military has ordered the u.s.s. comfort to dock off the coast and treat the wounded. >> we're focused on the life-saving measures we need to do there. >> at least 2,000 marines will be sent to maintain security in the country. hillary clinton canceled trips abroad to coordinate the response. >> they are facing a disaster of as yet unknown magnitude. >> president obama convened a strategy session pressing his administration to do all it can and discuss with other world leaders. >> this must truly be an international effort. >> at this point, white house officials said the president has no plans to travel to haiti. in the meantime, he has named a new disaster coordinator to oversee u.s. efforts there. >> now this morning, there are local stories of survival in haiti and now word the u.s. navy's military hospital ship based here in baltimore may be headed to the country to provide some relief. jennifer had more with that part of the story. >> good morning, the u.s.s. comfort is based here at the port of baltimore and th

the u.s.s. cole attacked by terrorists in yemen, 17 american sailors were killed. guring out the winner of the presidential election delayed due to ballot snafus in florida. the u.s. supreme court took on the issue, made a decision and 36 days after voters had gone to the polls, democratic presidential candidate al gore conceded the election to his republican challenger, texas governor george w. bush. he would become the nation 43rd president. jim, elliss, if you had to sum up that 2000 election fiasco in a few words, how would you roux describe it? >> i would say the reporters all voted for al gore in 2000, but they didn't like him. they liked bush much better so bush perversely got pretty good press in that year. >> jon: and was that reflected, elliss, in the coverage, do you think of the standoff? >> riveting would be the word i would use. i think it was one of those political stories, jon, that got people who don't care about politics engaged. a lot of them were angry, but, yeah, i think the coverage by and large was one of the high points of the decade. >> jon:

there he said a brigade that consists of between 3,500 and 5,000 troops is being put on alert, also the u.s.s carl vincent is expected to arrive off the he's coast of haiti tomorrow. this is about 25 minutes. >> good afternoon. thank you for joining us. it's my privilege to have the opportunity to introduce to you general douglas fraser who is the commander of u.s. southern command and by circumstance, happened to be in washington, d.c. when the earthquake hit haiti. as most of you in this room know, as the commander of u.s. southern command, he will be the person in charge of the d.o.d. effort as we provide support and assistance to haiti and he has to get back to his command to oversee that effort but before he left, he has offered to give us about 30 minutes to answer some of your questions. so with that, general, thank you for taking your time. i know you're busy, we appreciate it. >> thanks very much. it's a pleasure to be with you. first i want to reiterate just from the united states southern command standpoint and the department of defense standpoint, our prayers and condolences go ou

a year before 9/11, al qaeda attacked the u.s.s. cole killing 17 sailors an injurying -- and injurying dozens more. 9/11 may have been the day we realized the consequences of inaction, but the pattern of attacks leading up to that day is undeniably clear. from the first days after 9/11, our strategy has been the same to deny al qaeda and its affiliates sanctuary and to deny them a staging ground from which they could plan or launch another attack on u.s. soil. this is why we resolved shortly after 9/11 to rid afganistan of the taliban which harbored al qaeda and its leader osama bin laden. we had early success in that effort. by november 2001, the taliban had been driven by kabul. soon after that an international body met to name an interim government in afganistan to be led by its interim president hamid karzai. despite the early success al qaeda's leadership was able to find a safe haven in pakistan's tribal areas. a few years later it gained enough strength to once again pose a serious threat to the u.s. meanwhile the taliban rees

it was the scene of the 2000 bombing of the "u.s.s. cole." in which 17 american sailors died. orists are seeking safe haven there. the alleged christmas day plane bomber was armed and trained in yemen. with more on the fallout on that, here's abc's yunji de nies. who is with the president in hawaii this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, dan. the president is leaving hawaii later today. he's leaving a day early because aides say he has a lot on his plate. he wants to get straight back to work. the first thing on his agenda? he has to meet with the agency heads to figure out with what went wrong. he's linked the suspect to al qaeda. in a rare move yesterday, the director of the national counterterrorism center issued a statement that officials know with absolute certainty that al qaeda and those who support its ideology continue to refine their methods to test our defenses and pursue an attack on the homeland. with so many accusation of an intelligence failure, the president wants a much more comprehensive review in the coming days. the white house tells us

