everything in our power to secure the security and safety of the american people. with that, vice president biden and myself will depart. i will turn it over to secretaries clinton, gates and vice chairman. thank you very much. >> good morning. i appreciate very much the president's words about ambassador holbrooke. it was a week ago this morning that he and i, members of our team were meeting about this review and the conclusions to be drawn. as many have observed he was certainly a giant of diplomacy but he understood how difficult

the mission that he had been given and he threw himself into it with ef fiber of his larger than life being. he was deeply committed to success, members of his team, two of which are with me today, the acting special representative, frank ragero, who has on the ground experience meeting one of our civilian teams in kandahar, dan feldman who has been another deputy is in operation focusing on our strategy going forward. both ambassador holbrooke and i approached this review keenly aware of where things stood 22 months ago. this administration, i think it is fair to remind us all, inherited an extraordinarily difficult situation. there was no coherent strategy

to unify america's efforts in the region. there was no clearly defined mission. and our people both our military and our civilian forces lacked the resources they needed to get any progress accomplished. today we have a very different story to tell. president obama announced a strategy a year ago that defined a clear mission and committed the resources needed to accomplish it. today's review shows that. while we face serious challenges as the president just outlined, key parts of our strategy are indeed working well. in pakistan, we have moved beyond a purely transactional relationship dominated by military cooperation. we now have broad game on

civilian and military side. through the strategic dialogue that we established last year, pakistan and the united states have begun a long-term commitment to work together not just on security but on energy, agriculture, education, health and other areas that directly affect the daily lives of the pakistani people. there have been, there will continue to be obstacles and setbacks, but our conclusion is our partnership is slowly but steadily improving, we have greater cooperation and understanding and that is yielding tangible results on the ground. in afghanistan our surge is not simply military. we have expanded our presence from 320 civilians less than two years ago to 1,100 today. accomplishing our mission requires close cooperation between our civilians, our troops and our international and

afghan partners. we have worked together to arrest the momentum of the taliban. civilians have been particularly instrumental in the progress we have seen in helmand and kandahar. they will be critical in helping consolidate the gains we made last year as we move toward a transition of afghan responsibility. our strategy also recognizes that rebuilding afghanistan is a global commitment. the isap coalition grows, today it stands at 49 countries. nato and our partners, including the oic, the organization of islamic countries that have recently joined the international contact group know that helping the afghan people and standing up against violent extremism is essential for the region and the world. this alignment of our international effort was on full display at the nato summit last month where the coalition

committed to a long-term partnership with afghanistan while laying out a plan for the afghan government to take responsibility for its own security. the transition will begin in 2011 and conclude in 2014. now, of course, we are clear eyed about the way ahead. the review everyone sized reconciliation and expanded regional diplomacy. it needs to complement the continued military presence and the consensus we reached in lisbon. in pakistan it will be important to eliminate sanctuarys for extremists and close the gap between kabul and islamabad. we know we won't accomplish the goals the president has set forth today, tomorrow or next month but we are committed and believe we are progressing in our core goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating al

qaeda in the region and becoming strong partners with both countries for the long term. we will not, in fact, we dare not repeat history. we continue to support the people of afghanistan and pakistan as they secure their future, one that is secure, prosperous and free and does not threaten the people of the united states. >> the leaders are talking about the way forward in afghanistan. the review of the war in afghanistan. moments ago the president talked strategy. he was talking about staying the course, disrupting, dismantling and eventually defeating al qaeda. the goal here he says is a stable, secure democracy in afghanistan and for our troops to begin coming home next summer.

