with admiral mullen. request from general mcchrystal. jane: let us know when you hear more. thanks. jon: in the wake of what had been a secret meeting between the chairman of the joint chiefs and the man who is in charge of strategy on the ground in afghanistan, let's find out what is at stake here. joining us now, major general from the u.s. army reserve, and a former deputy commander of u.s. special operations command. congress has expressed some interest in having general mcchrystal testified. bob gates, the defense secretary, is putting the brakes on that. why? >> i think maybe secretary gates is afraid that this would become a political football and add more acrimony to congress than it is already experiencing, but i think it is a legitimate function for the congress to require in their oversight function -- to inquire in their oversight function as to what the ground commanders are seeing and feeling that they need. jon: a year ago during the campaign, candidate obama was very supportive of the effo

mullen said, right. and admiral mullen then went on to say, senator graham said, so i just want our colleagues to know that the security environment in afghanistan from my point of view will prevent any civilian success until we change the security environment. how long would it take to train enough afghan troops to change the momentum in your view if you did it with just afghan forces? and he said, two or three years. and then senator graham said, what will happen if that two or three-year period in terms of the security environment while we're training. mellon said, if it's just training? graham said, yes. mullen said,, i think the security environment will continue to deteriorate. doesn't that i ask my friend, lend urgency, which is certainly not apparent in the president's statement today? after meeting with the canadian prime minister basically that he's going to go through a long process of evaluation and another strategy, claiming that he didn't have one before. that's what's disturbing is the tot

>> admiral mike mullen there.arbara starr joining us to talk about this now. now that we've heard some of the sound that's going on right now in front of the committee today, words like under resources, just now coming to grips with it, not enough troops in four years, some of those words certainly open up your eyes to the situation in afghanistan once again. >> reporter: you know, heidi, it does seem extraordinary. the latest polls show continuing declining support for the war in afghanistan. democrats and republicans on the hill lining up day by day expressing their skepticism about sending more u.s. troops into combat. this now is president obama's war of concern. this is now the top priority for the president, what to do about afghanistan, how many more troops to send and it seems a little bit ironic standing at soldier field in chicago today for an extraordinary meeting of veterans of past wars. medal of honor recipients. the nation's highest award for bravery and valor serving above the call of duty. 50 or s

. >>> admiral mike mullen is the president's senior military advisor. he is chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. today mullen told the senate more troops and resources will likelye neededo win the war in afghanistan. there are about 65,000 troops in afghanistan right now. they are due to be joined before the end of the year by a few thousand more. the new troops will be assigned to help train afghan security forces. some senators are opposed to adding any troops beyond that, but other senators such as john mccain argue that not committing enough forces invites a replay of mistakes made in iraq. mullen's comments about troop levels came during a hearing on his nomination for a second term as the chairman of the joint chiefs. >>> south carolina congressman joe wilson has been admonished for his outburst during president obama's speech to congress last week. he shouded out, "you lie." democratic house leaders introduced a resolution of disprofl over his conduct. the nonbinding resolution overwhelmingly passed in the house. wilson spoke to the chamber. >>

which is which >> i tnk you're talkingbout secrary gates and admiral mullen, the chairmanof the jot chiefs of staff, seeming to have differe messages all the time. th strongest isthat secretary ges seems -- keep saying e have plentof time on these troop requeststhat the commander afghanistan is gog to say while admiral mullen is saying we have 12 to 18 months tomake a difference. so you're etting lotsof mixed messages out ofthe pentagon in paticular about how te troop buildup wilwork. >> and do you ink they know how many troops they'd like to go and request? and when we hear president obama aying i thck -- take this notion of senng soldiers intoerious spots ery seriously and'm upon ding it, what's pinne -- behind that? >> stan mcchrystal knows how many he wants but no on is asking the nucks th >> se's asking himent i'm asking him but not etting anywhere on tha none wants his to happen right w in the middle of the heal care debate. let's fa it. but it's a very good point. president obama saying i have ttake time o this because i'm sending pple off toar and peopl can get killed guess what? p

