you are the guys who ends up in beijing, not richard holbrooke. >> she and richard holbrooke -- i agree with evan on this -- richard holbrooke was a strong supporter of hers. he did not add up over her objections or resistance. -- did not get that job over her objections or resistance. this was a very important trip that she just took. i think her importance -- she went to asia as secretary of state -- basically a figure almost equal to the president in visiting any place. >> and the world has got enough problems -- we have so many hot spots now around the world that a team of envoys is a good idea. i think it is a credit to her to have the self-confidence to have that team working around her and to not feel all, despite what trawls would have felt if it was him -- charles would have felt if it was him. >> but she is human and she feels her husband's overbearing presence from time to time. >> i join in prison -- in praising her. but if you were there, he would be bothered, too. >> you special olympians have thrilled us on the playing fields of the world. you have taught us that what mat

richard holbrooke is not pushing her around. that is a pretty equalatch. >> but if you are secretaryf ate, kissinger george shtz, you are the guy who makes policy. you are the guy who en up in beijing, not richard holbrooke and you stuck in kinshasa. >> i agree with evann this -- richard horooke was a strong supporter of furs, and he did not get that job over h objecons or resistance. i wou say that this wasn important trip thashe just talk -- took. her importance when she went to asia as secrety of state -- when she comesn, she is basically a figure almost as big as the predent in visiting any place. >> i tnk that the wld has got enough problems -- we have so many hot ots now around the wod, that a team of envoys a good idea, and i think it is a credit to half self-confidence to have that team working aund her and to not fee all the slides thatharles would hav felt if itas him >> but it is tr that she is humaand she feels her husband'overbearing presee from time time. just for a moment she owed it. >> ioined in praising he pre

embassy is denying that richard holbrooke stormed out after the meeting. guantanamo detainees are planning to sue the united states for compensation. an afghan national was held without charge for nearly seven years. he was put on a flight home this week. from the afghan capital, chris morris. >> this is where this boy has spent seven years -- in guantanamo bay. he was accused of throwing a grenade, which injured two u.s. soldiers and their interpreter in kabul in 2002. he was repatriated this week after an american military judge said he had been forced to make a full confession. now he is back in kabul again, and according to his lawyers, he is deeply traumatized. they allege he was only about 12 years old when he was sent to guantanamo. >> the rule of law is what makes, i believe, the american legal system one of the best in the world. when i encountered this particular case and dealt with the resistance of the u.s. government's you -- to recognize the error of their ways, it was deeply upsetting. >> now, he plans to sue the u.s. authorities for compens

it is your mess. >> reporter: richard holbrooke also asked to meet jamaat-e-islami. while the organization rallied it's anti-american protests on the streets outside. jamaat presented a critique of u.s. policy and conduct. from the contentious u.s. drone missile strikes in the tribal areas, to the cultural onslaught from the west corrupting muslim youth, to pakistan being dragged into the afghan conflict. pakistan political analyst tareq pirzada says despite the rhetoric, these meetings were political good sense. >> these are pragmatic politicians. they can play to the galleries, they can satisfy the public, make public statements which are apparently antagonistic to the united states but at the same time they can tacitly support the policies. . >> and on the american side? >> here they are trying to create an impression, at least, that we are not auk walking away. we are partners for a long time. "however broad and incluse the engagement this time, america has yet to convince pakistan's people. public opinion in pakistan remains suspicious of america's motives and g

envoy to afghanistan richard holbrooke has raised concerns about alleged ballot stuffing abroad.st is said to be the deadliest months since the afghan war against began eight s ago. are you surprised by this? >> i think i am surprised by -- it has to be said richard holbrooke,ç who i know well, ia powerful character, not known while for keeping -- not known as well for keeping his views to himself. i am not surprised that he has been pretty blunt. but i think the effect could be to help devise -- delegitimize what was already a process that was pretty doubtful. i suspect many afghans would share the view that the elections were less than fair. i think it would have been better if he had left the afghans to deal with the electoral process. i do not think it helps when foreigners intervene in this fashion. but it has been a typical election. >> it does show american reservations. are there concerns about what it will say about afghanistan? >> two things, when you win the hearts and minds of the people, particularly in southern afghanistan -- the area particularly controlled by the