the counterinsurgency strategy has taken hold. some conclusions are that progress won't be made until pakistan deals more effectively with the taliban. the secretary of state said pakistan has got to come to the table with an ability to crack down on the insurgency crossing the border. let me bring in my panel, jim miklaszewski, jack jacobs and atia aboui joins me from afghanistan. jack, when we are talking about how the strategy has made gains, is it clear to you that in the last year or two the changes we've made in strategy are more effective than what we saw in the periods after 9/11 until the big change? >> there is no doubt about that. we ignored afghanistan for a long time while we went to iraq and as a result all the gains

that were made initially, particularly by the northern alliance in getting rid of the taliban, they were all lost because we didn't follow up success with more success. second, and secretary clinton re-emphasized this, it is not just a military operation. we have to stop relying on the military as the default instrument of foreign policy. you have to include people who are going to help build afghanistan, diplomats there, people there the agriculture department and so on. and i think that we have made gains in afghanistan because we include people other than the military to get things going. >> jim, from the pentagon perspective, they have been charged with stopping al qaeda and arresting the taliban's momentum. how did they gauge their progress? >> quite frankly, i was in afghanistan last week with secretary of defense gates. i have never seen the secretary or the top military commanders

not only in kabul, but the rc east and rc south where most of the american fighting and casualties are taking place, i have never seen them as optimistic as this recent trip. the national intelligence estimate that says this can't be solved without cleaning out those safe havens in pakistan. nobody knows that more than the u.s. military themselves. they are the ones taking casualties from taliban forces in a safe haven in pakistan crossing into afghanistan. they will increase efforts to interdict those crossing the border into afghanistan, according to military officials i talked to last week. that is a decision for pakistanis to make. a senior u.s. military official told us on that trip that the

pakistani military knows it has got to do that and has some kind of plan in place to start really going after the taliban safe havens. but apparently now is just not the time. after all, pakistan military, pakistan government is in a very precarious position. it is going to take a little time for that to play out. >> it is interesting because andrea mitchell talked to the vice president about the obstacle that pakistan presents to afghanistan being a stable and secure democracy. let me play part of that. >> we have two overarching goals, defeat and derail al qaeda located in afghanistan and pakistan in the mountains where they join as well as protecting and making sure the nuclear security of pakistan is assured. they are overwhelmingly in the naked self-interest of the american people. the president is not going to continue a policy he doesn't

think, in fact, is going to accomplish both those goals. atia, from the perspective in afghanistan, is it your sense that the afghan leaders have those same goals. >> well, the afghan leaders will tell you they have the same goals, but they are not working side by side with the american leaders. there is a big disconnect when it come s s to kabul. the military isn't the big problem in afghanistan but the government, the corruption within afghanistan, within the government. also the ties between the obama administration and karzai administration, those ties are ruined at the moment. they have to work at building that relationship. when you talk to analysts they will tell you the military, they are doing their jobs. the diplomats need to do a better job building a relationship with president

karzai who has been very fickle when it comes to the americans and international community. he as well as the majority of normal average afghans who live out there believe the international community will leave them. president karzai is trying to protect his country and himself. >> atia, jack, jim miklaszewski at the pentagon, thank you. our troops have been in afghanistan for nine years. my big question, what will we accomplish by staying a few more years if we haven't been able to accomplish it so far. reach me on twitter, facebook and contessa@msnbc.com. a high stakes vote in the house is set to take place to extend tax cuts for all americans. some house democrats are holding out saying the bill is too generous to the wealthy. kelly o'donnell is live on capitol hill.

kelly, where do we stand. >> reporter: there is a lot of debate and a great deal of anger among many democrats who believe this is the wrong way to go. they will get the chance to take a vote on a piece that could take part of the estate tax out. wealthier families would have to pay more passing on their wealth. that is not expected to pass. if it does not pass the house will vote on the full package we have seen get through the senate. should that pass the president adds his signature and it becomes law and the whole issue about whether tax rates go up in january is resolved for two years. a day that looks like real progress will be made and an opportunity for emotion and differences to have a voice. we are looking at the house repealing the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. now it is the senate's turn. i will ask senator joseph