there's been this history going back to the u.s.s. cole bombing. uld we have known this was coming? >> reporter: well, that's exactly the question that people are asking. and it's one thing to say that there was an al-qaida presence in yemen. it's another thing to say that they had the training and the capability to launch this christmas day would-be bombing of a u.s. airliner. at the top of the hour, we are going to be talking to john brennan who is the president's top white house advisor on homeland security and counterterrorism. i will tell you we pre taped it, and it is a chilling interview. it's about the significance, the strength of al-qaeda in yemen, the fact that they closed the u.s. embassy because he said there was a very credible threat that al-qaida was going to try to attack our embassy there. he also talks about the very credible possibility there may be more abdul mutalab's, more of these young would-be terrorists who are going to try to attack the u.s. and the west. people ought to stick around. it is a very chilling interview. >> c

and the bombing of the u.s.s. le that killed 17 american sailors and now boston city leaders trying how to keep the yemeni tankers away. laura ingle has been following the story and joins us now from the new york city news room. first of all, tell us about the gas deliveries. >> hi, gregg, well, if allowed here the delivery in question would cruise into boston harbor and then dock at the l and g terminal in everett. that's what is making many in the boston area alarmed tonight. a government report at that came out concluded that terrorists could cause major damage if they got their hand on one of these types of tankers, slashing a hole in the side, for example, could unleash a fire so intense, it could cause major injuries and burn buildings as far as one third of a mile away and second degree burns. that's why they're taking a close look at the plan to bring one of these tankers in from yemen. >> it's just a proposal right now, the coast guard, along with the area maritime security committee is reviewing the propo

this has been doing on since the u.s.s coal. i'm just perplexed that our new president you know doesn't want to call it a war on terror. it should be aware on islamics and extremist. i see yesterday the guy that drew the mohammed bomb was attacked in his barn in copenhagen with an axe and a knife. it's - you know i mean if you can't even draw a cartoon about mo' ham ed who's not god, it's ridiculous. have you ever showed the cartoon on c-span? you can't let these people control us. i think you should show it. host: we did years ago. it's been three or four years though. caller: i don't know. salmon rush ty probably still has a hide out. these people - the so-called muslims that aren't extremists. can't speak out against them because that's against the koran. they'll kill you. see what it says. i don't see a lot of people speaking out against the religion because they can't do it. it's scary. host: thanks for the call. front page story. obama ties al qaeda to the plane scare. the president back at the white house tomorrow. ben fro

and the u.s.s. brchings atan will be accompanied -- batan will be accompanied by u.s.s. t -- the medical support should be off the port by the end of next week. these ship, aircraft and troops also deliver hope. although it seems that supplies and security cannot come quickly enough. but i echo the president's promise to the people of haiti that, you will not be forsakeen and you will not be forgotten. we're doing everything we possibly can. soldiers, sailors, marines and ghost guardsmen across america and across the globe stand with you. thank you very much. expect of money to go to haiti? and are you concerned that such a large military presence either looks like an occupying force or overtaxes the military that is already stretched thin? >> let me start and then ask the admiral. first, this is a whole of government effort by the united states and also an international effort. the primary security force on the island is the united nations force. there are about seven dozen u.n. forces and an additional 2000 police. they will have the primary security responsibility. i t

the role of yemeni terrorism dates back to the u.s.s. cole bombing and that was almost a decade ago. october of 2000. how could we not have, in the interim ten years, not developed a coherent strategy for dealing with a growing terrorist threat in yemen? >> because as great a nation as we are, we always close the door after the horses get out. we went to afghanistan because of 9/11 and then iraq. yemen fell off the screen. but as we pushed al-qaeda around the middle east, some of them squirted in yemen. that is perfect for terrorist organizations because as we said before, the government in the capital there is corrupt and incompetent and has no affect on the tribes outside of the capital. >> gregg: there is a great article in the "new york times" by mark lander who says, look, it seems like we're putting money in yemen, almost $70 million for the military alone but that the same amount of foreign aid we give to serbia. we need to step that up in your judgment? >> absolutely. we've done good training, but the government and other aspects

