>> of course not, because the president authorized bob woodward the access that bob woodward enjoyed. >> as long as the president said-- >> exactly, it's amazing, absolutely amazing. >> obama authorized general jones to call the guy across the hall, and don't think he authorized david petraeus to call him a spin doctor. >> there's more than junior high attitude in this. as the washington post and from the 43 white house written on the commentary blog and one in "the washington post," this is not a warrior president. from the beginning he's not talking about victory and bringing the war to a conclusion that will benefit freedom in america, he's talking about getting out and not spending money on it. >> kirsten, what about it. if you're in the white house why do you let bob woodward come in and expose your dirty laundry? >> well, i think that they presume that bob woodward will get access somehow, he will be able to get people one-on-one to talk and they want a opportunity to tell their side of the story. that's part of it. the other part they're full of themselves and believe, oh, once

why do presidents keep talking to bob woodward? we'll find out next on "larry king live." >> let me say he's an old and valued friend. we go back many moons than we both care to say. he's the associate editor of "the washington post." number one "new york times" best several and number one on amazon. "obama's wars" published by simon and schuster. thanks for being with us as always. >> thank you. >> larry: this has a double meeting, this title, does it not? >> it does. it's specifically the war in afghanistan, which is, of course, the war that obama adopted in the campaign and said he would take seriously and add troops, which he's done. it's also the war within the administration, particularly between the white house and the military. and they have different views. and there are large tensions. and what i've been able to do is get notes of meetings so you actually see the clash and the difference. and a lot of this has just not been settled yet. >> larry: always well annotated in the back. you always put where you were. you don't

>> right, obviously i can't comment on the woodward book.an say that with respect to nuclear, chemical, biological as well, we have a number of things in place, along with the fbi, alon the other members of the security apparatus, as it were, and we exercise those all the time. and -- and as we exercise, we identify places where we can improve and we make those improvements. but, of course, the best solution is not to have that at all or to have prior notice or intel that something is on its way. and then we can intervene more effectively. >> one of the other quotes from president obama's interview with bob woodward in the book is, quote, we can absorb a terrorist attack. we'll do everything we can do prevent it, but even on 9/11, even the biggest attack ever, we absorbed it and we are stronger. is that the bottom line, that inevitably, something will happen and that the united states is tough enough to absorb it and move on? >> you know, we are a very tough and resilient nation. and, of course, we want to disrupt. we want to detect. we want

>>> tonight on "nightline" -- war room -- legendary washington reporter bob woodward publishes a shocking behind the scenes look at the disagreements that tore through the obama administration in planning the afghanistan war. diane sawyer goes head to head with the author. >>> plus -- caught on tape, young u.s. soldiers make shocking admissions of atrocities, abuse and general lawlessness inside their combat unit in afghanistan. we bring you the video in a n investigation. >>> and top shelf -- you voted online to find the country's best local chef and tonight we can finally unveil the winner of our people's "plate list." . >>> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with politics and the story of what went on behind closed doors at the white house as president obama and his advisers looked for a resolution to the war in afghanistan. what was ultimately presented to the public was, according to "the washington post," bob woodward, a patchwork compromise that required more than a little aggressive arm-twisting by the president himself. tonight, diane sawyer has the exclusive in

woodward's book gives vivid portraits of what he calls the veterans. the five blocks of granite lead by the brilliant general david petraeus, maneuvering against the new president to get a 40,000 troop surge in afghanistan and an open-ended commitment. the wary president battled them back. >> they said 40,000 and the president pushed them in the most direct way, i want options, you promised options. and he never got them. >> reporter: of all the things you learned, what surprised you the most? surprised you the most? >> that in many ways, this is the obama we don't know. he just says, without qualification, this has to be a plan for a handoff to the afghanis, and for us to get out of afghanistan. there can be no wiggle room. that is his bedrock conclusion. he wants out. he said, "i'm not doing 10 years. i am not doing never-ending nation building. i'm not going to spend a trillion dollars." >> reporter: what's the angriest he gets at the military? >> at one of the meetings, if i can quote him directly, he just says, "i'm pissed." and he is, because the