>> i think you're talking about secretary gates and admiral mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, seeming to have different messages all the time. the strongest is that secretary gates seems -- keeps saying we have plenty of time on these troop requests that the commander in afghanistan is going to say while admiral mullen is saying we have 12 to 18 months to make a difference. so you're getting lots of mixed messages out of the pentagon in particular about how the troop buildup will work. >> and do you think they know how many troops they'd like to go and request? and when we hear president obama saying i thick -- take this notion of sending soldiers into serious spots very seriously and i'm upon dering it, what's pinned -- behind that? >> stan mcchrystal knows how many he wants but no one is asking the nucks the >> she's asking himent i'm asking him but not getting anywhere on that! no one wants this to happen right now in the middle of the health care debate. let's face it. but it's a very good point. president obama is saying i have to take time on this because i'm s

and should be engaged more pro actively, in -- in this whole affair. >> but chairman mullen has made more troops to pakistan probably -- trips to pakistan than any other military american leader. more than a dozen trips in the last year. some credit his participation to sort of get the reversal in pakistani strategy to take a much more aggressive line toward the taliban. is, however, when you look at the afghanistan part of the operation, granted that, you know, the pakistan is still developing and trust is improving between those two countries what is the karzai factor here? there is increasingly the election is contested. his rule and government is seeing something did -- is seen as something something corrupt. can a change of strategy even inclusive of pakistan deliver change in afghanistan if you have a government in place that folks look at -- as legitimate. >> let's go back a little bit. let's go back prior to the elections we had. i think from the get-go, everything was wrong except the intention of having elections. and i have also doubts about the intentions because, probabl

mullen told lawmakers there was no disconnect among local and federal investigators. he also addressed concerns about the terror threat. >> there's been some discussion in the media as to whether there remains an imminent threat related to the zazi plot. >> we do not believe there is an imnept threat. >> zazi pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. he's being held now without bail. >>> stocks are finishing with an overall gain this quarter. weak news about jobs prompted moderate losses on wall street today. the dow slipped 30 points today. the nasdaq lost less than two points. each index is up about 15% overall for the third quarter of this year. >>> coming up tonight, a maryland middle school student diagnosed with the swine flu has died. >> several cases of sexting at a high school there. >>> michelle obama making a push to bring the olympic games to chicago. >>> keith garvin goes beneath the beauty of rwanda, progressing after 15 years after genocide ripped it apart. >>> we've had some clouds, some sunshine, even a sprinkle. got a chilly one coming up tonigh

admiral mullen went to congress and said we probably need more troops. yet, the president is saying we need to think about the strategy right now. it really creates the impression of a rift between the civilian leadership, u.s. secretary of defense, the president. and the uniformed military. >> i don't think that's the case at all. i spoke with both general mcchrystal and general he petraeus on wednesday. general mcchrystal was very explicit. he thinks this assessment, this review's going on right now, is the right thing to do. he doesn't want it to be open-ended. >> how long will it take? >> well, you know, it's not going to take -- i think it's a matter of few weeks. and people should remember, the debate within the bush administration on the surge, lasted three months, from october to december 2006. so, i think it's important to make sure we're confident and we have the right strategy in place and then we can make decisions on additional forces. >> the clock seems to be ticking, going back to general mcchrystal's report, it says if we don't turn the t

update, alabama wins big, dan mullen gets his first win in the s.e.c. >> mark: all right, brown handst off to devine. did well to get a short gain on the play. picked up one and, boy, what a crazy day this has been so far. started off with the torrential downpour right around the time we were supposed to kick oil off, maybe 15 minutes before kickoff and tried to empty out the stadium. told the fans they had evacuate. ted a couple of lightning spottings and they brought the times back out and west virginia came out like a couple of bolts of lightning and put points on the board early but auburn rallying late in the first half of play with ten points in the second period. tied now at 27 apiece. >> bob: i believe that's tone quo coleman. they told us yesterday, ted roof, we met with antonio. their best player but their best leader. cake back for a fifth year. see gene chizik. this guy is as respected. probably the most respected player along with cody burns. a lot of inner turmoil and controversy. boy, you talk about antonio coleman. he has seen a lot of different defensive coordinators