now richard holbrooke is really here to discuss security issues with the pakistani government. he'll be meeting with the heads of state, the president and the prime minister as well as the chief of the army. now as i mentioned, topping the agend asecurity. we're talking about the northwest region of pakistan, specifically, in'd the swat valley. there was a very large offensive by the pakistani army in the swat valley some three months ago. and we hear that life is returning to normal there. it used to be really a cradle for the taliban. but as well that northwest tribal region, it is key not only for pakistan but also for the u.s. effort inside afghanistan. the afghan elections just four days away, but a reminder of the security problems in afghanistan. that horrific bombing yesterday. the u.s. links the security in pakistan with the situation in afghanistan because, of course, there's a very long and porous open border. the u.s. concerned that taliban fighters can cross easily between the two. that will certainly top the agenda for richard holbrooke as he's here on his fifth v

envoy -- the scene for a fiery meeting where richard holbrooke reportedly took hamid karzai to task and suggested a runoff would help legitimize afghanistan's democratic process. the coalition is in a bind. foreign troops enabled the first afghan-run elections in 30 years. but at the cost of many lives. yet, there's no secret there are deep reservations about the president karzai, the man who's claiming victory. politics in afghanistan are in a very precarious condition. not least of course, because in some parts of the country very, very few people actually went to vote. and if karzai lacks legitimacy, the risk is that those who up to be willing to support him, will start to look elsewhere. and we could find that the extent to which central government in kabul enjoys any kind of confidence in the country's very substantially undermined. >> reporter: how worried is the coalition? well, britain's ambassador to afghanistan, said earlier this week that authorities were investigating more than 200 allegations of fraud. 35 to 40 of which could be material to the outcome of the election, if u

strategy in afghanistan and pakistan with special represented richard holbrooke. topics include the upcoming presidential election. this is about an hour and a half. >> good morning everyone. i am the president of the center for american progress. thank you for joining us this morning. the center is honored to have ambassador richard holbrooke and his really spectacular team here today who you see in friday. we have more members in the front row. this region of the world is a primary national security concern for the united states, one that was reaffirmed by the president back in march when he made the case for a stronger, smarter, comprehensive commitment. one who is here today. ambassador holbrooke has assembled an impressive team. there is the multidisciplinary interagency nature of secretary clinton and investor who were's approach to afghanistan and pakistan which tendons on the -- which hinges on military assets. to the best of my knowledge, this is a first. drawing all these resources under together under one roof and umbrella and insuring that it will be d

>> richard holbrook, also the u.s. envoy to afghanistan, and with the elections really right around the corner, is there some concern about the recent violence there? >> reporter: well, i think there's definitely concern on the ground in kabul because we've heard about these security gains in the taliban. obviously likes to time their attacks, these spectacular attacks with major events like the election. i asked holbrook in the interview what he thought about the violence and if he thought it would slow down the elections. >> violence during elections is prit common place in many parts of the world. including other parts of south asia. that's not the problem. to me, the issue is what kind of an election will this be? will it protect the true will of the afghan people? and above all, will the government that's elected be able to be more successful than has been the case in the recent? >> and i asked him, betty, about the new strategy that he brings to the table with the obama administration. i asked him is there any ch

sources revealed that richard holbrooke raise concerns about ballot stuffing and fraud. he said that tosecond runoff could make things easier. >> these are the two most powerful men in afghanistan, the president and the special envoy. the relationship began well last february. >> we want to learn your points of view. >> now the relationship appears to have soured. they met again the day after the election. we have multiple sources that describe this as explosive. the american raise concerns about ballot stuffing and fraud. he said that a second round runoff could make the process more credible. president karzai reacted very angrily and after a few minutes, the meeting ended. the u.s. embassy denies that he stormed out. >> the hope of intervention could be to delegitimize any leader in afghanistan who comes out of the electoral process. that cannot help the western alliance. that can that help the government of afghanistan. that can only help the taliban. >> assuring that these elections are a viable is vital. now, doubts about fraud and turnout could undermine the missio

soues reveed that richard holbrooke raise cncerns about baot stuffing and fraud. he said that tosecond runoff uld make this easier. >> these are the two mo powerfulmen in afghanistan, the president and the special envoy. the retionshipegan ll last feuary. >> we want to learn your points of view. >now the relationship appears to have soured. ey met again the day after the ection. we have multiple sources that describe thiss explosive. the american raise concerns about ball stuffing and fraud. he said at a second round noff could make therocess moreredible. resident karzai reacted very angrily andafter a few minutes, e eting ended. the u.s. embassy deni that he stormed out. >> the hope ontervention uld be t delegitimize a leader i afghanistan who com out of the electoral pross. that cannot help the western alliance that can that help the government of afghistan. that cannly help the taliban. >> assurin that these ections are a viable is vital. now, ubts about fraud and turnout could undeine the mission. there have been more than 1700 colaints about irregulaties. 270

