>> coming home with the president declaring the war in iraq over, reaction on the home front and the question was it worth it. new day in libya as questions remain about how gadhafi was killed. deadly crash revealing new e-mails about the pilot of a doomed commuter plane. was he qualified to be in the cockpit? and sweater weather. try to save a little blue penguin. a story that will warm your penguin. a story that will warm your heart. captions paid for by nbc-universal television captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. president obama's announcement yesterday that all american troops will come home from iraq by year's end has a war-weary nation pondering some difficult questions. chief among them, was it worth it? strictly by the numbers it has cost a lot. 4,469 americans killed. more than 32,000 wounded.

at a price of more than $700 billion. in the process, a tyrant saddam hussein was toppled. but the elected government in the views of many is weak and corrupt. now as the war ends those americans who fought in it and lost precious loved ones because of it have a lot to say. nbc's mike taibbe has more. >> reporter: across the country they've been waiting for this. the date certain by which all those serving in iraq will be home for good. the war's veterans welcome the news. from south carolina. >> it's about time. we've been wanting this state. >> we did our job. we're coming home. >> reporter: the military spouses and children are thrilled of course. >> it's going to be wonderful have been everybody reunited again. >> it's just a relief for everybody. >> reporter: and even a mother who lost her son to the war, mary convoy whose son jack was killed in 2006, is happy now for the parents of other sons and daughters who will soon be home.

>> i have a sense of relief. i'm not going to lie. i feel like we did a really good job in iraq. >> reporter: but early on a controversial war that demanded no national commitment was what some called a friend and family war, meaning only friends and family of those who were serving would likely care deeply and personally about how it was going. retired colonel jack jacobs, a nbc analyst and congressional medal of honor recipient. >> you have to knock on something like 150 doors today before you'll find a household from which somebody is serving. >> reporter: thus much of the country soured quickly on a war that seemed endless or pointless and unquestionably costly. no surprise then that many greeted the announced ending of the war with bitterness. retired sergeant chris toshida, injured himself. >> we're losing family members that for no reason now. i lost three of my best friends out there. >> reporter: and laura sharma in

los angeles who'll get to hug her son in a few weeks. >> he should have never been there. >> reporter: the war and now the post-war as controversial as ever. mike taibbe, nbc news, new york nbc's richard engle is here with us tonight. you have been in the thick of it so many times with troops i know you're still in contact with. what are you hearing from them about the end of this war? >> reporter: when you spend time with troops they become your friends. we are still in contact via e-mail and facebook. and they are saying that it wasn't worth it. that the difficult re-entry home, not coming back to the economic opportunities that they thought they would have, problems with their families, problems with their spouses, it wasn't worth it. and that is the same message i'm hearing time and time again. >> if we pose the same question, is it worth it to the average iraqi citizen what do you sus we'd hear? >> reporter: i've spoken with iraqis. they say toppling saddam hussein

was the best thing that could have happened to iraq but that everything else they could have done without. >> let's look at what iraq, this current government faces right now. they've got a turkish incursion on their northern border, terrorism that seems to be rampant. at the same time this is a very fragile government. what is the u.s. responsibility if any towards iraq going forward? >> reporter: well, we have to protect the legacy, i guess. and the u.s. has some interests in maintaining a stable middle east, although the middle east right now is anything from stable. but direct responsibility? it's up to the iraqis, or will soon be up to the iraqis on their own. >> richard engle, thank so much. so much history being written in the middle east this week. in libya tonight they're getting ready for liberation today tomorrow marking the official end of the gadhafi raw geom are. nbc's adrien mong is there for us tonight. >> reporter: for the second day in a row, they came from around the country to misrata to see

the body of their former dictator. muammar gadhafi's corpse lying in a commercial freezer. nbc news has learned gadhafi's body will be buried tomorrow in a private location. leaders of the interim government say they're still investigating the exact cause of his death. amidst growing international questions over whether he was executed by rebel forces or died in crossfire as the prime minister has said. >> how he died matters because if libya is to break away from the abuses of the past, one clear signal would be that the new authorities are absolutely determined to ensure respect for human rights. >> reporter: here in misrata, many libyans think otherwise. >> maybe i'm wrong to say my dream gadhafi is dead. burr my dream. >> victory for libyan people. we are so happy. >> reporter: more details have emerged about his last week on