. >> that is admiral mike mullen testifying about afghanistan yesterday.e big headline on today's "washington post." will president obama send more u.s. troops to afghanistan? time for "the politics fix" dead serious tonight with david gregory, moderator of nbc's "meet the press" and politico's roger simon. we went to war after the bombings of 9/11. we are at war still, longest war in history probably now. is this a call for an escalation by the admiral? >> i don't think there is any question that it is. the admiral has been clear. military leaders have been clear. there's got to be parody between the mission and the resources. if they're going to do a counterinsurgency, a nation-building effort in afghanistan, the u.s. needs more troops and they're going to be there for a while. the president has an important choice to make. >> roger, that choice is politically packed but it's real. it's not a public relations issue, it's not about campaigning or getting votes, it's about whether this country stays at war at full strength or whether we begin to pull back

who is about to give an address about 9/11 ♪ [ music ] >>> ladies and gentlemen, admiral michael mullen>>> mr. president, president, madame first lady, secretary gates, distinguished visitors, welcome. i offer a special welcome to the loved ones of those who died or were injured in an attack on the pentagon september 11th, 2001. we are here to reflect and remember. who among us can ever forget where we were, what we saw, how we felt as citizens and as a nation. i myself remember the shudder and the smoke, the ship mates i lost and how the whole world changed that day. as americans, we share a common sore row for the 184 livings that ended here -- lives that ended here and for all those who perished in new york and somerset county pennsylvania. some young, some not so young. all of them taken from us, stolen from us, right before our eyes, and well before their time. our grief is real and it is warranted. but if i may, let me ask and let me urge, that we look upon this day, not only with sorrow, but also with hope for the future, that those we honor wanted us to have and gratitude for th

>> this was a idea by admiral mullen. he flew out to ramstein and was joined by general petraeus. he wanted to hear from general mccrystal himself. he is now on his way back. he has the request for more troops, more resources. we're being told it is still in the 30,000 to 40,000 range. that request will be given thej then to secretary gates in the pentagon but he doesn't plan to pass it on to the president or white house until they discuss what the new strategy is. >> bin laden says al qaeda could retaliate against europe for its alliance with the u.s. and afghanistan. it heard on a new audiotape. bin laden says european countries share in the blame for nato air strikes that have killed civilians. the president has put a new man in charge of the difficult effort to close the guantanomo terrorist detainee facility by next january r white house counsel greg craig was replaced by pete rouse as they worry about making the deadline. there are still legal and diplomatic and national security issues that must be dealt w you can cross off another obama administration official from the ros

and in a follow-up to the conversation about afghanistan, we looked at the testimony today of mike mullen the top military officer speaking on hearing on his nomination as chief joint of staff and head additional troops will likely be needed in afghan. >> i don't know what additional resources general mccystal may ask for or what ratio of training to combat units he really needs. we'll get to all of that in the coming weeks but i believe hearing behind views and having great confidence in his leadership a properly resourced counter insurgency probably means more forces and without question, more time and more commitment to the protection of the afghan people and to the development of good governments. >> charlie: admiral mullen addressed the preference for building up the afghan security forces before deploying more combat troops. >> as you rightly pointed out last week, mr. chairman, i share your view that larger and more capable afghan national security forces remain vital to that nation's viability. i share your view and have stated publicly the path to achieving the president's goal i

he is standing behind admiral mullen, very rainy day. an umbrella over his head.we, of course, will take his comments live. >>> also, keeping an eye this morning on a field in shanksville, pennsylvania. that event scheduled to begin in about 15 minutes. we'll take you there for a moment of silence commemorating the victims aboard flight 93. >>> and right now ceremonies going on at ground zero. families of 9/11 victims are there this morning, once again, eight years later, for the annual reading of the names. in fact, let's talk for a moment about ground zero. there are long-approved plans to build five skyscrapers on that site, but it still stands mostly empty. across the street, though, a very different story. seven world trade center was the last building to collapse on 9/11. it's now completely rebuilt and 85% occupied. developer larry silversteyn was determined to make it the safest building in the world. he gave me a tour of the unique construction and showed me how he incorporated the lessons learned from the 9/11 attack. >> we're in the stairwell in this bu