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 >> larry: we're back with bob woodward.e'll hear more from his interview with the president, the audio, of course. what -- how do you win this war? there's no mission accomplished, is there? how do you win? >> the secret orders, which are published in the back of the book here, that the president issued to everyone after he'd made his strategy decision at the end of last year, say they're four risks, four things we have to look at. one is afghan governance. president karzai. general petraeus says the karzai government is, quote, a criminal syndicate. now, that's your partner, a criminal syndicate. how do you make that -- this is in the news every day. then there's the second risk is the afghan security force. the police and the army. and this is our way out. we have to train them and equip them so we can get out. >> you quote got to do it but t to get killed while you're doing it. >> as one of the people say the attrition rate is so great, it's like pouring water in a buckette with the hole in the bottom. you can't build nu

chris: as bob woodward speaks, we all listen. when we come back, scoops and predictions from the note books of these top reporters. predictions from the note books of these top reporters. tell me somethig in don't know. [ female announcer ] this is a strawberry pop tart. but this is warm, fresh-baked strawberry toaster strudel. [ music ] see the difference? pillsbury toaster strudel, the one kids want to eat. than ltening there'to our favorite songs. there's nothing we love more than listeng our favorite songs. but our favorite thing isating tono's pizza rolls. buour vorite thing eating tono's piz rolls. ♪ we're the kids in america oh,h ♪ from his frere jacques... [ speaking french ] [ mom ] ...so he decided to study in paris. ♪ to see french masterpieces with his very own eyes. we even linked our citibank account to his so when his account ran low we just transferred funds. i just hope the language isn't a barrier. bonjour. [ mom ] my ryan can be very shy. [ male announcer ] from linked accounts to citi mobile we make it simple

in our spotlight tonight, bob woodward.u imagine vice president cheney in that same scene of yours that i just recounted about joe bind? >> probably not. he wouldn't go around and ask that question. that wasn't necessarily his style. at the same time, it's conceivable. but as you know, biden has this curiosity and this drive and this kind of soulful engagement with people and so he goes out and says, hey, what are you doing here? and he was very -- this was at the beginning of the administration, actually before they took office. he made the trip to afghanistan and pakistan. and it upset him deeply, and rightfully so that the soldiers on the ground didn't exactly know what the mission was. >> it really strikes me in this book what a big presence biden is and how open he is with you. i couldn't help compare it to the cheney presence or nonpresence in your four-book series where cheney was one of the four people who refused to communicate with you -- >> actually, that's not true. there's a good deal of cheney in those books.

woodward interviewed all of the key players for the book. including the president and vice president. he quotes the president as telling him he continues to believe that he can absorb a terrorist attack, even while doing everything we can to prevent it. that statement has angered conservative critics like liz cheney, who calls it an alarming fatalism that the president needs to explain. brian? >> hold that thought, because we wanted to double team this. our white house correspondent savannah guthrie is here with us in new york. because the president is at the u.n. in new york, what's going on at this days long gathering? >> this is his second meeting at the u.n. general assembly and he'll give a status report on u.s. foreign policy tomorrow with a real emphasis on what the u.s. is trying to do with these direct talks in the middle east. >> and about this book that came out, what's been the reaction considering they invited this journalist in, cooperated from the traveling white house? >> it's fascinating. on the one hand, it's probably bad o

i talked to woodward's partner, bernstein.e were at the chevy chase lounge where i grew up and i said one or two things as a joke out of school and it wounded somebody very badly. president nixon felt badly about that book, not because of what i said, but boss of whecause of ws said. i've regretted even having worked with him after the fact. but you're right, everybody says, look, we were there. it's all over now. i'd like them to know how it was. there's some great stories about what we said at camp david that final week. you wanted to get some of that on the record. but that's not what people picked up. >> general mccaffrey, pat buchanan, thank you. >>> tomorrow is going to mark six months since president obama signed his health care reform initiative into law. today he celebrated the most important patient's bill of rights in history. the president went to a backyard party in the virginia suburbs. he surrounded himself with people who have benefited from health care reform already. every bit the campaigner for a law that is

