-- of pakistan. they believe they must maintain at least part of those relationships. in the last year, we have seen part of the jihadist frankenstein and pakistan actually turn against its own master. today pakistan is witnessing the most serious political violence in the country's history. it is bordering on civil war. the good news here is that the pakistani people seem to have increasingly come to the conclusion that their freedoms and their way of life is truly threatened by the jihadist monster. that wake of is the best news we have seen in pakistan in a long time. where do we go next? the first thing i would stress is that we cannot delink afghanistan and pakistan. we cannot delink afghanistan from the regional environment. if we are to succeed in the afghanistan, whatever success means it must be done within a larger regional environment. we will need to find ways to encourage all of afghanistan's neighbors to help and try to stabilize this country. we need to get other countries to help us s

about pakistan. pakistan is in the midst of an extraordinarily difficult transition, from military dictatorship to democracy. we should support this transition enthusiastically, but we should recognize this is pakistan's fourth attempt at doing so. you have to believe in the triumph of hope over expectation, to expect pakistan will get there, but it is in hour interest to encourage them to do so, because the pakistani military establishment over the years has proven incapable of running the country, and has developed extensive, intimate ties with the syndicate of terror that i talked about that runs along the borderlands and now deep into the heartland of pakistan. for a variety of reasons, mostly dealing with india, the pakistani military establishment believes it must maintain at least parts of those relationships. in the last year, we have seen part of the jihaddist frankenstein in pakistan actually turn against its old master and today, pakistan is witnessing the most serious political violence i

-pakistan relations. as a matter of fact, every decade is complicated. >> good afternoon, ambassador. i'm bob dreyfuss with the nation magazine. isn't it true that the -- you didn't answer the gentleman's question earlier, but isn't it true that the pakistani military and i.s.i. is still to this day giving significant support to the very enemies that we're fighting, the taliban, hakani, and that if we squeeze them too hard on this, that they could cut off our ability to supply our forces logistically, so we're kind of hostage to the taliban's main supporter, which we depend on in order to supply our forces in afghanistan? isn't that the central paradox you're facing? >> i apologize for not responding to the question earlier. it was inadvertent. this is -- this is of course a much debated question, bob. and all i can say is you're welcome to your interpretations of what happens. but i do not believe we are hostage, as you put it. it is true that well over 50% of our supplies in afghanistan come in over the

so pakistan is changing.hey go after the afghan taliban, who snowe know shs but the enemy of perfect is not okay. what we're seing in pakistan is probably the closest alignment between american strategic objectives and pakistani strategic objectives since the soviets invaded in 1979. two final points. advocates, you know, the train left the station but i think it is important -- because the president already paid the decision but advocates of doing less, the a run option, that bruce mentioned or doing it lighter, in various forms, have to answer really two questions. one, we bakely done this already twice. we have already the do nothing option which is closing the embassy in 1989 and zeroing out one of the poorest countries in the world. and into that vacuum steps tall lan and al qaeda. we have done the do it light option. which is bush's i do logical version of nation building and we got what we pay for. the taliban and al qaeda, this time closely idealogical and tacticly. and the final point. this -- i thin

there is, however, no easy solution to the problem in pakistan because pakistan is a divided country. it is certainly divided ethnically. with significant independence movement in those who could stand and the fact that the questions on both sides of the border. but it's also divided horizontally in the sense that there's a civilian but there's also the army, and informing for the other half. most of the other half. there is the isi which operates within the army. and then there is the supposedly rogue elements of the isi. so if we were to lay down some of these conditions, threatened to cut off aid to pakistan, who would we be hurting? and would we be serving our interest? i would argue that, in fact, our interest lies in strengthening pakistan's civilian government. i know there are many criticisms of the president, and he is less than a perfect human being. but the fact it it is awfully good if pakistan had once a blatant government that actually serve its term and then left office, rather than being overthrown. and the civilian government has a different approach to india than the

-pakistan relations.as a matter of fact, every decade is complicated. >> good afternoon, ambassador. i'm bob dreyfuss with the nation magazine. isn't it true that the -- you didn't answer the gentleman's question earlier, but isn't it true that the pakistani military and i.s.i. is still to this day giving significant support to the very enemies that we're fighting, the taliban, hakani, and that if we squeeze them too hard on this, that they could cut off our ability to supply our forces logistically, so we're kind of hostage to the taliban's main supporter, which we depend on in order to supply our forces in afghanistan? isn't that the central paradox you're facing? >> i apologize for not responding to the question earlier. it was inadvertent. this is -- this is of course a much debated question, bob. and all i can say is you're welcome to your interpretations of what happens. but i do not believe we are hostage, as you put it. it is true that well over 50% of our supplies in afghanistan come in over the