. >> a poor job by tyson lee and dan mullen is running out on the field to talk to him right now. been telling him you had no business taking the sack. you cannot take the sack. talking to him right at midfield. great job of coaching by dang mullen right in the middle of the field telling tyson lee you cannot take a sack. we'll get a chance to kick a 50-yard field goal but you can't take a sack. boy, he's really upset. >> we are waiting an 8:49 kickoff. this game delayed just about an hour and four minutes due to weather. out to mark jones and bob davie with an update. we'll update florida state. chasing byu. what they call an audible. >> byu, ponder to casparowski. >> you're gloating about it. >> this a bit of a surprise. number 7 byu team on the ropes. now, come on. diggs agreement. why not. >> it's not a surprise. we did see -- we did see florida state play miami earlier in the year and did see miami play the other night against georgia tech which was a team coming into the season that a lot of people had high expectations for. i had picked them myself to win the akc. i was won

. >>> admiral mike mullen said the war in afghanistan is procedural going to require additional troops and time. at a hearing on his nomination to serve a second term as top military officer, he said more would be need indeed part because, quote, we very badly underresource afghanistan for the better part of four or five years. >>> a new report shows a nasty feud between the fbi and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives. the dispute is over both agenci agencies's jurisdiction claims and investigations of explosives incident. among the findings in the report obtained by the associated press, the two agencyings have been racing each other to crime scenes, failing to share information and refusing to train together. >>> in china, passengers on a bus managed to safely keep before the vehicle burst into flames and rolled out of control down a highway in china. one police officer suffered minor injuries trying to stop that bus. >>> now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines are msnbc.com. ever feel like certain foods made it hard to summon up your will pow

. >> bob: go back to what jeff mullen told us.ickly turns into a quarterback draw if he doesn't get what he wants to get. >> mark: he told him he doesn't have to be pat white to be successful. doing a good job of being himself an a flag thrown. arnett being covered by walter mcfadden. mcfadden seemed to have that db lean going on into the wide receiver arnett. >> referee: pat interference, defense, 15-yard penalty. >> bob: -- was is it questionable? >> mark: just what you said. >> bob: let's look at a couple things and see at the end if this football was catchable. close, close. that's a tough one. no question mcfadden extended the arm on him. that's a cuff call right there to make in that situation. >> mark: mcfadden, one of the voices. jimmie johnson racing for a fourth straight championship at new hampshire. coverage beginning sunday at 1:00 p.m. eastern time on abc. it was interesting. we had a chance to meet with antonio coleman. he said that walter mcfadden was really the speaker box on defense. guys, listen to them. boy, ja

. >>> mike mullen is recommending that the military end its ban that keeps women from serving in submarines. women are allowed on surface ships, but critics say submarines are different. >>> and in turkey, a van packed with beehives and a truck collided, sending those bees into attack mode. they started going after the crash victims and the rescuers themselves. one person died from that accident. 20 others taken to the hospital with injuries. >>> now, here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. >>> new research shows more than half a million children each year have bad reactions from widely used medicines and it results in medical treatment and sometimes hospitalization. the study shows children 5 and under are most commonly affected and that penicillin and other ant biotics are among the biggest culprits in these cases. doctors recommend paying close attention when children are given a first-time medication. for more on this story, check us out on msnbc.com. >>> now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day today. the dow opens at 9,789 after