these latest developments will be welcome news for washington's envoy richard holbrooke, who is in the region. he had been highlighting pakistan's gains against the taliban, but he admits it is too early to know if they have been destroyed or just dispersed. the authorities here believe the militants are now seriously weakened, leaderless and in disarray. they are hoping that internal power struggles will do even more damage. the militants infrastructure and ideology remain. the taliban could regroup as they have done before. back to you. >> people in south korea pay their respects to the former president who died on tuesday. he was 85. thousands attended a memorial for the man known as south korea's most fervent champion of peace and democracy. once he was treated as a dangerous radical, tortured and survived several assassination attempts. he also sent his condolences along with a delegation to his funeral. it was a deadly is attacked in --, 95 killed in baghdad. with elections due in january, more violence is feared. it was -- it happened close to the heavily fortified green zone. w

these latest developments will be welcome news for washington's envoy, richard holbrooke, who is in the region. he has been highlighting gains against the taliban, but he admits it is too soon to know if they have been destroyed or dispersed. the authorities believe the militants art seriously weakened. they are in disarray. the are hoping internal power struggles will do more damage. -- they are hoping internal power struggles will do more damage. the taliban could regroup, as they have done before. bbc news, islamabad. >> police in nigeria wants to interview 19 a former banking executives about a $2.6 billion bailout. last week, the central bank looked into the losses of union bank, oceanic bank, and other banks. the shares have been suspended on the nigerian stock exchange. and where can prayers' be said? the faithful believe this wall offers a direct line to the almighty. they were inspired by young iranians to coordinate protests during the disputed election. michael jackson will be re- buried on what would have been his 51st birthday according to a spokesman for the family. the si

envoy -- the scene for a fiery meeti where richard holbrooke reportedly took hamid karzai to task and suggested a runf would help legitimize afghanistan's democratic process. the coalion is in a bind. foreign troops enable the first afgh-run elections in30 ars. but at the co of many lives. yet, there's no secretthere are deep reservations about t prident kaai, the man w's claiming victory. politi infghanistan are in a very precario condition. noteast of course, becau in me parts of the coury very, very few people actlly went to vote. anifkarzai lacks legitimy, th risk i that those who uto be willing tsupport him, will art to look elsewre. and we could fi that t extent to which central government in kabu enjoys any kind of confince in the country's very substanally undermined. >> reporter: how wried is the coalition? well, brtain's ambassaor afghanistan, said rlier this ek that authoritiesere investating more than 200 allegatis of fra. 35o 40 of whi could marial to the utcome of th election, if upheld. >> the difficult isith public opinion here if against the backgrind of increasing ca

special envoy to pakistan richard holbrook has clamped down on whether the operation has really worked. there's a theory that rather than crushing the taliban, the administration has pushed them out to outer areas. this exclusive video of this wanted terrorist will only cause further embarrassment to pakistani authorities. alex crawford, sky news. >>> across asia, violent weather. in the philippines this morning, there were heavy monsoon rains. rescuers carried a baby to safety hand over hand through rising flood waters. three villages are under water, and at least six villages have died. in taiwan, schools were closed and flights cancelled as a typhoon bears down bringing more than 90 mile an hour winds. >>> just ahead, more money for the cash for clunkers program. >>> plus look out. a cop has a close call with a runaway tire. >>> first, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> the number of homeless people in this country is at record levels. now one city is helping them through, of all things, classic literature. could it work in yours? this is the primo stuff.

when richard holbrooke, the group afghanistan and pakistan, was asked this week how to define success, he said, "wewill know what we see it." w that, i am sorry, is not a rationale or reason for sending americans into -- >> if you are a parent with a young man or woman over there being shot at on a regular basis, and you say why are we here -- >> i think that this one is a lot easier to talk to those parents about the and iraq, because this is the root of september 11. through the taliban, hopefully to al qaeda. and that is the path, and that is one that can be justified, i think, to parents much more easily than iraq might have been. this is about getting osama bin laden. >> yes, but not if it is an unwinnable war. that is the great irony. democrats are the ones who said that afghanistan is the good work, the right word, we should have been there all the time. but how do you fight a war in a country that never was a country? iraq was a country, had been one, and it can hold together and it is holding together. it was a winnable war. afghanistan is a war that only at a minimum is winn