the run. a trusted aide captured with gadhafi said the late leader never actually took part in the fighting, preferring to read or talk on his satellite phone. one of his sons, sayif al islam remains at large. in the mean time a post-gadhafi transition has begun. the prime minister says an election will be held within eight months. for a national council that will draft a new constitution and form an interim government. the celebrations taking place across the country the past two days is continuing through the weekend. gearing up for the big day tomorrow. we're when the first chapter of a new libya opens. with the official announcement in benghazi of the nation's liberation. >> we have this progrprogram no. secretary of state hillary clinton will address the subject on on meet the press president obama called the greatest challenge rebuilding

the economy and creating jobs at home. the republicans weighed in as well today on the president's policies both foreign and domestic. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house for us tonight. >> reporter: good evening. president obama has been flanked by a struggling economy. now many are saying that fall of gadhafi and the end of u.s. military involvement in iraq are political victories. president obama hailed this week's foreign policy development in his weekly web address. >> this week we have two powerful reminders of how we've renewed american leadership in the world. >> reporter: but the republican candidates are not letting him take a victory lap. in new hampshire today, mitt romney blasted the administration's decision to withdraw all troops instead of leaving a few thousand in country to aid the transition process. >> and they either failed to do it by virtue of ineptitude or they decided that it wasn't that important, politically or otherwise. >> reporter: political analysts say it's criticism that won't

hold much weight. >> while the foreign policy success will be welcomed and is welcomed by most americans, the republicans are going to focus on the one issue that people are really interested in, and that's the domestic economy. >> reporter: the president also acknowledged it's his biggest challenge. >> now the nation we need to build is our own. >> reporter: gop candidates were out in full force in iowa today, trying to convince voters they can do a better job. michele bachmann is trying to revive her candidacy after five new hampshire staffers reportedly quit. in a radio interview bachmann shot down the report. >> there's no truth to that story. so this is a rumor. >> reporter: and with his poll numbers dropping, rick perry is also in reset mode on a hunting trip he took aim at top rival mitt romney. >> for governor romney to be making strong statements about immigration when it's been his actions that have caused part of this problem. >> reporter: with the caucuses just 11 weeks away, analysts say the unsettled gop field could

soon become a lot clearer. >> for the past six months the republican voters have been looking at these candidates, who do they like, who excites them, who energizes them. now they're going to decide, who do i really want to marry? who i do want to go to a presidential race with? >> reporter: next week, president obama turns back to his domestic agenda. he'll head to the west coast to sell his jobs plan. he'll also attend several fundraisers. analysts say he is also in campaign mode. lester? >> kristen, thank you. a somewhat bizarre episode today at the occupy wall street protests in new york. for several hours a protestor from canada perch himself on a sculpture in the park that has been home base of the movement. police got him down after several hours and arrested him. and the protest continued overseas as well. in germany estimated 4,000 people marched today in frankfurt, protesting the power of banks in that financial capital in spain, thousands of striking teachers marched

through madrid saying their hopes for the future were never so gloomy. and in iran where state television has given heavy coverage to the occupy wall street movement, dozens of students picked up on the theme today in one more protest against capitalism and america. in africa tonight, the u.s. embassy in kenya is warning of a possible imminent terror attack against americans after -- the embassy said there could be reprisal attacks directed as areas where foreigners are known to congregate such as malls and nightclubs. the man in line to be the next ruler of saudi arabia has died. crown prince sultan bib abdul aziz was in new york reportedly being treated for colon cancer. prince sultan had been defense minister of saudi arabia since 1962. president obama praised him today for his role in forging close ties with the united states. in florida today a funeral

was held for dan wheldon, killed last sunday in a horrible crash in las vegas. nbc's mark potter reports. >> reporter: up dan wheldon's death was a devastating loss for the racing community and his ado. ed community of st. petersburg florida where hundreds lined up today to miss funeral service. he moved his family here six years ago and was very well-liked. >> he made his home here and loved it here. we loved him. it was ooh big loss to us. >> he's just been a great citizen, great husband. great father. and this entire community will miss him. >> reporter: wheldon was killed during a race in las vegas during a horrific 15-car pileup in which his vehicle flew into the air, hit a wall and burst into flames. a team of doctors worked feverishly to save him, but his