admirable mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff testified we already had the strategy. it's a matter of resources. what's the key to the resources is the men and women in the military. yes, we need to build up the afghan army. yes, we need a whole lot of things. but the key is to provide an environment of security so you can clear and hold and succeed. that's the strategy that worked in iraq. sean: condoleezza rice said if you want another terrorist attack in the u.s., abandon afghanistan. do you agree with that statement? >> absolutely. i mean there is no doubt that the -- that al qaeda would reestablish a base. taliban, who, by the way, is not popular, would return and parts of afghanistan would be under taliban control. at least parts. i mean, i think it's very obvious. if you don't believe that you are ignoring lessons of history. sean: what did you think of the former security advisor and the jimmy carter brazen ski if they try to take out nuclear facilities that we confront and shoot down israeli airplanes if they flew over iraq? >> bizarre. sean: he is advising t

the pele are, whenhey need you there and until they can provide for their own security. >> rner: mullen also gave thelearest indication yet the commandi general stanley mcchris toll islikely to recommend aditional u.s. forces beent. >> having heard h views and having great confence in his leadershi a properly resourced unterinsurgency probably means moreorces. >> waer: his comments immediately touched off a debate with senator armed services committee chairman carl levin saying afghan securityorces need to beefed up bere more u.s. troops are sent. >> providing the resources needs fr the ahan army and afghan police to become self-suffient would demotrate o commitment to th success of a mission that is in o national security interest. ile avoiding the risks associated wi a larger u.s. footprint. ielieve theseteps should be urgently implented before we consider a further increase in u.s. ound combat troop beyond wh is alrdy planned to be deployedy thend of thyear. >> in all due respect, senator levin, i've seen thatmovie befo >> waer: the committee top republican senator john mcca quickly

yesterday, jointhiefs chairman mike mullen testified the r was essential to preven ahanistan from againecoming a safe haven r terror groups ke al qaeda. and today, aeaked draft administration dument on "evaluating progress in afghanistan-pakista underscored thapoint. it cited as objective 1. disrupt terrist networks in ghanistan and especially pakistan to degrade anability they ha to plan and launch international terrorist atcks. but inn opinion piece in today's "washingtopost," entitled "whs afraid of a terroristafe haven?" former cia counterterror officialaul pillar dismissed that ratiole for the war, cling it a "flaw assumption." to takup the safe havens issue, paul pillar joins us. he's now at georgetn university. along with: reuelerecht a former case oicer at the cia he is currently a senio fellow with thfoundation for dense of democracis. thank you t-- thank you both for being here. paul pillar, so, begning with you, you caed it a flat sumption, the very assumpti and objecve that mike mullen and the president haveaid out, which ithe-- is to present al qaeda from returni there and

. >> warner: the administration's senior military officer, joint chiefs chairman admiral mike mullen,went to capitol hill today to urge patience for the president's stepped-up commitment in afghanistan. >> the president has given us a clear mission. disrupt, dismantle and defeat al qaeda and its extremist allies and prevent afghanistan from becoming a safe haven again. you can't do that from off shore, and you can't do that by just killing the bad guys. you have to be there where the people are, when they need you there, and until they can provide for their own security. >> warner: mullen also gave the clearest indication yet the commanding general stanley mcchris toll is likely to recommend additional u.s. forces be sent. >> having heard his views and having great confidence in his leadership, a properly resourced counterinsurgency probably means more forces. >> warner: his comments immediately touched off a debate with senator armed services committee chairman carl levin saying afghan security forces need to be beefed up before more u.s. troops are sent. >> providing the resources n

admiral mullen said we're losing momentum in afghanistan. we need more resources. we have a strategy that started in march. it's the counterinsurgency strategy. it's not properly resourced. i don't believe it's possible to turn around afghanistan without more american combat power somewhere near 40,000 troops. having said that, the key to us leaving with security and honor is to put pressure on the karzai government. i want to help this president do the things we need to do, stand up to skeptical public and i understand why people are skeptical, but i'll be one republican standing by this president and we will not do to him what they did to bush. this is not obama's war in afghanistan. this is america's war, and there's a way to win it according to our commanders. we're going to need more resources to do it, and i want to help this president because our national security interests are as ever much as stake today as during the election >> david, i said during the year, if the president listened to our commanders on the ground and to our diplomats, that i'd be there