but bob woodward has gotten access to the last couple of presidents. the last president as he developed his war strategy and was able to discover, reveal and put a light and illuminate the differences. i think we could have these internal discussions and debates and in a lot of countries you would have those who lost out on the debate defecting from government and maybe attempting a cue. in our country people come together and may say terrible things about one of their partners, allies or war council meetings and then come out as one group saying here's where we're going and here's how we're going to do it. it shows the strength of american foreign policy making. >> christopher, we have just a second, your comment on that. >> this is not the first president by inviting bob woodward in you'll get a good story out of it. it doesn't always mean it's good for the white house. >> christopher, herald, thank you, gentlemen. great stuff. >>> a little later today, the president will continue his campaign strategy getting out and talking to americans. he's going

chris: as bob woodward speaks, we all listen. when we come ba, scoops and predictions from the note books of these top reporters. predictions from the note books of these top reporters. tell me somethig in don't know. think about the internet. growing, evolving, literally now imagine the possibilities of what tomorrow could bring. at at&t, we support a core set standards that will guide the internet into the future... to protect users, and reward innovators, for years to come. we support a fair and open internet - affordable and accessible to everyone. transparent networks, managed in ways that are clear to all users. we support the fcc's pn to bring high-speed iernet to everyone in america by 2020. and we are committed to keeping the internet working, as the econoc engine that's creating jobs now. working together, investing, keeping information and ideas flowing freely, wean ensure that the internet will continue to grow and influence the future... in ways we can only imagine. because the future has always been oubusiness. at&t

every time woodward was coming up, she said, i'll be right back.she did well. >> we didn't even get to larry summers in this segment. >> gone. >> boy, that is bad news. summers gone. nora, we have so much to talk about. >> so much to talk about. >> the economic team has been blown apart. quit yelling in my ear, chris. i'll go to willie. gee. >> geithner is like the last guy standing for now. >> for now. >> dropping like flies. >> christine romer is gone. >> orszag. >> your two top -- three top exec architects gone. you say unemployment is going to be held below 8%. you've given republicans a lot to play with this fall. >>> coming up next, democrats -- michelle obama going to be huge heading into november. a first look inside the political play book. >>> also, corruption on steroids. the other shoe drops on a group of in bell california. >> did that guy eat the town? >> why did you go there? >> he ate the employees. >> he looks tired, too, doesn't he? >> if you're carrying that much around, you'd be tired, too. >> here is bill karins with a check of

the war in afghanistan in a not so positive light so we'll speak with blogger robert farley about woodward unleashing some very dark secrets from within the white house next new yorkers are experiencing serious headaches as diplomats were around the world are headed to the united nations but the headaches aren't just from traffic congestion they're also from a role questioning what the u.n. really does in today's society our correspondent lauren lyster will have that story and tea partiers in america not only want their country back they also want to back out of international organizations like the u.n. correspondent dina kosofsky will join me to explain why the growing political group claims that the u.s. needs to remain sovereign from global political bodies then we're going to take a look at a different aspect to the growing poverty levels in the u.s. the white underclass it's always been considered a taboo topic until one author decided to take it on and write an entire book so we'll speak to author joe badgett of the book rainbow pie a memoir of a redneck in america at the end of the

the storyline from "obama's wars" by bob woodward.o keep in mind since the president was in office, the number of total u.s. boots on the ground in afghanistan has nearly tripled. now, here is what confuses me the most. isn't the president of the united states our commander in chief? isn't it ultimately his decision as to when he wants to put our soldiers and american families' lives at risk on behalf of this country? and if his gut was right, why does it seem he bowed to those around him? even more offensive, or equally so why would any sitting president let someone publish a book revealing his skepticism in the middle of a hot war in which american troops are currently being killed under his command? joining us now matt ho, director of the afghanistan study group and former state department official. your views on this book, matt? >> one echo, what you just said, dylan. since that clip of president obama last december 1st we have had 372 american service members killed in afghanistan and thousands more wounded, both physically as we

american people should read bob woodward's book.nt who is a leader, approached problems in an analytical way and made sound decisions everyone signed onto including joe biden. and the strategy the president put in place i think is the best strategy that we have in play -- we have it in place now. we should pursue it. lawrence, it's only this august, the end of august, that all the troops have been in place and the civilian peace and now we're in the process of implementing it. there's been a lot of positive things that happened so far. we've made great strides against al qaeda, cut into the leadership of the taliban, training afghan security forces which is very difficult. there's a lot of difficult problems ahead. i think the president came up with a strategy that is the best strategy for victory. remember why we're there. we're there to defeat, degrade and defeat al qaeda and sustain the afghan government while they build up their physical capacity to resist the insurgencies that exist and they can operate under their constitution