this one in northwest pakistan. a car bomb went off at a volleyball game, leveling nearby homes and the death toll we're hearing past the 90-mark and it could get higher. so president obama said america will do whatever it takes to defeat the terrorists. cnn senior white house correspondent ed henry is with the president in hawaii. ed, pretty tough words for mr. obama yesterday. >> that's right, brooke. he has been referring to the fact it has been wildly reported that before christmas there had been some air strikes against al qaeda targets in yemen. the u.s. has not claimed responsibility for the air strikes themselves but as the president made clear there and other officials have said, they're very supportive of what the yemeni government is doing their on the ground. in terms of retaliation and potential retaliation for the attempted terror attack on christmas day, the white house does not use the word retaliation. we talked to top aides, and they insist the president is not interested in quote/unquote retaliati

in pakistan right now. in the wake of the mumbai attacks and almost every other week, a terrorist incident happening in pakistan, it seems to be coming -- becoming unstable. do you know of any kind of plan that the u.s. has to secure those nuclear-weapons if the government were to fall? if they were to fall into the taliban or al qaeda, that would be a huge security threat. >> the volatility of pakistan is a critical national security issue. when we left office there was the belief, to do with us that were worried about counter- terrorism issues, that pakistan was going to be a core national security issue concern for this administration. you mentioned all the factors. you have got terrorist groups and individuals operating in country. you've got potentially radicalized individuals willing to help -- individuals or actors willing to help those actors. before 9/11 there was -- there were public talks about wmd issues. but after 9/11, which designated a number of individuals in that group. there's the threat

we turned our backs on pakistan. they were left to deal with a situation in afghanistan on their own. their worry is what happens in the future. will we be there? will we be a constant presence? will we be supportive of them over the long term? >> that's what u.s. secretary of defense robert gates told me earlier this month, promising to stay the course. do your countries want the united states to stay? we have this strategy review going on. do you want them to ramp up and stay? ambassador? >> our view is very, very clear about that. we supported general mcchrystal's suggestions and strategy, including increase of forces. we know this threat is not only for afghanistan or limbed to afghanistan and pakistan. this threat is not only regional. as we know, everywhere. so without stabilizing afghanistan, any talks about withdrawal or exit from the military activities and dealing with the challenges is just against the interest of the united states and the global world. >> thank you. ambassador? >> from charlie wilson unti

-pakistan relations. as a matter of fact, every decade is complicated. >> good afternoon, ambassador. i'm bob dreyfuss with the nation magazine. isn't it true that the -- you didn't answer the gentleman's question earlier, but isn't it true that the pakistani military and i.s.i. is still to this day giving significant support to the very enemies that we're fighting, the taliban, hakani, and that if we squeeze them too hard on this, that they could cut off our ability to supply our forces logistically, so we're kind of hostage to the taliban's main supporter, which we depend on in order to supply our forces in afghanistan? isn't that the central paradox you're facing? >> i apologize for not responding to the question earlier. it was inadvertent. this is -- this is of course a much debated question, bob. and all i can say is you're welcome to your interpretations of what happens. but i do not believe we are hostage, as you put it. it is true that well over 50% of our supplies in afghanistan come in over the

in general jones will speak on afghanistan and pakistan.we have a several live events to talk about tomorrow morning. the senate, and security in governmental affairs committee will have a hearing on flight 253. and live coverage of representative hoyer at the national press club. and then at 11:00 a.m. eastern, the 2010 budget and economic outlook. >> a former adviser to margaret thatcher and a british historian will be on our three our conversation live from london with your phone calls on sunday, february 7 at noon eastern book tv' "in depth " on cspan 2. >> the u.s. debt reduction task force met. this is for 50 minutes. >> welcome. we were founded on the idea that people with different views and strong allegiance to different parties could still come together and tried to design solutions to address the nation's big challenges. we are not a think tank in the traditional sense. we said the things for a purpose. when we comeÑi together, people understand they will spend as much time at the kidding for any shared a solution as they would s

pakistan to afghanistan. we need pakistan's assistance to clear them and to achieve the objective of stopping their operation. yet pakistan, i believe, is somewhat concerned about whether the united states is going to be withdrawing in 18 months and if so, whether it is a good move on their part to engage in trying to clear the taliban with whom they do not have a current conflict. on the afghanistan -- side of the border, there is a similar issue. as our troops clear an area, the process of holding and building the area back significantly involved winning the confidence and trust of the people in the region. if the people in the region think that the united states is not going to be there, and that the taliban will move in and fill that void, they have a much more difficult time making that decision to change their allegiance or move their loyalty over and actively engage in the process of trying to help maintain the structure and the control that is established by our troops. for both reasons, there is a co