richard holbrooke in the field today seemed to be praising the voting so far. >> clearly, it's a great step forward, andrea. obviously, elections don't bring full democracy to a country, but it's an important step that the afghan people are starting to participate in their political process. the real challenge, though, for karzai, if he wins, and it's too early to determine if he will or not, is if he can deliver the services over the next years, the security, the health, and make his government work. and he's able to do that, he can marginalize the taliban and other disruptive forces there. but this is, although it's going to be an imperfect electoral process, it's an important first step. it gets the afghans involved in their political decision making and hopefully karzai or whoever wins out of this election can take the government forward and actually start providing some services to their people other than just a ballot box. >> okay. michael sheehan, good to see you again. nbc news terrorism analyst. >> thank you, andrea. >>> and does president obama need a health czar to bridge th

and she wanted to go to africa and she says look, i got powerful envoys like richard holbrook and george mitchell working in pakistan and israel full-time which enables me to go with my press on an 11-day trip to africa. certainly it's a new kind of diplomacy that we haven't seen before. >> based on what you saw in the trip, can you fill in more of the blanks on how she operates as secretary of state? >> but what we do know is he has been surprised at how bad things have gotten in afghanistan. along with all of his aides. they think things have degraded further than he anticipated. so i think what's happened here is he brought in a lot of outside the box thirst. people when they come back and leave government service, temporary government service to commission us to take part in this report, they're speaking freely to the press and we're getting from them the fact that more troops are needed and that's their recommendation to him. i don't think he's off message but i think the timing has gotten skewed here with this whole debate about health care and gates and let's not talk about troop

envoy richard holbrooke visited both abdullah and karzai to calm down with their statements and let the process continue. >> both the incumbent and the candidate waiting for the results. richard engel in kulks, wanth. >>> the afghan elet fin affoghib fight afr isantan will be an am t sopnic o sy'uns da ee"mseth press" we'll talk to the chaiane otht f ejofsief staff, mike mullen and karl eikenberry and plus we will have a deba on health care with senators hatch and schumer. >>> there is reaction tonight to a claim by former homeland security secretary tom ridge that he was pressured to raise the nation's terror threat level just days before the 2004 presidential election. in a move he said he believed was meant to sway the vote. ridge says in a new book, the pressure came from top advisers to president bush, former defense secretary donald rumsfeld and then-attorney general john ashcroft. a spokesman for rumsfeld called the claim nonsense. thterror threat level was not ra posed by hurrito bcahehrbet nei posed by hurricane bill which has been losing steam as it churnsut in the atlantic.t

. >>> in other news on afghanista richard holbrook, the erican special envoy for the regionhas accused citizens from many of t oil-rich persian gulf countes of aiding the taliba in an interviewith cnn, holbrook claimed that su money is gater than the taliban's profits from opium. "it seems to be more from indivials carrying money in their suitcases,holbrook said. "sometim they are taking advantage of the pilgrime," to holyities in saudi arabia. "setimes from charities," he said.Ñyc&zqi > as americans mourn the los of senator edward kennedtoday, remembrances and condolees are also pouring in om around the world. in ireland, the land of kennedy's cestry, prime minister brian cow said, "in good days and bad, tedennedy worked valiant for the cause of pce on this island." israeli prime minister benmin nenyahu praised kennedy as, "a eat american patriot, a grea chamon of a better world, a great friend of israel." nelson mandela also mourd kennedy's deat saying, "he made hisoice heard in the struggle against aparthe at a time when the frdom struggle was not dely supported in the west. we mour

just two weeks ago, richard holbrooke, the u.s. special envoy to afghanistan and pakistan, was denied permission to visit the swat capital city of mingora due to security concerns. the lack of security and services are just some of the reason tacmore than a million refugees have not started to go home. a 63-year-old refugee from swat was so traumatized by what happened there that he's too frightened to return. speak speak [ speaking in native tongue ]. >> reporter: like him, most of the refugees are still in the neighboring district of mardan. the massive influx of refugees doubled mardan's population to 2 million. >> what we've seen in pakistan in the last few months is we've seen an incredibly rapid displacement of people. it's unusually rapid even for other places in the world. so in a really few months almost 2 million people that we know of that have been verified as being displaced have chosen to leave their homes suddenly. >> reporter: only about 15% of refugees in mardan were held in camps like these. they have now returned