he ought to be listening to their commander, admiral mullen who is the chairman of the joint chiefs and of course ultimately to the secretary of defense. these are important people in the chain of command. they also deserve to be heard very carefully by the president. prior to the decision in iraq to send additional combat forces, there was a three-month debate inside of the bush administration. so when the president wants to take some weeks here to take a look at this strategy following that election that you referred to which is a troublesome election. i think we should not begrudge the president that kind of time and consideration. >> brown: senator chambliss, how do you factor in the karzai election? is there a point, for example, where we might have to say that this election lacked legitimacy to the point where president karzai might have to step aside if the u.s. is to up the ante? terms of forces? >> well certainly i think that would be difficult for us to do. the presumption is that the iraqi people had the opportunity or excuse me the afghan people had the opportunity to go out

he's got very good military mindin place with amiral mullen with general petraeus, general ed narrow iniraq and general mcchrystal in afghan stachblt he's puthem inhe right positions. he obviously has a lotf coidence in them. if general mcchrystal sayswe need to devise a strateg that's different from wh we're doing right w and if we're going to be successful with tha strategy, w need more troops, i think it's incumbenon the president to puthe kind ofaith inis commanding general to go ahead and authorize additnal troops. i do agree with carl that just putting troops out there is not going to guartee success. general mhrystal has been very clear about that in his report. buhe does say that it is gog to require me troops to train afghans. we've got some difficult pockets of the taliban in afghanistan that have got to be uprooted much le we did in rami and other provinces iraq. and we can... we're going to haveo do that ultimately t be successful milirily. but just sending more trps is not going to do it. but if general mcchrystal says he's got thave more troops with the new strategy in

>> david, i want to pick up with admiral mullen. you had him on. he gave. >> i thought, a really smart speech this week to a veterans group in which he said, i would rather debate this issue than ignore it. and what i think he was implying there and implying here, he knows -- the last time i went to afghanistan was following him. and i saw a lot of things that he saw. and it was very clear to me that the strategy has changed. basically, what the military has concluded is that the only way we can possibly succeed there is by building the kind of local, regional and national governance there will protect and serve the afghan people so they won't want to sign up for the taliban for any number of other reasons. that's what they have concluded, but the only way to do that is with state building 101. i think the thing we all have to debate, okay, and we really knew -- i do believe we have to redebate this issue on a national level. do we want to undertake that project in this country? does it serve our interest? i believe it is a fantasy to think we can

the sense of admiral mullen and the joint chiefs is not to break the force. sometime tough risk the one to do the other, the risk we confronted in iraq and that is the general -- that the challenge that general mccrystal faces in afghanistan y. >>> you. >>> how can the pentagonou save energy? stay tuned. we'll be right back. need a lift? hey buddy, i appreciate the ride, you know. no problem. ♪ mind if i take a shortcut? yeah, sure. ♪ i knew the subaru legacy was the smart choice... what i didn't expect... was the fun. the all-new subaru legacy. feel the love. >>> experts may disagree about when fossil fuels will run out but everybody agrees that at some point they will run outer. for the world's largest single energy user the u.s. military that spells trouble. some members of congress want the pentagon to adopt new technologies, like wind and solar power and to build nuclear power surface ships. we have sherry goodman who serves as therurgin the clinton adminisgation and general counsel of the cna. sherry, welcome to the show. >> thank you, good to be here.