like in afghanistan and pakistan. it's still a futile system. many people are devoid of an opportunity to own land. by having education and later they can get legal advocacy. especially for women. they have the right to land ownership. and both of us are from the west. a lot of the original women who were in the women suffrage act. women's right to vote it came from ranching we dose or women who settled out after the home stead -- homestead act. i find there's a lot of similarities between our country and a rural country like afghanistan. >> greg, one of the things from knowing you all these years and reading three cups of tea and now full confession. half of the new book is that you have to be a very patient person to do the work in pakistan and afghanistan yet in america we're not so patient and expect to see results seen than we do. we get impatient. we get angry. can you talk about the patience that it's taking and can we do enough of what you're trying to accomplish quickly enough. you know, afghanistan is on the front burner today and i'm

the third part of our strategy is a stronger partnership with pakistan.e of pakistan have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorism. pakistanis, civilians, military, police, civilians have sacrificed their lives fighting terror. and they recognize that their country and their future is also being targeted. pakistan has shown a new resolve in this fight, launching major offenses against extremist sanctuaries. in partnership, we're confronting al qaeda directly and inflicting losses on al qaeda leadership, making it clear we will tolerate no safe haven. for our part, rather than relying so heavily on a single leader, we're now investing more broadly in the pakistani people. . a partnership with pakistan that book targets extremists and addresses the underlying conditions that you'll extremism. we're attempting to make clear that we will neither maintain a permanent military force in afghanistan nor abandon the region to extremism. we're making it clear that the people in afghanistan and pakistan have a reliable long- term partner in the united states. but

suicide bombings have be aroundn pakistan for a ile. what iinteresting about the pakiani taliban is that we always focus othe so-cled pash tune elements in the tribal areas, whais less appreciated ithey ve strong ties in the southern punjab and its there at the anti-shi'a militiasave been very robust it is not new, they have been there sincthe late 70searly 80ss and they were really pioers of these mass murders. largely with their anti-shi'a objective. and so what you have seen is the ttp is really rehing into these anti-shi'a mitia roots and they have demonstratedver several decades a complete wiingness to engage in outrightiolence. >> i have a point here i think is very intereing that moud who claimed the responsibility for attacat the base in khost also very close to hakani and i don'think it is unreasonable to thinthat hakani didn'outsource it to the pakistani talib. cause you know, masoud is actually one othe leading suicide planners in pakistan. >> suarez: a frequent feate of these latest stories have invved on the afghanistan sid

we help pakistan remain stable.are bombings almost every day. there was a horrific bombing of a volleyball and the other day near western pakistan. a volleyball game the other day near western pakistan. that town is starting to cooperate with the government and form an anti taliban militia. there is a real war underway. i think that part of the challenge that we have had is to make sure that we help them as much as possible to deal with the threat on the western front instead of worrying some much about nba. >> thank you. >> -- except wording so much about india. -- worrying so much about india. >> how do we do with nations actions? what i would frame it differently. i think israel is a key -- >> i would consent -- >> i would frame it differently. israelis are our friends and allies. we were very closely with them. -- worked very closely with them. it is an important society. i think that our allegiance with his role is critical and i think that we have to deal with the fact that others feel threatened by the existe

active in pakistan, creating an existential threat to the pakistan government.action there. however the afghan taliban who have moved a cross the border into pakistan have, as of this point, not posted a serious threat to pakistan. their minding they're manners, if your will in pakistan using it's a sanctuary, so the request is whether pakistan will a, view that part of the taliban community as a threat in pakistan, or b, take the position it should assist the afghanistan government and americans in the coalition forces by helping to root them out. and right now, i think that one could say in one context, that the pakistan government is very much concerned about a portion of the taliban that are causing trouble in pakistan. they're not yet, i don't believe convinced they should take action an against the board against all taliban, particular mri those that have moved across for sanctuarys. that your question? >> been increasing evidence of the, if you want to break them into two they're certainly working together. i didn't know if in one of the u.s. goals gettin

we strongly support the initiative of the government of pakistan and the people of pakistan over the last year. in taking on the insurgency that exists within their midst and is such a threat to the pakistani stake and the people. i think that the fact that there is military pressure on both sides of the afghan-pakistan border is very significant. i think the facts that the afghan and pakistani authorities are cooperating with each other rather than pointing fingers at each other is a significant step forward. i also believe that the recognition that stability in afghanistan and pakistan are linked, represents a very significant step forward to the sort of regional collaboration that is going to be at the heart of any political settlement and afghanistan has been the which he is board for the victim, if you like of other countries for far too long and i believe there is now a fighting chance of enduring and afghanistan is able to have the independence and integrity that its people have for so long craved. >> >> three million afghan in the last several years. this is a tremendous numb

