our military involvement in afghanistan. i am motivated as chairman of the armed services committee as a citizen in defeating afghanistan what i consider to be an important national goal. to make sure this is not dominated by afghanistan that will harbor al qaeda.

they had already indicated and what your sense is exactly what the resource will be asking for is whether the white house is wanting to consider those. >> i don't know what we'll be asking for. we met with other commanders and leaders in afghanistan. he did not share with us nor did we expect him to share the options. i think as of right now, it is likely that there will be a request from him for additional combat forces. i think that's likely based on

all the stories we read and from body language we would get from him. i think it's hopefully useful and constructive for those of us who have spent time from a policy perspective and how we can succeed, for us to share our ideas about how best to succeed in afghanistan. i think there is a consensus among the american people that it should be a goal to strengthen the afghan security forces. i think even people who would disagree that we should send

decisionnal combat forces to afghanistan would agree with our point. this is not a matter that most people in congress say pull out owl our troops and forget it. we ought to build on that and look at what have we not done to strengthen the afghan security forces. why have we not for six months adopted a much higher goal. why have we not put in place a strategy for the choices especially when we bring back an historic commitment. why have we not yet adopted a plan. we are told by everybody the potential is there. there is rumblings of people

that would like to come back and live in a civil society. their families will be protected. they need jobs. we have to be able to give assurance that they are going to be able to join the army and get other jobs. >> in terms of talks and negotiations and will you be placing anygq language ♪ ♪ >> i don't have any plans for

prescriptive language. we don't need any in order to make this shift in our focus to strengthen the afghan security forces. i don't know yet. i don't believe it will take prescriptive language to do it. >> when's your next step here? >> to continue to meet with administrative owe gishls to meet with jones and hopefully the president next week. >> you sound critical and frustrated with the president's

policy right now. before we consider additional combat troops, that's the additional question. in terms of your second question. i am not frustrated. i am determined i give my best advice based on the experience to give my best advice to the

president of the united states and to the people around him. i am doing that. i've had great access to the secretary of defense, the secretary of state and the security advisory to the president when the senator said the war in iraq was tipping side ways. what's the situation like to you on the ground?

if we can put in place a plan this society and the lower level taliban, i think this thing can turn around. i would not want to generalize. the security problem is worth the shift. >> what's going on with the

nomination to secretary of the army. >> as of yesterday morning, there were discussions under way between the administration. i know between those members that have blocked a vote on his nomination. i don't know if anything came of that or not. >> there are some snartz that have had holds on that nomination. we have done everything we could do to remove the hold. the administration and the demand. i hope we can get to this nomination. >> how many additional trainers

are necessary. >> there are 4,000 trainers included in the 21,000 additional troops approved by the president. i don't have a specific number of additional trainers, we will ensure that assessment will remain in force. >> we will get from our people out in afghanistan those numbers and what else can be done in order to move these goals forward to 2012. the goals here being for 2012. currently, according to the numbers we do have, we are short about 12% based on the current

goal. this is a major layer of compli indication to this process. let me try again. i'll come back to you. >> what's your definition of success in afghanistan. how long do you think that will take? >> a stable country not run by the taliban that has democratically as possible elected officials we hope we

will gain a delivery of services that they in fact are having their needs met by economic and development policies. that is desirable and will affect the ability of the army to provide security. >> i wouldn't set a time frame like that. >> you said for families, more equipment should be sent. should some of that also go to

pakistan and their fight? there's a network of the current major source. hopefully the pakistany government with the problems caused to them by us.

we are cooperating with the pakistan government. now we have hopes for success in taking on the terrorist group taking on their lcsurvival. there are situations in terms of the political divisions that exist. they are not the same. the only way to force political leaders in iraq on the

comprimise the constitutional changes, the only way to force that was to tell them there's an end point to our troop president evens. for me is the focus of abuse. >> do you envision military to be trained? >> hopefully nato would supply additional trainers if the afghan army is going to get to even the current goal of

140,000, much less to the 240,000, which i believe is likely to be a goal that the general will propose. the defense minister in afghanistan has recommended that level for a long time. 17 of us in the armed services committee wrote six months ago, urging the adoption of that larger level. there should be significant number of that coming from nato. the least they could do, it would seem to me to get the afghan army up to the point everybody should be. i think you'll find that the general will adopt that goal by

2013. i am suggesting is that it is so important that we focus on the afghan military strength that we bring that goal up to 2012 and that's where we will get data from our folks in afghanistan and what it will take in terms of equipment and mid level leadership. what will it take to get us to that goal by 2013 or as i would this was an accident today. a concern about shots being fired alarms going up.

nobody here was in the court. no police in washington at all were told about it as far as i could tell. were not told that the ghost guard was going to have a security event. i am surprised. it strikes me that that kind of coordination should exist. how difficult is it to maintain the reason for our presence in

afghanistan the major reason is because of the importance of being partners with afghan. they feel passion gnat about that. they want to have the ability to take on the taliban. they hate the taliban. they've lived nrt taliban. the main reason is to help them succeed in our efforts. we never want to see the taliban under their control. the third reason for being there

is the one you gave. >> what would be the future that would depend upon the circumstances in afghanistan. there are circumstances where they have been helpful. >> i any equipment,s"m there wan equipment situation where there was equipment coming in from iran. i'm not positive

>> the allegation of voter froud in the previous election? the afghan army right now is great support. it is the number one institution. that institution, however can only be as strong as it needs to be if it is defending a government and is guided by a

government. until those clouds are removed, that is not healthy in terms of public support in afghanistan for the government in charge of that army. but the army itself is the number one institution in afghanistan in the mind and heart of the people of afghanistan. >> ok. thank you.

>> there's no record that i'm reviewing that goes into the argument you are giving in the guide lines that are so unclearñ hear the argument in its entirety.

starting on october 4th, a look at the roles, traditions of the supreme court. >> tonight, a memorial service for walter cronkite who died earlier this year at the age of 92. tonight, starting at 8:35 eastern on c-span. >> this morning, we'll talk with ron pollack about healthcare and this weekend's taxpayer march. in about an hour michael crittenden to discuss the u.s. financial