injuries were too severe. >> indy cars is very sad to announce that dan wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries. >> reporter: the two time indianapolis 500 winner and reigning champion now leaves behind his wife suzie and to small boys. trish thomas was a neighbor who witnessed the love between wheldon and his wife. >> they had just reached such a good partner life. and when i saw that car flying i thought, oh, no, it's over. >> reporter: among those at the funeral, country star winona judd who sang during the service. >> he was just a cocky little thing. and he had such assurance. and i loved that. i was raised to have attitude. and i just loved his spirit. >> reporter: and wheldon is also being remembered this weekend at nascar races in talledega and indianapolis as his friend say good by to the champion they knew as a regular guy. mark potter, nbc news, st.

petersburg coming up as we continue on this saturday evening, new questions being raised about the pilot in that deadly airline crash. and a call for sweaters to help some threatened penguins through a tough time. sipping water can help, but dentists recommend biotene. biotene moisturizes and helps supplement some of saliva's enzymes, providing soothing relief when you need it most. don't ignore dry mouth... look for biotene in your oral care section today. this has been medifacts for biotene. lugging around a hot water extraction unit can be a rush! that's why i'm carpet for life. but if things get out of hand, there's no shame in calling us. ♪call 1-800-steemer. now?! [ female announcer ] crest whitestrips two hour express.

in just two hours you can have a noticeably whiter smile that lasts for months. hi. hi. [ female announcer ] two hour whitestrips from crest. life opens up when you do. you want to save money on car insurance? no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. ♪ ooh baby, (what) can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance.

try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. tonight new questions about what may have led to the crash of a colgan air commuter plane near buffalo almost three years ago. the accident killed 50 people. and tonight there is new information suggesting the airline itself may have had

misgivings about the pilot of that plane at least six months before the crash. nbc's tom costello has more. >> reporter: within months of the crash of continental connection flight 3407 flown by colgan airlines, investigators zeroed in on the actions of captain marvin rens low and copilot rebekah shaw. >> we think this crew went from complacency to catastrophe in 30 seconds. >> reporter: investigators determined the crew's own actions caused the crash. they failed to monitor the the air speed of the dash q 400 turbo drop. then when the plane began to stall, captain rens low pulled the nose up, causing the plane to crash. now new e-mails revealed on a lawsuit suggest that just six months before the crash colgan airlines itself was concerned about rens low and didn't think he was qualified to upgrade from flying a smaller saab tu turbo problem to the bigger plane. in one note "you might want to

check the training records. there is something in the back of my mind about rens low". the response "he had a problem upgrading". then the vice-president weighs in "nun that does not meet the mims and problems training before is not ready to tackle will the q the". ru the attorney for the victims' families called the e-mails a smoking gun. >> they determined that he was not qualified because he did not have enough experience, he had problems training, he had failed his tests. >> reporter: but on a statement colgan airline's parent company says renslow went on to get the training without any problems "captain renslow was properly trained, certified and qualified under all applicable federal aviation regulations to act as pilot in command of a q 400 airline". but ntsb says colgan never

shared those fld mails with investigators. >> it shouldn't have happened. people get tired of seeing us or hearing us. but they don't live with it every day. they don't see their 4 or 5-year-old daughter saying "where's daddy?" >> reporter: tom cost littello, news, washington. up next jenna shared her recipe with sharon, who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy,

who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson. [ male announcer ] take the fixodent 12 hour hold challenge. fixodent denture adhesive challenges you to a 12 hour hold test. ♪ thanks to its time-released formula, you apply fixodent once, and it holds all day. ♪ take the fixodent 12 hour hold challenge. guaranteed, or your money back. ♪ and for guaranteed freshness, try fixodent cleanser plus scope ingredients.

and for guaranteed freshness, as a researcher, i refer to her as "that woman with the great gums." because great gums are a foundation of a healthy smile. so she uses crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most. crest pro-health clinical gum protection. because healthy smiles are built on healthy gums. life opens up when you do.