pakistan must do its part. the ultimate success of our mission in afganistan depends upon the continued efforts of the government of pakistan to fight extremist networks in the tribal areas. over the last year pakistan has waged aggressive campaigns in the swat valley and south wasterus stand and needing with the afganistan chief of staff and the prime minister we concluded that their national interest will be served in defeating the pakistani taliban. still action against the leadership of the afghan taliban harbor just across the border in neighboring pakistan isn't likely to occur until the pakistanis are convinced that the u.s. has the endurance to remain committed in both pakistan and afganistan. and to defeat the taliban in afganistan as well. in this regard the leaders we spoke to in both countries were clearly troubled by the obama administration's announced deadline of july 2011 for the withdrawal of the u.s. forces. we saw firsthand on our trip that the fight in afganistan and pakistan is difficult an

afghanistan and pakistan, this was, i think of my 14 strip to pakistan since i have been chairman.t's been to the priority. from my perspective, it's the to the need to continue to build. a build a relationship are-leard to trust. we've lost trust with the contras across the board. we run a 12-year debt from 1990- 2002. we do not have strong military to military relationships because there was no way to do that in that gap. for the last seven years, we have worked hard to have that in the right direction. we will continue to do that are in fact, the focus of the afghanistan-pakistan strategy and the president's decision is every bit as much on pakistan as it is on afghanistan. that gets lost sometimes in the focus on how many troops. is not about troops. that is certainly a critical part of it. it is about a region that must be addressed and must be addressed in a way that moves possibly toward better security and not in the direction that is going in afghanistan right now. i was impressed and pakistan and i have been with their chief of the army many times. i spent all day there a

it's no longer only in pakistan. the leadership is in pakistan, they believe. but it's become a franchise. and the estimate from 200 to -- well, from several hundred to several thousand members of al qaeda. but right now, what they see is that the ideology is spreading. you don't have to be trained in pakistan anymore. you can be a smaller group that latches on to the ideology and be inspired by al qaeda through the internet and through their -- chris: so fort hood, doesn't necessarily have to get equipment or anything from over there. or even money. he just attacks. >> it's the adaptability. the fact that it is a franchise, that it's spread and they're adapting to our defenses. chris: the brainpower against us, not jufnt the occasional guy like nadal hasan who gets angry and starts shooting at people but these brilliant attacks, clever things like over detroit, like 9-11, where -- how many brains are there? are they mainly in pakistan? is that where they are? in yemen? >> widely dispersed are. chris: the brains, the masterminds. >> their command and control sy

a country -- pakistan. a country that has nuclear weapons we've just given them 7.5 billion dollars we were there with secretary of state clinton pakistanis are furious at the americans they were unhappy that the .5 billion came with strings attach -- that the 7.5 billion came with strings attached they that was offensive and insulting. you india, why aren't we getting money? >> we have to make sure we are working closely with india, largest democracy of the world. we have to make sure that india and pakistan know the last thing the world needs is conflict between these two countries. they both need to understand that each other are not the problem. the taliban is the problem. there needs to be a concerted effort on both parts to make sure that the taliban is controlled. >> how? >> pakistan cracking down internally on that get of terror cells there. india needs to support them doing that india, i would hope and we have a great relationship with the prime minister there, in fact he's coming over to have dinn

my message is that pakistan and america needs to match the desire of pakistan for help with the desire of america to give that helped in the face of some common challenges. it is that cooperation and dialogue that i think needs to be the answer to the question you are opposing. >> can i add a few words about the peace process? i believe that the reintegration process is important but it has to be accompanied by a political reconciliation process. how does that process get under way? we all know from other conflicts that this is a complex process and it will take time. i believe that what you saw a couple of days ago is a psychologically important step. this is a confidence-building measure. i believe it should be followed by going through the list of detainees that exist and to see if there are people there that could be taken out of detention. that will be a confidence- building measure. let me add to that such confidence-building measures from the government and the international community have to be met by similar sentiment from the other side. if not, it will not be possible to get

in pakistan, a number of the senior taliban officials have moved across the border into pakistan.assistance to clear them and to achieve the objective of stopping their operation. yet pakistan is somewhat concerned about whether the united states is going to be withdrawing in 18 months and if so, if it is a good move on their part to engage in trying to clear the taliban with whom they do not have a current conflict. on the afghan side of the border, there is a similar issue. as our troops clear an area, then the process of holding and building the area back significantly involves the confidence and trust of the people in the region. if the people in the region think the united states is the going to be there in a little bit of time and that the taliban will just move in and fill the void, then they have a much more difficult time making that decision to move their loyalty over and actively engage in the process. for both reasons, and there is a concern as to whether we are going to help move us forward. get it to the point where we can build the afghan military forces and strengt