and in an exclusive interview with diane sawyer, woodward tells of president obama battling with top pentagon brass over the war in afghanistan. >> what's the angriest that he gets at the military? >> at one of the meetings, if i can quote him directly, he says, i'm pissed. and he is. they keep coming back about details. and they're trying to push him in that direction. and he's pushing back. >> after a three-month debate, president obama dictated an unprecedented document, in which he detailed how 30,000 new troops would be sent into afghanistan. also, in the interview with diane sawyer, woodward played a tape of the president, discussing terror threats against the u.s. >> a potential game-changer would be a nuclear weapon, in the hands of terrorists, blowing up in a major american city. or a weapon of mass destruction, in a major american city. so, when i go down the list of things i have to worry about, all the time, the -- that is at the top because that's one area where you can't afford any mistakes. >> woodward's book also details a secret warning the u.s. has given to pakistan

bob woodward's new book, "obama's wars," shows the white house consumed with the wars. the president told woodward, according to published reports, we can absorb a terrorist attack. even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever, we absorbed it, and we are stronger. just days after his inauguration, the president is forced to confront stark realities about the terrorist threat and the war in afghanistan. in the book, an expert on islamic extremism items the president that the long held belief that osama bin laden was just a figure head is not true. >> bin laden is more than still out there. he's not hiding in a cave somewhere. he's actually directing global terrorist on rations. >> reporter: woodward also reports that there's a secret cia army made up of 3,000 afghan soldiers to go after militants in both afghanistan and pakistan. and, he describes in-fighting among the obama team. general david petraeus called david axelrod a complete spin doctor. insults that come out as the president and his aides form late a new policy for afghanistan and pakistan. >> i think that the re

we would get back to more of bob woodward's book. but we want to take a moment and check in with "washington times" reporter who is following what is happening in the white house. good morning. guest: good morning, how are you. host: thank you for joining us. the story and "the washington times" summers resigning. tell us about the news. guest: the white house confirmed what had been reported earlier today by bloomberg, is that mr. summers is going to be returning to harvard. on the one hand, this is not too much of a surprise. his family had not even moved. they stayed in massachusetts. it is not too uncommon to have this kind of turnover at this point in the president's first term, but as you mentioned, this is the third member of the president's economic team to leave in recent weeks. even though it is certainly not playing this way, it will be reviewed to some observers as a house cleaning. host: how integral was he in creating the economic policy? guest: he was definitely brought on as a guide. we have a real washington veteran

why do they talk to woodward? why does the president do that? we'll talk in a couple of minutes about a blockbuster book out there that's going to have tongues wagging throughout washington for the next couple of weeks. >> the answer is simple. the president that didn't speak to woodward has his administration literally blow up, richard nixon. the 16th book or the nixon administration does in a couple of books, they said we might as well talk to them rather than go to unname sources to give their point of view on their point of view. >> is it juicy. we'll have some of that come up very, very shortly. >> ok. in the meantime, there's a big job opening in the obama administration and word is the president is looking for a woman to fill it. politicosp politico.com saying the president wants a c.e.o. to replace larry summers. summers is the third member of the president's economic team to resign in recent weeks following peter orzag and kristina romer. a u.s. army major accused of murdering 13 people at fort hood, connecticut man accused of trying to

bob woodward. it's a top inch read. thank you. >> thank you. >> bill: president obama lashes fox news in a rolling stone magazine. what is he doing in rolling stone? didn't they kill his general? later, the obama administration assassinating suspected terrorists. is it legal? the ladies have been investigating, upcoming. pwpwpspa >> bill: for some reason, president obama giving an interview to rolling stone magazine, the same publication that ripped up his top commander in afghanistan, general stanley mccrystal. that confuses me a bit. why would the president talk to rolling stone when it did his administration so much damage? the white house gave us a statement, quote, rolling stone isn't the only outlet the president has ever spoken with in which we didn't agree with every article they have written or broadcast. that's a bit convoluted and great ma'amcally incorrect, but it's a sitle shot at us. in the article, one of the most provocative quotes is about fox. it's a point of view i disagree with, says the president. i