gwen: mike mullen came out sterday and told you and other reporters about what he thinks the problem is and what the chges are -- challenges are going forward in afghanist. >> this is a msionhat's been underresourced aost since its inception, certainly in renalt years, and part of why it has tten more sious andas deteorated is directly td that. gwen: whatoes he mean by that? >> does he meanot enough people- i think he means there'been not enoh focus on afghantan, which we all know. the troops and a lot of the telligence forces were moved iraq during that war. >> it s a major part of barack obama's presidential campaig which is exactly the point becae it makes it much more colicated. gwen: he wasupposed to be focud on afghanistan. >> you listen to secrety gates, who seems so thoughtful out this and knowing that the white house, as i'm told, is deeply uncmfortable with sending more troops into ghanistan. this is a decision that is going to be very difficult. i think probably what will happen is that geral chrystal will present a report questioning requesting troops and putting the risk

general stanley mcchrystal hand delivering the request to joint chiefs chair mike mullen. it happened yesterday in germany, but a final say of course rests with the commander-in-chief, president obama ap a decision may not come until the end of the year. the growing unpopularity among americans and making the president's decision more difficult. for analysis, major general bob scale. it's been a while. >> nice to be here. >> rick: a tough spot for the president because the polls show that the american people are not in favor of sending more men and women over to afghanistan and yet, the guy in charge on the ground says if we don't, we'll lose. >> that's absolutely right. by the way if we don't make the decision soon like in the next few weeks, those troops may arrive too late to begin the spring campaign season which normally kicks off in april. it takes four to six months to get a set of bring dpads up and get them deployed so time is in fact short. >> rick: you know, the president says that he's asking all the tough questions as he weighs this decision on whether or not

chairman, and hello, admiral mullen.you very much for your outstanding and dedicated service to the nation over these years. you have show and outstanding leadership as the chairman of the joint chiefs and also i want to congratulate you on your nomination for continuing to serve this position. and also i want to add a welcome to your lovely wife, deborah. >> thank you, sir. >> i am interested in the afghanistan momentum. we have been fighting in afghanistan now for about eight years. we are facing a more sophisticated and resilient insurgency than any time since 2001. mauney question to you is what could be the effect if we fail to quickly regain the initiative and reverse the momentum in afghanistan? >> i worry a great deal about it essentially becoming a failed state and a safe haven. while maybe the midterm affects that house on pakistan, and the president's strategy, and i strongly agree, it is a reasonable strategy. it involves both those countries even though they are both sovereign countries, they have links de b

but he and admiral mike mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, agree with general stanley mcchrystal that the war could be lost unless more troops are deployed. turning now to health news, a new study of last year's seasonal flu vaccine shows that getting a shot in the arm was twice as effective as using a nasal spray. today in austin, texas, an overflow crowd lined up to get shots for the new flu season. here's don teague. >> reporter: at the travis county fairgrounds in austin, health officials turned a huge livestock barn into a drive through clinic for free seasonal flu shots. they expected a strong turnout, but county medical director dr. phillip huang says it was overwhelming. >> this is a record for us. >> reporter: the line of cars stretched more than a mile. >> i am very concerned. i'm very overprotective of my kids. >> reporter: officials began the day with 1,500 doses of vaccine but by mid-morning were already running out. they scrambled to find 1,200 additional doses and extra medics. health officials have done drive through shot clinics before but say they've never had t

>> david, i want to pick up with admiral mullen. he gave a really smart speech this week to a veterans group, in which he said i would rather debate this issue than ignore it. and what i think he was implying there and here i think he knows, actually the last time i went to afghanistan was following him and i saw a lot of things that he saw. and it was very clear to me that the strategy has chand. basically, what the military has concluded is that the only way we can possibly succeed there is by building the regional government that will protect and serve the afghan people so they won't want to sign up with the taliban for any number of other reasons. that's what they have concluded, but the only way to do that is with state building 101. i think the thing we all have to debate okay and we really knew -- i do believe we have to redebate this issue on a national level. do we want to undertake that project in this country? does it serve our interest? i believe it is a fantasy to think we can go to this sort of smal . work? do you thin