video was released in pakistan on saturday. in it you see a man speaking on the right. that is the alleged cia bomber, mulal balawi. in this video he stated the attack is in the revenge for the u.s. drone strike that killed former pakistani leader baital massoud in august. sitting to his left is the current leader of the pakistan, who in october vowed to avenge batula's death. >> it's very clear that there is no real distinction between the taliban on this side of the border and that side of the border. that this is now international at least not extent that it is something that crosses between the pakistan and afghan borders. but then it draws strength from jordan. it draws strength from iraq, and there is a fusion of iraq, of the iraqi al qaeda with the al qaeda here in pakistan. so all of this is getting tied together by one single thing, and that is a common world view and a common ideology. >> reporter: until now the pakistani taliban commonly focused on domestic attacks. what we're seeing now is carrying out a strike acro

a country -- pakistan. a country that has nuclear weapons we've just given them 7.5 billion dollars we were there with secretary of state clinton pakistanis are furious at the americans they were unhappy that the .5 billion came with strings attach -- that the 7.5 billion came with strings attached they that was offensive and insulting. you india, why aren't we getting money? >> we have to make sure we are working closely with india, largest democracy of the world. we have to make sure that india and pakistan know the last thing the world needs is conflict between these two countries. they both need to understand that each other are not the problem. the taliban is the problem. there needs to be a concerted effort on both parts to make sure that the taliban is controlled. >> how? >> pakistan cracking down internally on that get of terror cells there. india needs to support them doing that india, i would hope and we have a great relationship with the prime minister there, in fact he's coming over to have dinn

to pakistan, pakistan refrigerates it then sells it back to afghanistan and a greater price so are you going to put pressure on other countries to try and help afghanistan develop as an exporter of agricultural products? or any of the? >> let me start by saying we haven't had an opportunity to meet with afghan and pakistani in a trilateral effort to identify common issues in common problems, reducing border disputes sirleaf free flow of goods can be made more easily. making progress on trade agreements and things of that nature so there is a process and a structure at least as it relates to agricultural for us to work through whatever issues might separate the two countries and i think there is a real desire on the part of both administers to be cooperative and i think what our job is to help facilitate that to show an interest which is one of the reasons why i am traveling to afghanistan, is to show that interest. >> if i could quickly follow up. understand the kind of trade issues are those kinds of things but you think there is a desire on the part of the neighbors to kind of help?

so again, a major, major challenge for the government of both afghanistan and pakistan. and for the united states and the other friends of both countries to help them move towards stability in this troubled region. and once again, anyone who thinks this can be done simply by the application of military force could all be more wrong. this will require all the instruments of power economic and social development, schools, clinics, employment opportunities as well as the judicious application of force and will require these instruments over a long period of time. >> before we get phone calls i want to give your reaction to the associated press reported this morning that taliban says on the web the london conference which is taking place tomorrow in afghanistan will accomplish nothing. >> guest: that's exactly what i would expect taliban to say and the fact they said it would suggest to me they are indeed rather worried that it will accomplish something. host of the associated press is also reporting 11 suspected taliban milton's including two senior commanders have been kil

of the way we gave fine assistance in pakistan was really harsh. i am particularly in your field, education, they felt they hadn't been consulted but at the higher education and the secondary education level and i talked to some extraordinary, brilliant, pakistani leaders, both in the ngo world and the ministries about this, and we sent robin raffel, who most of you must know, former assistant secretary for south asia, out there and she is now our chief of operations, in islamabad, and she is -- i'm not going to say she's fixed the problem, i'm not going to say she will fix it completely, but i will say that the people working in these fields and education is very high on our list in pakistan, are much, much more comfortable now. we spend a lot of money on you say you give us all this money, we've never seen any of it and she said the chinese and japanese projects are very visible. we're well aware of that and we're changing it as rapidly as this attenuated budgetary process. we request the congressional approval, getting the money in place can bea

intelligence on the afghan-pakistan border, new details on the bombing that killed seven cia workers, what it tells us about our strategy in the region, the risks and the future of the fight. and as the ball dropped and the crowds cleared, they were watching. >> for our command post, post 8. >> catherine herridge takes us where reporters have never gone before. >> how tough is it? >> behind the scenes with the fbi at the biggest party of the ye year. >> but first almost a year after president obama took office, those in charge of keening us safe when we fly do not have a boss. running the transportation security administration. now, one week after the attempted bombing of northwest flight 253 there is brand new trouble. errol southers admitting he inadvertently misled a hearing only after a day the committee approved him. molly henneberg live in washington with more, molly, what's changed in his story? >> hi, gregg, initially southers, a fbi agent told a senate committee he asked a police department employee to look into some law enforcement records on his then estranged wife's new bo