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wikileaks founder julian assange may be a free man. the british high court granted bail to the computer hacker after rejecting a few arguments from prosecutors that he is a flight risk. his mom and attorney say they are thrilled with the decision. >> i'm very, very happy with the decision. i can't wait to see my son and to hold him close. i had faith in the british government system to do the right thing. >> as you can imagine we are

absolutely delighted and thrilled with the results here today. we think it was an unnecessary appeal. i think it is unfortunate and it is clearly evident of a continuing vendetta on the part of the swedes against julian assange. >> he is promising a fight if they try to extradite him. the u.s. is trying to build a conspiracy charge. peter alexander is in london. what are you expecting to see in terms of assange being released on bail? >> reporter: contessa that is a good question. he is expected to be released tonight according to "the guardian" newspaper. it is a significant source, given they have released the classified cables over the last several months. it is a waiting game and from all we can tell, it is unclear

if he will come out tonight. the courts and the banks shut down at 5:00. it is after 5:00. the paperwork has been delivered to the clerk. we are told the judge has stuck around to sign the necessary papers to allow for julian assange to be released on bail. if that does happen his next destination will be a 600 acre english manor, a ten bedroom home that will take him hours to drive. it will come with restrictions. he will have electronic monitoring, have to check in with police, an enforced curfew. most importantly he will have freedom. they claim he is not guilty of anything. >> peter, appreciate that. new poll numbers on president obama's job approval. good news and some bad news here.

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congress has never been close to repeals don't ask,

don't tell as it is today. for the second time this year the house passed a bill that would allow gays to serve openly in the military. the senate says there might not be enough time to get it through. megan mccain addressed it. her dad voiced his opposition to repealing the ban. >> i think my father will filibuster probably. i think this will probably pass and i think gay marriage will pass in this country. >> what do you make of someone saying i need more time to study the report about how this will support the troops. >> it is great spinning. that is what i would say. >> joining me is senator joe lieberman. senator mccain is a friend of yours. how do you think he will react to his daughter's interview with lawrence? >> i'm not going to touch that. there is a spirit holding in the mccain family.

megan has her own mind. she is a very devoted daughter to john. >> when we are asking the don't ask, don't tell policy, what makes you think you have if votes to get it passed through the senate. >> i feel very good we have the votes. we have 57 out of 58 democrats. we now have as of today four republicans at least. susan collins, lisa murkowski, scott brown and olympia snowe. that is 61 votes. you only need 60 to stop a filibuster. >> what do you make of the people who say there might not be enough time. shouldn't this be a priority? >> this must be a priority. this is an injustice. it is un-american to tell people who want to serve our country, we need them in the military to tell them no you can't do it because you are gay or lesbian. that is note the american way. the reality is that we've got

the votes. it is up to senator reid now. we are on the s.t.a.r.t. treaty ratification, nuclear arms control. we are going back to the funding, that has to be done by saturday night. i believe instead of going back to the s.t.a.r.t. treaty we should go to the don't ask, don't tell saturday night and can get it done monday or tuesday at the latest and go back to the s.t.a.r.t. treaty. repeal repeals don't ask, don't tell has to be done this year. i'm worried that we won't have the votes to do it next year. the s.t.a.r.t. treaty can be ratified next year. >> what are you hearing from the senate majority leader? >> not yet. he told me he will bring this to the floor. the house passed it in a special procedure that means the opponents cannot filibuster taking up the bill.

they can only have one filibuster and that is before passage. i know we've got 61. i believe we are going to get at least 62 maybe 63 votes. it is time for this to end and for us to be fair about it and get the best possible people we can to serve in our military. >> long past time, senator. >> long past time is right. we can't let the clock to be used as an excuse or people's desire to get home. i know everyone wants to get home for christmas. most people work up until the day before christmas. if we work up until thursday, it gives us time to get don't ask, don't tell done and the s.t.a.r.t. treaty. senator lieberman, thank you for your time. i will bring in katie miller. what is it like to hear about whether people can go on

vacation rather than repeal don't ask, don't tell. >> we have over 60,000 gay and lesbian people serving. senators want to go home and this is the reason don't ask, don't tell may not pass. >> you felt like it was a moral stand, leave the military academy over this standing don't ask, don't tell policy. if it is repealed, what will change for you? >> i think -- i'm not going to face the same discrimination while at a cadet at west points. i'm reapplying for readmission. if don't ask, don't tell is repealed i will be joining the class of 2013. >> very nice to meet you. i hope this happens this weekend. we'll see what happens. we'll keep our eyes on it. a border patrol agent killed

in a gun battle and the homeland security secretary is getting involved. nearly all of us have done it. you upload a picture from your cell phone to facebook or twitter, criminals can find out an awful lot about you when you upload those pictures. we'll explain how. nobody in my family ever had a heart attack. if anything, i thought i'd get hit by a bus, but not a heart. all of a sudden, it's like an earthquake going off in your body. my doctor put me on an aspirin regimen to help protect my life. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone.