richard holbrook was in a forum this week and somebody asked him what success is and when he said welle will know it when we see it? >> i don't think that is a particularly reassuring answer, but i think that is indicative, though, to this foggy, vaporous idea that still is floating around out there as to what is, to lee's point and he is exactly right what is exactly the achievable core interest but what protects our interests, pakistan, that area has never been governable, now that doesn't mean it can't get better but i am not so sure it is wise to get our army bogged down in a situation whereby the end of this year, right now, on the board, including nato and other countries like australia, who have troops in there we will have at least 100,000 troops in there and probably tripling the usaid and economic development going in there, you drift and drift and go deeper and wider and all possess a sudden a year or two years goes by and you are in a lot of trouble. now how do you unwind this? because there are ramifications to that for our standing in the world. >> congress malhamilton, f

special envoy richard holbrooke says afghanistan is not vietnam. >> the people who did 9/11 and who attacked mumbai and killed benazir bhutto are out there protected by the taliban, and we have no choice but to succeed here. >> reporter: and that will mean more fighting and casualties according to some afghan analysts. the taliban still controls about a third of helmand and as much as half the country. >> as long as you will have this vacuum, i think taliban could reemerge. >> reporter: as one u.s. commander put it, the war has just begun. jim maceda, nbc news, with u.s. troops in southern afghanistan. >>> up next here tonight, they spent years in prison for crimes they didn't commit. now it's payback time. how about a swim? i'm a little irregular today. don't you eat activia? for my little issues? summer is no time to put up with even occasional digestive problems. take the activia challenge now. it works, or it's free. ♪ activia where all your cat's favorite flavors, including real carnation milk, come alive. friskies feline favorites. feed the senses. caused by a completely blocked artery

sure that the strategy is being implemented, we have got new commanders, new diplomats, we have richard holbrook who is providing the theatre engagement, it is not just about afghanistan but pakistan and what is going on there. >> general, we have been there how long? six years, and it is like, it sounds like you are talking about we just got there. >> no, no, no. i have been involved in this for six years also. >> how bad is it there? every report we have is that it is worse than it has ever been and it has become sort of a stink hole and now you are trying to develop yardsticks to find out how well we are doing. when are we going to know how we are doing, even? >> we will -- that is a very good question, and it is a fair question. this is my opinion. my opinion was that we did not have a well articulated strategy until march of this year. we have a strategy for security, we have a little bit of a strategy for economic development, which was other people's problems and we had a strategy that may be addressed a little bit of govern nanls and the rule of law. this strategy merges all of those thr

fraud charges were largely dismissed by special envoy richard richard holbrooke. >> they clearly can vote for anyone they want here. this is really irm pressive, people voting freely. >> it's quite remarkable that a country that a country at war just held an election and that people showed up in a difficult security environment to vote. >> president karzai also called the election a success, but maybe not for him. low turnout might mean karzai won't get the 50% he needs to avoid a runoff. preliminary results are not expected until this weekend. in kabul, afghanistan, greg palkot, fox news. bret: nato is calling for the size of the afghan security forces to double. secretary general says the aim is to have 400,000 people in the army and police so that western troops can eventually leave. there are currently about 180,000 afghan soldiers an police officers. in other news around the world^ , diplomatic sources tell fox news that iran has allowed united nations inspectors to visit two significant nuclear facilities in what is being described as a long awaited breakthrough. inspectors wer

east asia, to bosnia and kosovo, to the united nations, no one is more capable than my friend richard holbrooke lead this team. after ambassador holbrooke gives a few brief introductory remarks, he will introduce his team and the people on stage will have a few minutes worth of commons. you will then shift to a discussion format where we can begin to address the larger strategic questions surrounding our policies towards afghanistan and pakistan. particularly, i hope to focus on the implications of the upcoming election in afghanistan, our efforts there, our objectives in afghanistan, and how we measure progress. the challenge of balancing our instruments of national power to more fully address the political and economic aspects of our relations with pakistan and afghanistan, and most critically, perhaps, placing the threats in both countries and context of our broader national security priorities. thank you all for coming today. i look forward to a productive conversation. with that, let me turn it over to ambassador richard holbrooke. >> thank you, john, and thank the center of american progr

we are honored to have richard holbrooke in this spectacular team. we have more members in the front row. this region of the world is of security concern for the night it stays. it was reaffirmed by the president in march when he made the case for a stronger, smarter, commitment to the conflict there. the center has made this a primary focus to the ongoing work of human policy analysts, particularly one who is here today. ambassador holbrooke has assembled an impressive team. there is the multidisciplinary interagency nature of secretary clinton and investor who were's approach to afghanistan and pakistan which tendons on the -- which hinges on military assets. to the best of my knowledge, this is a first. drawing all these resources under together under one roof and umbrella and insuring that it will be discussed, the why as well as the how. the need for a coordinated approach is the cornerstone of the center for american progress. the ambassadors team faces a multitude of interlocking challenges. in less than a week, afghans will vote in council el