bob woodward, thanks very much. in. >> ben jealous, thank you as well. >> thank you, ben. >>> up next, what have we learned today? sure i'd like to diversify my workforce, i just wish that all of the important information was gathered together in one place. [ printer whirs ] done. ♪ thanks. do you work here? not yet. from tax info to debunking myths, the field guide to evolving your workforce has everything you need. download it now at thinkbeyondthelabel.com. lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. bankers are known to be a little bit in love with themselves.. trust me. are we going up? we can get the next one. i'd like to get your advice on hedging - risk.

bob woodward, thank you for writing it.aiver from the federal government right now, and says if it does not get it, tens of thousands of the employees may lose their health insurance. we are digging into the story. >>> and turning down to volume of tv commercials and details of what congress is doing which could change your viewing experience. hey, lawrence, my parents want to talk to you. oh. about what? uh, they don't really think you're an exchange student. what? they think you're a businessman, using our house to meet new clients in china. for reals, player? [ woman speaks chinese ] they overheard a phone call. [ speaks chinese ] something about shipping with fedex to shanghai. and then you opened a bottle of champagne. that was for a science project. [ man and woman speaking chinese ] i'm late for...soccer... rehearsal. [ man speaks chinese ] you and i are cool? i'll be home by curfew. [ male announcer ] we understand.® you need a partner who can help you go global. fedex. >>> mcdonald's may be considering some big cha

bob woodward has a new book, on national security and war. obama's war, causing a big stirrer, as it is a hocalled. >> the white house chief spokesman, robert gibbs, has said he read the whole thing and he says it is accurate. bob woodward has a very established history writing these books. he goes to everybody. he talks to everybody. we know how many of his books have been out about various subjects, all bestsellers, often giving interesting looks inside the process as is happening and developing. i don't think it claims to make any sort of long-term conclusions and judgments over the strategy, but it is the process as it is going on. i think we know also as the process is going on, the review that took some people painfully long, there were leaks all the time about how many differences there were within the administration over what was coming out. we know for instance that vice- president biden was committed to a counterterrorism strategy, while general mcchrystal and many in the military were advising a counterinsurgency strategy. i think

the president told woodward, according to published reports, "we can absorb a terrorist attack. prevent it but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever, we absorbed it and we are stronger." just days after his inauguration, the president is forced to confront stark realities about the terrorist threat and the war in afghanistan. in the book, bruce rydell, an expert on islamist extremism, tells the president the long-held belief osama bin laden was just a figurehead is not true. >> bin laden is more than still out there. he's not hiding in a cave somewhere. he's actually directing global terrorist operations. >> reporter: woodward also reports, a fact since confirmed by abc news, there's a secret cia army made up of 3,000 afghan paramilitary soldiers to go after militants in both afghanistan and pakistan. and he describes infighting amongst the obama team. general david petraeus calls senior adviser david axelrod a complete spin doctor. insults that come out as the president and his aides formulate a new policy for afghanistan and pakistan. >> i think that the review that we've

woodward also says mr. obama ma agreed to send more troops to afghanistan but insisted on setting a timetable for withdrawal because he feared he might, quote, lose the whole democratic party. >>> turning to moneywatch. most stocks in asia edged up this morning. ashley morrison in new york with morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. asian stock markets ad veinsed slightly this morning in light training. the neck kay bucked the trend slipping about a third of a percent, the hang seng mostly higher. on wall street investors hope to add to gains. yesterday, the dow rose by seven and the nasdaq fell six points. >>> another member of president obama's economic team is leaving. lawrence summers, the president's top economic adviser plans to leave the white house at the end of the year and return to harvard university. he's the third top-level economic advise arer to the president to leave since july. >>> meanwhile, following his policy-making meeting yesterday, the federal reserve made clear it i