arwa damon, cnn, pakistan. >>> it is heaven for gadget lovers.he latest smartphones and tvs and other electronic devices all under one roof in las vegas. we'll speak live with an expert to find out what's getting the biggest buzz at the consumer electronics show. >>> and brutal weather coast to coast. high winds get the best of a meteorologist who is showing viewers just how bad the weather is. n. i noticed that my hair was starting to get thin. tens of thousands of men and women with hair loss. i needed to make a change in my life and make a change for the better. now re-growing their hair and turning back the clock. we're talking about taking you back to the past and letting you stay there. all rebuilding their confidence and regaining their edge. more hair, more confidence. i have hair now. it will be there forever. all of them allstars and all from one place. mhr, mhr, mhr. that's what medical hair restoration is all about. call mhr right now for your free dvd presentation, plus aree hair and scalp analysis that will map out your individual h

hasn't happened anywhere else that it happened in pakistan. and it happened because of the middle-class factor. and even if you thought today, well, what can get pakistan on a different plane? what can make pakistan look a lot more like india and in the sense of economy? and has to be the middle-class that it's not going to be anything else. there's no other force that can make that change. and i think that, you know, we will only get, you know, our relations with the muslim world right, or we can help the muslim world find its way if we at least ask the right questions and look at the right pitcher that that should be our beginning point and that's what i hope this book would do. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. >> thank >> we're here at the regional library speaking with mike cecere, on his book "great things are expected from the virginians: virginia in the american revolution." might, to start off with can you tell us a bit about what exactly virginia's role was in the american revolution? >> gladly. virginia's role, and i tel

lack the operational skills of their cohorts in pakistan. i think that evidence is emerging that is more and more of the yemeni al qaeda members, al qaeda branch in yemen, have in iraq or somalia or afghan stack and pakistan. that's acquired the skills not only to carry out attacks in yemen but also to take war to the u.s. itself as the failed christmas plot revealed. this this is why american officials are concerned no only about the growing threat of al qaeda in yemen but the ability of al qaeda branch in yemen to carry out attacks in saudi arabia and also against the american homeland. just a few weeks ago, al qaeda member in yemen targeted the deputy interior minister in saudi arabia and almost injure him and this tells you about the extent the increasing threat of al qaeda and yemen. >> i want you to bring up the saudis. talk about the saudis and perhaps even the kuwaitis and involvement. what about the u.s.? we know that the head of centcom david petraeus was there yesterday talking to the president and talking yes, we will support mor

while they are the largest of the ethnic groups in pakistan, there are more in pakistan then in afghanistanain, a major challenge for the governments of both afghanistan and pakistan. and for the u.s. and allies of both countries to help the move towards stability. once again, anyone who thinks this can be done simply by the application of military force could not be more incorrect. this will require all the instruments of power, economic and social development, schools, clinics, employment opportunities, as well as the judicious application of force. it will require these instruments over a long period of time. host: let me get your reaction to the ap reported this morning that the taliban says on the web that the london conference taking place tomorrow on afghanistan will accomplish nothing. guest: that is exactly what i would expect a taliban to say. it would suggest to me that they are indeed rather worried that it will accomplish something. host: the ap is also reporting that a 11 suspected taliban militants including two senior officials have been captured. new york city, steve. on th

pakistan is such an important force in the region. help pakistan remain stable.there is a war in pakistan. there are bombings every day. there was a horrific volleyball game in western pakistan where the pakistan taliban in essence, starting to cooperate with the government, we are helping, as opposed to worrying about india. >> how do we justify the amount of money given to israel despite the frequent national-security risks which their nations and their general association give us? >> israel is a key ally in the middle east. we work closely with them. it is an important society in the middle east. our allegiance with israel is critical. we have to deal with the fact that not only israel is under siege but others feel threatened by the existence of israel and one of the challenges is getting people to agree that israel has the right to exist. that is the problem with dealing with hamas. israel is a member of the un, a nation state, i am not sure why we should feel any compunction or problems with supporting israel. israel is an important ally. >> thank you. >> i