, those assets will be augmented by two more small helicopter carrying naval vessels -- vessels, the u.s.smandy and the uss underwood. and the u.s. as bataan, with capabilities similar to those of the carl vincent will be ready as well as the uss for mckinley and uss carl hall. a hospital shipñr comfort with hundreds of medical professionals and providing medical support to be of the haitian coast by the end of the next week. while these will attend to the immediate and medical needs of the people of haiti, these aircraft ships and troops also deliver hope. conceralthough, it seems of supplies and security cannot come quickly enough. you will not be forsaken and you will not be forgotten. we're doing everything we possibly can. soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines across -- and coastguard from across the nation and military across the globe stand with you. >> how many u.s. forces do you expect of money to go to haiti? and are you concerned that such a large military presence either looks like an occupying force or overtaxes the military that is already stretched thin? >> let me start and

the aircraft carrier u.s.s. carl vinson is now on the way. >> i have directed my administering to respond with a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives. >> people are really holding out hope they point. experts say there is a window of 36 hours before finding survivors becomes unrealist being and we have now just hit that 36-hour mark. live at the embassy of haiti, sarah simmons, fox 5 news. back to you. >> thank you. >>> photos of what is happening in haiti right now only give a glimpse into the am of death and destruction. >> the national palace in port- au-prince was among the thousands of structures that crumbled. here is an injured child sitting on the sidewalk. she and many others desperate for medical attention. >> friends and loved ones are concerned for a priest would works closely with the people here in d.c. father jasmine is a native of haiti and has been assigned to the shrine of the sacred heart for the last three years. the haitian embassy is open around the clock now. they have bee

the u.s.s. comfort has arrived and is operating full steam ahead. staff on the ground, we have five medical teams, surgical teams, mortuary teams that are helping to identify and hold on to remains of victims so that matches can be made. thousands of patients have been seen so far. in the middle of all of this tragedy and the destruction, our staff has helped to delivered 25 babies. there is a resilience and a life goes on among the neighbors and friends. this will be a commitment that we may tell them aground in the short term, but also the long term, as the haitians will need that kind of help and support. it is not difficult, when you watch what has transpired in that country, to realize how fortunate we are to live in a country that is more stable and prosperous. while the scale of the crisis might be foreign, the specifics are not. particularly to those of you in this room. while you know that it does not get covered 24/7 in this country, millions of our own citizens go without the medical care that they need every year. millions of people are h

amphibious ship with an embarked marine expeditionary unit on it that will be a couple of days behind the u.s.sncent. that gives us a broader range of capability to move supplies around, to have lift capability to help support the effort there also. so bottom line is, we don't have a clear assessment right now what the situation on the ground is, what the needs within port-au-prince are, how extensive the situation is. we also finally have a team that is headed into the airport. from my understanding because my deputy commander just happens to be in haiti when the situation happened on a previously scheduled visit, he has been to the airport. he says that the runway is functional, but the tower does not have communications capability. the passenger terminal has structural damage. don't know what the status of it is. we have a group going in to make sure that we can gain and secure the airfield and operate from it because that is one of those locations we think we are going to have a lot of immediate effort from an international basis going into. and then we are out conducting all the other asse

hospitals are set up, you know, the u.s.s. comfort has arrived and they are operating full steam ahead. our staff on the ground, we have five medical teams, a couple surgical teams, mortuary teams who were helping to both identify and hold on to remains of victims where matches can be made and thousands of patients have been seen so far. in the midst of all of this tragedy and all of the sorrow and destruction, our staff has also helped deliver 25 beebee to babies so there is a life goes on among the neighbors and there will be a commitment which we now only to be on the ground for short term but long term because the haitians need that kind of help and support it's not difficult when you watch what has transpired in that country, that very poor country to realize how fortunate we are to live in a country that is more stable and prosperous but while the scale of the crisis may be foreign the specifics are not so for income particularly to those of you in this room. but you know is why licht doesn't get covered 24/7 in this coun

this morning the aircraft carrier u.s.s. carl vinson arrived with helicopters that will be critical in delivering assistance in the days to come. they are preparing to move badly needed water, food and other life-saving supplies to priority areas in port-au-prince. food, water and medicine continues to arrive with doctors and aid workers. at the airport, help continues to flow in not just from the united states but from brazil, mexico, canada, france, colombia, and the dominican republic, among others. this underscores the point i made to the president this morning. the entire world stands with the government and people of haiti, for in haiti's devastation we all see the common humanity that we share. and as the international community continues to respond i do believe that america has a continued responsibility to act. our nation has a unique capacity to reach out quickly and broadly and to deliver assistance that can save lives. that responsibility obviously is magnified when the devastation that has been suffered is so nea