do what woodward and bernstein do, text it to 622639. we'll read the best responses later in the show. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this wednesday, september 22nd. a lot going on today including christine o'donnell declaring an end to her relationship with the national media. >>> plus, jon stewart sits down and opens up about his tortured life as a crying on the inside kind of clown. actually just told a bunch of jokes and promoted his books. highlights in a minute. first to the news. live at 5:30 a.m. here at 30 rock in new york city. >>> this morning, details are out on the much anticipated new book by journalist bob woodward which offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the obama administration's decision to increase troops in afghanistan. the book called "obama's wars" paints a picture of top advisers deeply divided over the war in afghanistan, which critical -- vice president joe biden and richard holbrooke doubt the president's strategy there. according to secret meeting notes and documented cited president oba

for the first time since the publication of bob woodward's new book "obama's wars" vice president joe biden is speaking out about his reported clashes with president obama on afghanistan policy. last night on lawrence o'donn l o'donnell's new show "the last word" lawrence asked the president what the situation in afghanistan would look like today if the administration had adopted biden's strategy of fewer troops. >> president obama is president of the united states. i told him i would give him my unvarnished opinion and back it up with the facts as i saw them. the president had the most thorough going review. the american people should read bob woodward's book, at the end of the book they'll see a president who was a leader, a president who approached problems in an analytical way and made sound decisions that everyone signed on to including joe biden. >> that's been the argument from the white house. no controversy here, just vigorous debate at the white house. joe biden also addressed the part of the book where biden reportedly called richard holbrooke "the most egotist cal bastard

this is a context of the woodward book. a year after the afghan strategy review, can you both say without reservation that the strategy is sound enough to justify the expenditure of american lives? >> yes. i would not sign the orders if i did not believe that. >> a follow up on that question. the internal division were doing their duty. how does it affect the war effort? >> once the president made his decision last december, everybody at the senior level was on board in terms of going forward with the strategy he approved and executing it to the best of our ability. that continues to be the case. >> as has been said many times, we think we have the inputs right. we are seeing some signs of progress. with the right strategy and resources, we are starting to move forward. this has been a difficult year. we knew it was going to be that way. yesterday's we had terrible losses. -- yesterday we had terrible losses. we believe we are in a position to move forward with this strategy and look at the execution over the next many mont

we're coming back with bob woodward's new book and bob himself. doing battle with his own military over how to wage a war. the big question, did president obama get control of his generals or do the generals box him into a war. back in a minute. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs, if you don't have good knees. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. [ deb ] people don't just come to ge capital for money. they come to us for help. at ge capital, we've been financing taylor guitars for over eight years, helping them build a strong dealer network. bringing music to people... i like that. ♪ ♪ [ bob ] i didn't know you could play. i didn't either. ♪ but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now, i can join the fun and games with my grandchildren. great news! for people with copd, i

peace corps. >>> let's start with bob woodward's book. andrea mitchell nbc news's chief correspondent and chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. let me go to andrea first. andrea, let me read to you a quote from the book. this is something obama told his aides. "i think i have two years with the public on this. they'll stand by us for two years. that's my window." that seems to be a statement that politics plays a role in his thinking about how long to keep us in afghanistan. >> i think the politics does play a role but that is a commander in chief and a president who is trying to understand what leeway he has. i think it is defensible. i have talked to michael beschloss and others who say that this is someone trying to figure out what is tolerable by the american people. i think they can explain this and say this is exactly what he is doing. >> well, he's saying how much he can get away with in terms of keeping his troops there, because his base will depart from him otherwise. let ask you about the po

written by the veteran journalist, bob woodward, top advisers doubted whether increased troops set to the country -- sent to the country would work. steve king and -- steve kingston is in washington forced out. how significant is this? quite significant in the sense that on a deeper level it reveals what we already know, there were difficult decisions involved in sending more troops to afghanistan in terms of personality clashes. the most obvious is from richard holbrooke, the pakistan and afghanistan specialty adviser, referring to a afghanistan troops strategy. no comments today confirming nor denying it, i would be interested and it does show the world is deep division in the policy debate. >> the white house is not quarrelling with any of this substance, as i understand. particularly from general petraeus and a sense of frustration on all sides. >> what comes across is the president, according to bob woodward, everything being hidden. the president has set july of next year as the date at which he wants to begin the drawdown of some american troops. the really interesting thing, i