for the third time in recent weeks there was a deadly shark attack off southwest australia. this time the victim was a 32-year-old american man. his name has not been released. officials said he was diving when he was attacked by a 10-foot great white shark seen swimming away from his boat another defunct satellite is hurtling toward the atmosphere. it's a german satellite. officials in that country say as many as 30 pieces of it are expected to crash to earth somewhere, sometime this ooej evening or early tomorrow morning the federal government raised new alarm this week about so-called bath salts. not the kind you use when soaking in a tub. powerful and dangerous synthetic drugs that can lead to death. yesterday the drug enforcement agency banned the drugs. nbc's mara sciavo campo has more tonight. >> reporter: a late night visit from granite city, illinois police brought a nightmare home for nancy hodge and her daughter amanda. >> they asked me if i could come down to gateway regional hospital to see if i was my

brother to identify him 26-year-old jeffrey was in a coma after being hospitalized psychotic and combative on a neighborhood street. he would die days later devastating his family. the cause, bath salts, a methamphetamine derivative that was widely available to anyone including children. but don't let the name fool you. these aren't actually bath salts but a powerful designer drug that can cause hallucinations, psychotic breaks and suicide. >> young adults are not really fully aware of the dangers when they take these drugs and what the potential side effects both short term and long term are. >> reporter: and the effect of the drug on users may not end with one night's high. >> some of them were sent to psychiatric facilities. some of them were sent to long term care because their symptoms either had not resolved or weren't resolving. so we don't know if some of the effects from some of these substances may be permanent.

>> reporter: in 2010 there were 303 calls to poison control centers nation-wide about bath salts. in just the first half of this year, there were more than 12 times that number of calls. >> these drugs, because they are so new and they've never been tested, and large numbers of people haven't taken them, it's truly a russian roulette. >> reporter: so this week the dea took emergency action, making the sale and possession of bath salts illegal to prevent an imminent threat to the public safety. that's little comfort for a grieving family, who lost a young brother, son and father of two far too soon. >> the kids just don't understand about it. it's bad. >> reporter: nbc news, new york. still to come here tonight, being dressed for success. we'll explain. [ engine sputtering ] ♪ ♪

[ dennis ] allstate wants everyone to be protected on the road, whether you're an allstate customer or not. ♪ all you have to do is call. [ female announcer ] call allstate now and you'll get a free lifetime membership in good hands roadside assistance. [ dennis ] shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. [ harriat ] you hoo! [ female announcer ] must be the os-cal. only os-cal ultra has the most calcium and d3, plus 7 bone health nutrients. so you can always be strong, with os-cal. and these come together, one thing you can depend on is that these will come together. delicious and wholesome. some combinations were just meant to be. tomato soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. that will change your life... for the first time ever... a toothpaste. crest 3d white.

if beauty editors notice, who else will? crest 3d white toothpaste. life opens up when you do.

our final story tonight elicited lots of smiles and puns about knitting when we talked it over in our editorial meeting this afternoon. but you can hardly blame us. it's a story about little penguins threatened by an oil spill and being saved by an army of good-hearted folks knitting them sweaters. and if i may, it's a very good yarn as told by nbc's anna bell roberts. >> reporter: these little blue penguins have been rescued following an oil spill off the coast of new zealand two weeks ago. hundreds of birds have been scrubbed in hot water to remove the oil.

but they've also had something unusual to help them pull through, hand-anytime knitted sweaters lovingly made by knitters from around the world. they stop the bird preening their feathers and swallowing oil which could poison them. >> it actually does work. the big problem for any seabird is that when they start to preen they ingest the oil which is toxic. >> reporter: scientists are searching new zealand's beaches for birds at risk. >> it's getting oil under it flippers. and he's got some on his lips. >> reporter: an army of knitters has responded to a call for sweaters. a local wool shop behind the scheme has been sent hundreds. the shop's web site gives precise instructions as to size, numbers, stitches and width of elastic for top and bottom and makes the important point, remember two openings for flippers when stitching up the sides. no doubt new zealanders have a

soft spot for penguins. who can blame them? remember "happy feet" the em per or penguin washed up on a beach 2,000 miles from home. he was nursed back to health, given a transmitter and released to swim back to his antarctic colony. the little blue penguins will also return to the wild. this is where they swim to regain their strength before heading home. while this penguin was a dancer, the latest stars reach out to a different group. the fashionistas who will surely want this broughtly-colored knit wear for their winter wardrobe. anna bell roberts, nbc news, london. >> got to love that story. that's nbc nightly news for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com