so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. to my friends, i say, you know, check with your doctor, 'cause it can happen to anybody. [ male announcer ] be ready if a heart attack strikes. donate $5 to womenheart at iamproheart.com, and we'll send you this bayer aspirin pill tote.

welcome back. the new york jets coach who tripped a miami dolphins player on the sidelines is being suspended. he told inactive players to stand next to each other durg a punt return. mcdonalds is being sued over using deceptive advertising to lure children. spider-man will be delayed again until after january 11. one of the greatest baseball

pitchers died last night. most americans believe president obama got the midterm message. 64% of americans think the president heard voters loud and clear. he needs to change some of his programs and policies. 45% approve of the job he is doing as president. 48% disapprove. in november americans were evenly split at 47%. the bad news is he is not gaining ground, the good news is he is not losing ground. >> reporter: that's right. the numbers have been stable despite unemployment and the bp oil spill. some of these numbers are almost exactly the same. on the economy, 42%, exactly the same as a year ago. if this is the floor for the president, hi chances are pretty good for 2012. but if it gets worse, he's got to watch out.

that's because his core constituencies are still intact. women, african-americans, latinos are still with this president. >> i want to look at some of the other poll results. when asked about the tax cut agreement 59% approve, 36% disapprove. on the s.t.a.r.t. treaty 70% says congress should approve it. 28% says america is on the right track. 63% say we are heading in the wrong direction. when you look at those numbers, given what the president has proposed, it is surprising to think they are heading in the wrong direction. >> we found if you ask specific policy questions the numbers are higher. unemployment is 10%. that is the key factor here. this is the biggest number. the economy as bad as it has been. people are pessimistic. they haven't seen a lot of improvement on the economy. i think reality is starting to

set in for a lot of people. this might be worse than we thought. it is a very slow recovery. they haven't seen the jobs to pull us out. you need a couple hundred thousand jobs a month to lower that number. pessimism is very high. that number is the highest since the fall of lehman brothers and the highest in the obama presidency. sarah palin is the most polarizing of the potential 2012 republican presidential candidates. 46% of americans view the former governor favorably, 49% unfavorably. mike huckabee got the highest favorability rating with 49%. he is followed by massachusetts governor mitt romney with a 46% viewing him favorably. i wanted to mention in the nbc news/"wall street journal" poll when they paired the president

with any gop candidate the president came out on top. against romney he had a seven-point lead. against sarah palin 55% to 33%. a manhunt is going on in the shooting death of a border patrol agent. brian terry was shot and killed tuesday night. four suspects are currently in custody. pete williams is in washington, d.c. following this story for us. where do they stand on the manhunt for this other suspect? >> reporter: still looking for other suspects, one, possibly two. the homeland security secretary janet napolitano, former governor of arizona is going there today. it happened late tuesday in a remote area about ten miles north of the border near nogales. brian terry was killed in a shootout with bandits, people who rob and assault illegal immigrants and smugglers who

come across the border. the killing of the border patrol agent is raising new concerns about the violence of the mexican drug war spilling into the u.s. this does not seem to be directly related to the illegal drug trade. the union president of the border patrol says this shows the border remains out of control when bandits can prey on people ten miles inland. brian terry was 40 years old. he has been with the border patrol three years. he grew up in detroit, served in the marines and served as a plif. >> the battle over the new health care law is under way in the pensacola courtroom. 20 states fighting the law say it will expand the government's powers in dangerous ways. it is expected that 20 states don't have legal standing to challenge the law.

a federal judge in virginia ruled citizens couldn't be forced to buy health insurance. vicious cold in the northeast and in america's heartland, the thermometer is dipping into a deep freeze. in oregon patrons of a diner took cover as a tornado rakes the city. in the aftermath, incredible damage. the twisterer to the roofs off homes, uprooted trees and did thousands of dollars of damage. in st. louis and atlanta, an ice rink on the roads, drivers facing dangerous conditions. the weather channel's julie martin is in louisville, kentucky, in the thick of things. what is it like? >> reporter: at this hour a lot of people teetering around here on the louisville sidewalks. this was completely covered in ice this morning. we had several hours of freezing

rain. it did do quite a number on the roads. coated the power lines. all of the major problems have been averted. we haven't seen any major catastrophic accidents much like we saw yesterday in some of the other southern states where five fatalities were reported. the power company tells us everything is working all right. this system is continuing to track to the east. next on target north carolina, maryland and virginia. they are going to be getting hit with possibly more of this stuff. what was our saving grace is the temperatures started warming up fairly early which helped to melt a lot of this stuff. >> julie, thank you. new details about a bomb investigation at a home in new haven, connecticut. police received a call from someone in a second floor apartment who smelled something suspicious. no ieds were found. m-80s were found. many of the guy's belongings are in boxes.

police want to make sure there is nothing else dangerous. the tenant is cooperating with police and the only apartment evacuated was the one above. a retired police detective is being praised for his bravery today. mike jones is the security guard who traded gun fire with clay duke after he took the city's school board hostage tuesday night. duke ended up taking his own life and jones was hurt in the exchange. after being released from the hospital earlier today, jones was hailed as a hero. he doesn't agree with that. >> you know, you think the first thing came to mind, what is this community going to think of me. i'm known as salvage santa, this nice guy, and now taking somebody's life. my parishioners, what they would think. and then honestly, i shot the man in the back the first time. i was thinking i was going to jail. so many things go through your

mind. it was the instinct and the training and i'm just glad they are all here and alive. i'm not a hero, folks. i just done my job. >> mike jones apologized to the crowd for not being able to speak sooner. he spent much of the previous day with his pastor trying to come to terms with what he did. you expect to see elmo on sesame street, but at the white house. president obama welcomed the popular character to talk to the white house chef after the president signed the healthy, hunger free kids act into law. >> i'm going to do the melon dance. >> it is not every day the white house chef gets to dance with the little red creature. the act helps to prevent childhood obesity by providing

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we have breaking news from great britain where authorities have told nbc news that something is going to happen with julian assange, the wikilea wikileaks. presumably he is going to be released. he would be able to go out on bail and go to his estate and check in with authorities every day. we are going to stay on top of this so when we see it, you see it, too. officials say al qaeda terrorists are planning attacks in the united states and europe during the holiday season. that information comes from 70 insurgents from the last two weeks. last saturday's failed bombing in stockholm was one of the

plots. a suicide attacker detonated a device in a car and killed himself. evan coleman is nbc's terrorist analyst. >> everyone take it with a grain of salt, but in this case, given the conditions present there is reason to be concerned. you have what happened in stockholm and a martyrdom will from that person. there is an aggressive campaign by al qaeda in iraq to go after christians. the concern is in light of them losing publicity to al qaeda in yemen, they will reinvigorate interest in their group -- >> you are saying that they are jealous another branch of the family are getting more media

attention? >> there is a fixed amount of people and money willing to support these groups. there is a competitive need to compete for these dollars and recruits. these groups want to keep upping the ante, show themselves the most effective al qaeda branch. al qaeda in iraq is seeking to do that. this would be a good way to achieve that goal. >> which potential targets are authorities most concerned about? >> we are looking at targets relating to holiday travel, airline travel, malls, to christian churches. that is what al qaeda in iraq have targeted in iraq. churches. maybe that is what happened in sweden. al qaeda in iraq said they were going to strike in sweden, now when we see a report like this we think maybe we should keep an eye out in case there is more to this. >> i know you are keeping tabs

on this and will keep us up to date. >> train stations, bus stops, taxi cabs went empty and happening all over athens after public transit employees walked off the job. that meant one thing for citizens, lots of walking. one of britain's law enforcement officials are coming out on the side of drugs. bob ainsworth says all narcotics including heroin and cocaine should be made available with prescription. he takes his case before british lawmakers. usher gets kicked in the face. he invited a female fan on stage and when the woman tried to turn and sexily swing swing her leg over his face, she whacked him in the face.