the hospital ship, the u.s.s. comfort, will arrive tomorrow morning increasing medical support available to the people of haiti. in addition, yesterday afternoon, the united states air force flew airplanes from north carolina and delivered nearly 15,000 males and over 50,000 liters of water to citizens in port-au-prince. but this augments our on going to the efforts and continues to extend our reach to the stricken. we currently have over 2000 troops on the ground and over 5000 afloat. we anticipate we will have an aggregate strength of over 10,000 within the coming weeks with about 50% sign of those forces involved in delivering humanitarian assistance on shore. as of this morning, and support of humanitarian assistance efforts, we have delivered over 400,000 bottles of water and 300,000 russians to the people of haiti -- 300,000 rations to the people of haiti. we will have more than one dozen water purification units operational. we are producing 40,000 gallons of water per day for distribution and support of hum

thrill it was for me to share their excitement as we welcomed home the crew of the aircraft carrier the u.s.s. eisenhower and the hospital ship, comfort. they were coming back from treating patients and delivering health care and humanitarian assistance across the americas, including haiti. and as we all know only after a few short months at home the comfort is back in haiti along with many other branches of our military delivering aid with their civilian cornlte parts. helping the -- counterparts. helping the haitian people and all the while showing the very best of america and making us all so proud. i remember visiting the air men and women and their families at eggland air force base where some of the pilots and crew had just returned from iraq. it was their sixth deployment in as many years. i think of the coast guard's men and women who will serve aboard the new cutter that i am proud to sponsor, the straten, which honors commander dorothy straten who led the spard during world war ii. and i can never forget our marines who are a part of our daily lives at the white house in a very spec

indeed, the attack on u.s.s. cole in 2000 was a pretty seminal event for al qaeda.hat was a big network behind that. and many yemenis have gone to afghan , pakistan border area to find. indeed eye rook as well. in particular. it started in 2004- 2005. one of the reasons for that is the yemeny authorities relied on some sort of association with the tribes to manage the country. there are many weaknesss in the country as you pointed out earlier. without a close association to the tribes it's difficult for the central authorities to sort of deal with any of them. so the al qaeda groups have been able to form alliances themselves with the tribes. some of them are members of these tribes too. in a way sort of take advantage of the hospitality offered by the tribes. in particular since the saudi authorities have been so successalful in pushing al qaeda out to saudi arabia, yemen has become a sort of focus for regional activity. i think that the joining of al qaeda in saudi arabia with al qaeda in yemen in january 2009 really gave the groups there a real boost to think, ye

right now, we are principally during a coming of the u.s.s. aircraft carrier. we will increase our footprint that we have here today, and we have about 1000 to 700 u.s. military. we will see that grow over the coming days. right now, we have approximately 5000. those others are operating from the ship's in support of the operations here. i anticipate within the next few weeks, we could attend thousand, of which only about 50% will actually be on the ground in haiti in direct support of delivery of humanitarian assistance, and the others will be operating from our ships in order to support our operations here. again, to deliver the humanitarian assistance supplies as best we can, in conjunction with the minustah forces as well as the international community. we are only one part of this, and the international community has played a very critical role, as well as countries such as canada, which has a role in forces, and it will be supporting in areas we have not reached yet, and we are very appreciative to partner with each one of those, and it truly is a partners

theç aircraft airary u.s.s. ca vincentç and the navy's hospit ship,xd the comfort. investment of $100ç million. this will mean more of the lifesaving equipment, food, water, medicine that will be needed. this will come over the year as we embark on the long-term recovery from this tragedy. the united states of america will also force the partnerships that this undertaking demands. we'll partner with the haitian people, that includes the government of haiti, which needs our support, as they recover from the devastation of this earthquake. it also includes the manyç haitian americans who are determined to help their friends and family. and i have asked vice president biden to meet in south florida this weekend with members of the haitian american community and will responders who are mobilizing to help the haitian people. we will partnerçç with the un nations and its dedicated personnel and peacekeepers, especiallyç those from brazil o are already on the ground due to their outstanding peacekeeping efforts there. i want to say that our hearts go out to the united