he has very smart people including richard holbrooke, hillary clinton, joe biden, who know about this. there is not a one of them that would say that this is easy. >> do you know people that read your column every sunday that are in government or the media world and when you sit there and write do you think about it? >> i knew that the star of the play would be reading my theater column. i always thought about the reader, not the subject of the peace. your job is to serve the general reader, not people in power or people that are stars or in politics or show business. >> how close to you get to people? >> not very. i keep my distance. i like living in new york. i am always glad to hear from people and do. whether it be in the administration or congress or related areas. i never ever felt that it was my job to be friends or be an insider. by the way, when i was a theater critic, i have never been to the tony awards or party is and that is a much smaller, less important sphere. i feel you can be more objective if you are not caught up in it. i grew up in washington. my late stepfather w

envoy for both afghanistan and pakistan, richard holbrooke, is urging the two sides not to make any statement, not to delegitimize the process and says there will be disputes but hopes that afghan officials can work it out calmly and wait for the final results to come in. richard engel, nbc news, kabul. >>> meanwhile, a weekend of sports means a busy weekend for metro. >>> maryland's easy pass users stage a protest. >>> protesters were handing out leaflets at the whole foods super mark net silver spring today. they are unhappy wh the anti-government health care op-ed article written by the supermarket's ceo published in "the wall street journal." a spokesperson for whole foods says the company has no official position on the health care reform issue. and that the ceo offered constructive ideas and expressed his own opinion in the journal op-ed as the president invited all americans to do. >>> the washington nationaling introduced their newest player this afternoon. number one draft pick, stephen strasbu strasburg, signed a record $15 million contract with the nats. ryan zimmerman was there to

richard holbrooke was in a forum this week. somebody asked him what success is.he said, well, we'll know it when we see it. >> i don't think that's a particularly reassuring answer. but i think that is indicative, though, to this foggy, vaporous idea that's still floating around out there as to what is his point and he's exactly right, what is not on the achievable core objective but what protects our national interests? pakistan, that area has never been governable. it doesn't mean it can't get better but i'm not so sure it's wise to get our army bogged down in a situation where by the end of this year right now on the board, including nato and other countries like australia have troops in there, we're going to have at least a hundred thousand troops in there, we're probably tripling the economic development going in there. you drift and drift and go deeper and wider and all of a sudden a year or two years goes by and you're in a lot of trouble. i fear we could find ourselves bogged down, drifting dangerously deeper into a situation where it becomes very difficu

here you have richard holbrooke running afghanistan and pakistan, the heart of our troubles in asia. mitchell in the middle east. you have envoys here and there, and she is the secretary of state and sitting in the congo, in the congo? you have petraeus running afghanistan. you have odierno running iraq. she is totally marginalized. i'm sure it is a great city. in fact, it's not, but the congo, africa are very low on the scale of importance for interests are of the united states. she is supposed to be the president of the united states at this point. she was going to be queen of the world. instead, obama strides the world and gives speeches in the great capitals in cairo and she is in congo. you would be upset, also. look, i would appeal to the jury on this and say i would acquit her on grounds of extreme provocation. she has been march nallized, and that's one reason why her numbers are good. her poll numbers are good, because she hasn't been doing anything. bret: in fact, when you look at the poll numbers, mort, she polls better than president obama does. you see the approval at 59

you mentioned richard holbrook. this is what he would say. i would say this, in a simplest sense, a supreme court test for another issue, we'll know it when we see it. we'll know it when we see it. is that supposed to provide sol ice? >> we have to turn it around in the next 12 to 18 months. after that, we have a better view of how long it's going to take and what we need to do. we are just getting the pieces in place on the ground now on the military side. we put forces there and we will add more this year and on the civilian side. it's going to take awhile to understand that. i don't see it as a mission of endless drift. we have learned a lot of lessons from iraq. focusing on the afghan people, it's a counter insurgency. it's not just a counter terrorism. we have to focus on the afghan people, their security and creating afghan forces to provide their own security. >> what does your gut tell you? how long is it going to take to succeed in afghanistan? >> david, let's talk about progress and what we would see as progress is over the next sev