usher turned it into a joke. we missed it there. he says we play rough in bed. we kick each other in the face and stuff. a florida ref got tossed. a florida high school player fought back. he is pushing the ref around and watch this, he tosses the guy to the ground. the player ejected and suspended until january 10th. out of the mouths of babes. give this tiny tyke a microphone and stage, what you get is not exactly fire and brimstone. >> speaking in tongues there. oh, yeah, preach it, baby. there are actual words.

other youtube users are trying to interpret. the lord works in mysterious ways. a lot. slews of youtube videos of babies getting moved by the holy spirit. praying, preaching, singing to the lord. you can't imagine how many of these are on youtube. everyone has someone to go heart healthy for. who's your someone? campbell's healthy request can help. low cholesterol, zero grams trans fat, and a healthy level of sodium. it's amazing what soup can do. but my doctor told me that most calcium supplements... aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. citracal.

we have breaking news from great britain. this is a live picture of london where we are expecting to see the wyche wyche julian assange walk out the door. peter alexander has confirmed wikileaks man has been released. there were people who donated 200,000 pounds to his cause. some restrictions on his cause, he had to surrender his

passport, he is scheduled to go to an estate of a wealthy guy in britain. but he will have to have some kind of electronic monitoring, we will have to check in with police every day and have a daily curfew at the estate. he says he is going to fight extradition to sweden. sweden wants to bring him back to that country to face charges of a sex crime and assange says he would fight that. we are hearing that he has cleared the bail hurdle, that the court there has said that he can be released with these particular restrictions and the bail money and we're hearing from nbc's peter alexander that the release is happening. these are live pictures we are seeing outside of the courthouse there in london. this is the westminster high court and the media are outside, cameras rolling, waiting to catch julian assange who has made a name for himself, who has

become a hero to some and certainly a despised despicable criminal because of publishing classified diplomatic documents that embarrassed leaders around the world. some of them were titillating gossip, others were truly they say damaging to diplomatic relationships between countries. his airing of that dirty laundry made him a hero to some saying the government needed their dirty laundry airing, they should not be engaging in things that are illegal, immoral or unethical. exposing them is the first step in making sure our governments are accountable for their actions. julian assange is not behind bars because of efforts on wikileaks, but accusations against him in sweden. two of the women who worked for the wikileaks organization accused him of a sex crime.

it may involve -- it is not alleging rape, but a lesser crime for which sweden wants to extradite him to have him answer those charges. it would not just be for questioning, but actually legal formalities they are expecting him to face in sweden. we are watching great britain now and the front doors at the westminster high court. police are expected to escort julian assange outside now. he has been in jail. we have seen a few shots of him giving the victory sign with his fingers while he has been in jail. expecting to see this any moment now. and as soon as we see that, you'll see it live. we are watching live for julian assange's release at this point. okay. peter alexander is there. he's been on top of this. was just reporting that julian assange when he is released will

go to a 600-acre estate in the countryside in great britain. there are wealthy supporters among them michael moore who said he donated $20,000 to julian assange's bail effort. julian assange had to collect 200,000 pounds of bail money. there was question about t sureties were in place and an issue which "the guardian" was expecting to have answered tonight. we are hearing julian assange has formally been released. the high court denied the prosecutor's request to keep him behind bars. the prosecutors argued h has support internationally, he is a global flight risk and the british court said, no, he had to surrender his passport which the police have had. and just watching to see who is getting ready to come out of the

door right here. at any rate, it appears julian assange has met those requirements and will momentarily be walking out that door. that wraps up this hour for me. andrea mitchell will pick up right after the break. ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering.

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together we'll make her holiday. that's why only zales is the diamond store. where you can get up to $1,000 off now through sunday. breaking news out of london. wikileaks founder julian assange has been released from prison after posting $300,000 bail.