drone attacks on pakistan? >> one important change over the last year is that the importance of pakistan to afghanistan is no longer being forgotten. it is a significant shift under the obama administration. the authorities want more help in taking on the economic political and security challenges that they face. as you indicate, pakistan is an independent country that wants to have control over its own territory and its own affairs. we think that the growing dialogue between america and pakistan is a good thing. we think as a friend that they need to work together. my message is the pakistan and america need to match the desire of pakistan for help with the desire of america to give that helped in the face of some common challenges. is that corporations that i think meets today the onset to the question you're posing. >> i agree with what the secretary said. can i add a few words about the peace process? of belief with the reintegration process, it is important. but it has to be permanent. how does that proces

the suspects appeared in court today in pakistan.yer says the men planned to trave to afghanistan to help muslims who are being victimized by western forces. the case h sparked fears that americans and other westerners traveling to pakistan to join militant groups. >>> four u.s. service members in afghanistan are dead when a roadside bomb exploded. the military said the blast took place yesterday in southern afghanistan. these are the first american combat deaths the year in the country. one u.s. service member has died of noncombat causes. >>> drivers in prince george's county will want to keep a close eye on their speedometers. speed cameras are in effect in school zones. there's 50 new cameras that have been set up. you can expect a $40 ticket if you get caught. >>> don't look down. there is a new building that holds the title tallest in the world. >>> plus a frigid rescue attempt ends tragically. a car crashes and lands upside down in rock creek. >>> the dangerously cold temperatures are here to stay for a while. >>> 5:39 is your

air strikes in pakistan and afghanistan. >> iraq is yesterday's war. if we do not act preemptively, yemen will be tomorrow's war. >> these are people who were held in gitmo their return and have now gone back to the battlefield. >> president obama's top tier adviser says -- joining us is the white house reporter for "politico." in the wake of this attempted terror attack on that flight from amsterdam to the troy, -- to detroit. >> president obama is really looking at this issue with two different reviews. he has ordered that basically all the intelligence agencies appear in the situation room on this coming tuesday. he is coming back from hawaii, and there will be a meeting asking what they did, what went wrong, and what should be done better the next time. the lot of folks are talking about folks who will lose their jobs. >> there have already been some changes in airport security. >> there is a major change, you might call it was i-profiling. -- quasi-profiling. passengers from the 14 countries coming in on international flights will be subjected to

in pakistan, or parts of the arab world, about 10 to 15 percent of the population.not a large force but the ones that account for most of the amount of economic dynamism, and the specter of the economy that they are most active in, which is private sector activity, is the one that is ultimately going to hold the middle east in muslim world by bootstraps and integrate into the global economy. is not aÑi issue of side is the issue of political role that they will play the. >> and yorba, you talk a lot about capitalism and business. can be discussed discussed a dichotomy between religion and cap wasn't in the middle is? >> religion and capitaliscapitalism can go exist the way they do in america. you have businessmen in america who are evangelical or fundamentalist or churchgoing. it's the same in the muslim world as well. what makes a difference is that capital is muslim who are integrated into global economy tend to favor interpretation of religion that supports their economic activities and serves their interest. in other words, they don't have an extremist because e

we have the five young men who went over to pakistan to fight. we have david headley who apparently was involved in the mumbai attacks. we're beginning to see this problem in the u.s., which in addition to being concerned about overseas threats, we're going to have to focus on here at home. >>larry: ambassador, is homeland security working, in your opinion? >> we're certainly safer than we were prior to 9/11. i think intelligence is better integrated, and i think information sharing between it is agencies and working much better than it did before. so in that sense, i think, yes, homeland security is working, but just as we've seen in this episode that we're living through right now, the system is -- can always benefit from improvements and that it is subject to human error and human weakness, and so we've got to stay on top of it. and i think the president himself personally has got to stay on top of it, and if there is any real outcome from this, i suspect you're going to see president obama devoting a lot more personal attention to overseeing

on pakistan as part of a taliban plot have been arrested there and i'm sure we're cooperating there. we had successes. peter knows this. and i want to commend our intelligence community for trying to get it right. >> congressman, we don't have a lot of time, but i got to ask you this question because you know you're being slammed by a lot of democrats even others, for using this issue, the obama administration's record for fund-raising. looking back on that letter you sent out seeking funds, was that a mistake, you think, so quickly after this incident? >> well it kind of interesting, wolf. you're right they're slamming me they don't like where i've taken them on policy. if you go to the president's own campaign website today, you'll see that on one side it is the president talking about national security, right next to it says donate now. what is good for goose is good for the gander. if they think i did something wrong, then the president is doing the same thing. i think it is -- let's talk about the policy here. there are major policy differences that i think we can work through t