central command, general david petraeus said today that both he and admiral mike mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff endorse the assessment of the top commander in the afghanistan war that the mission could fail without additional sources. the president called for a review of the war strategy before he decide wlts more troops should be sent. >>> next up the flu news. the maker of tamiflu today said there is a shortage of the children's version of the drug, used to treat both the h1n1 swine flu and the seasonal flu. not good news when the number of cases among young people is soaring. abc's ryan owens is in austin, texas, tonight, a city where extraordinary measures are being taken to deal with that. >> reporter: two triage tents -- the kind you'd usually see at a disaster or at war -- sit outside the doors of the emergency room at dell children's hospital in austin. >> this is the flu treatment tent. >> reporter: with school back in session, doctor ares here are seeing more than 300 suspected swine flu cases a day, double a normal flu season. the tents allow them to isol

charm of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen and others from the pentagon are backing recommendations by the commander in afghanistan, general stanley mcchrystal. he's pushing for more than 40,000 troops for a counter-insurgency strategy to secure the country from al qaeda and the taliban. >> they have all stated publicly their view of counter-insurgency as the preferred method of dealing with the threat we face in afghanistan. >> reporter: with secretary of state clinton and special representative to afghanistan and pakistan holbrooke said to be leaning that way. vice president biden, general jim jones and chief of staff rahm emanuel are said to be skeptical of that proposal. with biden pushing a narrower foe kur on counterterrorism, just al qaeda, with likely fewer troops. others in the room have yet to decide. among the questions they're debating -- does providing security for afghanistan against the taliban make sense if most of al qaeda is in pakistan? does the taliban pose a threat to the u.s.? if not, need they be defeated? does nation-building in afghanistan make sense if it's

secretary gates today received the formal request for more troops from stanley mcchrystal, admiral mike mullenhe chairman of the joint chiefs, met with mcchrystal in germany for a briefing on the re re request, and five soldiers were killed in afafghanistan. >>> in springfield, illinois, a man was arrested, and a man arrested in dallas, accused of a similar plan to blow up a building, was in court, and a lot of people are asking, are the reports coincidence or something more? here's pierre thomas. >> reporter: two stings in illinois and texas, nearly identical, both involving suspects eagerly looking to detonate car bombs. in each case, the explosives were fake. the suspects snared by fbi agents and informants, posing at radicals. all of this coming to light on the same day a denver man is indicted for allegedly joining forces with al qaeda to conduct a bombing campaign inside the u.s., likely in new york. are there more terrorists or is the government getting better at finding them? the answer, sources tell us, is yes and yes. u.s. officials are increasingly concerned about radicalized americ

this came up in a confirmation hearing for admiral michael mullen. carl levin reports that the u.s. focused more on training afghan forces to defend their own country, rather than building up their own presence there. much -- but john mccain disagrees, saying that we risk repeating mistakes made in iraq if we do not add more troops to afghanistan. major, any word on which with the president is leaning on this? >> no, no word. he wants to hear from the general david petraeus and others, as well as robert gates. he wants to hear from all of them before making a decision. the decision is weeks and weeks away. on intervening event that will be very important is that next week the president wills and to -- will spend time in new york city dealing with nato allies to see if they are willing to add forces to the grounds to help train the afghan police and army. if they are not willing to, the president has a difficult decision to make about adding forces, which number 65,000 right now. shepard: there are much more than troops in the works here. >> that is right. there is a debate going on

but joint chiefs chairman mike mullen did not specify how many more troops the pentagon might request. >>> the troops in afghanistan have been directed to do all they can to avoid civilian casualties. the pentagon has released some tape now, which it says dhon statements the split-second decisions that troops have to make in battle. here's martha raddatz. >> reporter: it begins with a helicopter crew seeps several men planting what they believe to be an explosive device on a dirt road. >> they're digging around on the ground. it looks like he appears to be covering up something in the road. >> he's on the east side of the road. >> roger. >> reporter: the helicopter crew tracks the man for several minutes, preparing to fire when suddenly, a child appears. >> is that a kid, damn it! >> the kid appears to be carrying something over into their vicinity. he's handing them something, and they're digging in that road. >> ok, go away kid, go away kid, go away kid. >> reporter: the helicopter crew waits for the child to leave and keeping the suspected insurgents in the cross-hairs. they way fo