this comes from the taliban in pakistan. a jordanian doctor believed to have carried out a suicide attack that killed seven cia employees in afghanistan claims revenge is the motive. take a look. >> we'll never forget the blood of our leader, baitullah mehsud. may god have mercy on his soul. we will take revenge for his death in america and outside america. there's a curse on every person. >> you hear them making references to baitullah mehsud, the former leader of the taliban in pakistan. he was killed last summer. nic robertson had been talking with malawi, his family, in amman, jordan. nic, hello to you. it leaves a lot of people scratching their heads that the family is not denying it, not necessarily saying he didn't do it. instead, some are actually proud of it. >> reporter: his wife has said she is proud of him. i spoke to his father a little while ago. he said he was very upset. he said he was upset about the people that had done this to his son. he implied people intentionally brainwashed him. but when we asked him,

that is what they are doing in i]afghanistan and pakistan.kistan, it would be the drone attacks. it is not just al qaeda, it is other militant networks that work in afghanistan and pakistan, jhaqqani network, pakistaniç taliban the leader f the pakistani taliban, baitullah mehsud, was killed last year. they don't acknowledge that there is even a drone campaign or program. it is a poorly kept secret. members of congress have talked about it. it is still a covert action, covert classified program, and they are not allowed to talk publicly -- the cia is not allowed to talk publicly about it.w3 privately, they say it is something they are proud of in terms of what they believe is really the only real successful effort to capture and kill al qaeda leaders -- well, to kill al qaeda leaders, is the drone program. host: the issue of who they catch a specific names of al qaeda leaders can to the forefront with the jordanian so- called double agent early last -- excuse me, last month. what did al qaeda get out of killing those cia intelligence officer

afghanistan and pakistan. this was i think, i think that this is my 14th trip to pakistan since i have been chairman. it speaks to the priority. it speaks to from my perspective, the need to continue to build a relationship and -- build it on a basis of relearned trust. because we have lost trust. between the two countries and across the board. we were on a 12-year gap from 1990 to 2002. we don't have strong military, military relationships. because there wasn't anyway to do that. in that gap. so, for the last several years, we have worked hard to head that into the right direction. we will continue to do that. and the focus of the afghanistan-pakistan strategy and the president's decision is everybody and every a little bit as much on pakistan as it is on afghanistan that is lost sometimes in the focus of how many troops but it is not about troops. that certainly is a critical part of it. it is about essentially a region that must be addressed and must be addressed in a way that um moves positively towards be

afghanistan and pakistan.this was i think, i think that this is my 14th trip to pakistan since i have been chairman. it speaks to the priority. it speaks to from my perspective, the need to continue to build a relationship and -- build it on a basis of relearned trust. because we have lost trust. between the two countries and across the board. we were on a 12-year gap from 1990 to 2002. we don't have strong military, military relationships. because there wasn't anyway to do that. in that gap. so, for the last several years, we have worked hard to head that into the right direction. we will continue to do that. and the focus of the afghanistan-pakistan strategy and the president's decision is everybody and every a little bit as much on pakistan as it is on afghanistan that is lost sometimes in the focus of how many troops but it is not about troops. that certainly is a critical part of it. it is about essentially a region that must be addressed and must be addressed in a way that um moves positively towards bet

second only to pakistan in that area. what's the significance of those numbers?> well, two things about that. first of all, in the giant scheme of things it actually doesn't sound like a great deal of money. >> $67 million is a drop in the pentagon. >> certainly for the pentagon, when they spend more money than that on pencils and light bulbs. but it's a 1200% increase. that's the first thing. and second it does not even take into account ancillary money being spent on things like black programs in areas nearby in places like djibouti. things are heating up in the arabian peninsula. it's not surprising when you consider the fact that one of al qaeda's biggest targets is saudi arabia. >> you really think that yemen has a lot in common with afghanistan? >> oh, sure the two countries are really remarkably similar in many respects. yemen is about the size of california. otherwise it looks a lot like afghanistan. impoverished, mountainous, lots of deserts, very, very tribal, and never successfully governed from a central location. yeah, looks a lot like afghanistan. >

-- pakistan kerrigan -- in pakistan. i do not believe they have moved to the point. frankly, i believe it is the source of conjecture among many people us to when they will begin taking action against the afghan taliban. >> i agree with everything mike said and would add one point. i think to the extent of both pakistan and afghanistan believe we're going to be your and not begin to exit in 2011, the attractiveness of ignoring the afghan taliban in pakistan goes down. >> i wonder if you could tell us to the general was. >> i will tell you that we ask the question of the detainee issue, and i think it is not in any way to say the situation is confusing to our leadership and to our troops in the field. it needs to be cleared up, and with regard to the question of whether i have in the past have a military leader referred to his lawyer, i have not in the past, and i have been on a number of trips over the years, so i find that unusual. thank you, everyone. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions co