that is part of what general stanley mcchrystal said as well. how did i arrive at this leadercentric view? i won't be labor it now. what is important about the other things? if we look at particular conflicts the quality of the leadership goes up and down, the effectiveness and counterinsurgency goes up and down, greater impact than anyone else. the resources -- it is a critical variable. if you look individual cases, you had one commander replaced by someone else and very different results, that is a function of individual leadership. the bulk of the book is devoted to how to improve leadership. that is what we want for practitioners and policymakers. what are the challenges to underperforming leaders. there are a lot that prevent that from happening. you have sympathy factor, often times the commanding officer will develop a close relationship with subordinates and a lot of time in developing so they might be reluctant for that person. in a lot of countries the commanders have friends or relatives people close people will protect them. there i

general stanley mcchrystal is first class. his superior davit address is as good as they come. mike mullen is really an outstanding common outstanding leader. the troops that we have, both in afghanistan and here in america , the national guard -- all of them are doing well. i think our military will do well. the question is, how will the afghan government and afghan people relate to all of that? i am hopeful that they will have a positive attitude and positive report later in the year. in answer to your question, how was it performing at the time of the vote? >> the question remains, they said they are not going to vote for supplemental. speaker pelosi has said she is not going to ask them to vote for another supplemental. it believes the vote in the hands of republicans and a number of democrats that support the military and may want to pass a supplemental. if something happened and anything is added, it may change the report -- the mind of republicans, would you see the potential of a failure or increased debate in congress over this and putting president obama in an awkward

by last year the situation had grown so pa perilous that generl stanley mcchrystal issued a report stating that our failure to gain the initiative and reverse the momentum of the taliban within 12 months to make defeating the insurgency impossible. it was largely as a result of that assessment that the president agreed last year to send 30,000 more troops to afganistan. earlier this month i and some of my colleagues had the opportunity to visit afganistan and pakistan to assess the situation on the ground firsthand. among other things, we saw progress in the crucial southern provinces of kandahar. though in the early phases general crystal's -- mcchrystal's plan to hold the taliban and build afganistan security forces and build a government for future stability show early signs of success not unlike the kind of success during the surge in iraq. taliban continues to put up a fight. as recently as last week taliban leaders accused nato forces of defiling the koran, a charge that led to major pr protests. and this monday the taliban demonstrated its lethalty when it launched an attack against

on may 11, defense secretary robert gates recommended a shake-up on the ground with general stanley mcchrystalaking over. and espousing philosophy of minimizing civilian casualties at all cost. october ended up being the deadliest month for americans since the war in afghanistan began in 2001. and on december 1, president obama as you heard there called for 30,000 more troops to be sent to afghanistan as part of the strategy to deal with the war. we are back with the panel. steve, what about afghanistan and the year that was 2009? >> we saw the president make good on the campaign promises. this is something he said as a candidate and said before he was a candidate. way back in 2002 he talked about the importance of the afghanistan war. he said it as a candidate. largely for political reasons he wanted to cast himself as something other than a pacifist, though he was strongly opposed to the iraq war, something that worked well with the liberal base of the party. he became president, ordered speech, and gave a speech where he said we are going to win because winning in afghanistan is critical to

they have some of the best leadership that our military has to offer in isaf commander general stanley mcchrystal, general rodriguez, general caldwell. on the other side, they are putting together the diplomatic and technical expertise in kabul and in the field to match our military effort. now, one reason that i'm more optimistic now than when i visited afghanistan in september is that our counterinsurgency strategy is taking hold. our troops are comfortable with the new focus on securing the afghan people. this requires that our troops remain with the afghan people and not just clear towns and villages of taliban and then leave the afghans to fend for themselves when the taliban return. our troops understand and embrace this people-centered approach. as british major general nick carter, commander of the coalition forces of the south, said -- "if we show confidence and mutual trust, the population will look after us." the afghan people are more optimistic than they have been in the recent past. a recent abc news survey found that 70% of the afghans polled said that afghanistan is headed in the

commander afanistan, general stanley mcchrystal, said the te is turninagainst the taliban. >> i believe that we have changed the way we opera in afghanisn. 've changed some of our structures. i belie that we are on the way to convincinthe afghan people that we arhere to protect them. we've en at this for about sen months now. i beeve we've made progress. it'sot a completed mission yet. >> sreenivas: another 30,000 s. troops are deploying to afghanista that will raisthe total american force tre to nearly 9800. the suicide rate is rising shary among young male veterans between 18 and 29 yrs of age. between 2005 and 27, the rate of soldiers who took tir own lives increased 26%, accding to the veters affairs department last year at lst 349 active duty andeserve service members committed icide, more than were killed by emy action in iraq oafghanistan. citrus growers iflorida struggletoday to outlast a wavef record cold. south flora was under a hard freeze warning, and adings in miami fell bow 37 degrees. farther noh, growers kept spying crops to protect them withn insulating coat of ice. but

general stanley mcchrystal suggested former tiban could even join the govement. he said, "i think any afghan can play a role if they fos on the futu, and not the past." also today, nato officials announced two more sdiers-- one british, one norwegian have been killedn bombings in afghanisn. the u.s. milary will speed up a revi of more than 4,300 iraq and afghistan veterans. they were diharged with post- traumatic stress disorde or p.t.s.d., betwn 2002 and 2008. seven veteransave filed a class action lawit. they claim the mility illegally denied benefits those scharged with p.t.s.d. viceresident biden's son will not run for his father old u.s. sate seat in delaware. in ae-mail, beau biden told supporters he plans toeek reelection astate attorney genel instead. that leaves republican congressman mi castle, a former two-term governor, witht a democratic opponent. general motors made whitacre itpermanent c.e.o. today. he had filled thjob on an terim basis since december, en the automaker's boa oust fritz henderson. whitac is also g.m.'s chairman, but he said toy he h

general stanley mcchrystal suggested former taliban could even join the government. he said, "i think any afghans can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past." also today, nato officials announced two more soldiers-- one british, one norwegian-- have been killed in bombings in afghanistan. the u.s. military will speed up a review of more than 4,300 iraq and afghanistan veterans. they were discharged with post- traumatic stress disorder, or p.t.s.d., between 2002 and 2008. seven veterans have filed a class action lawsuit. they claim the military illegally denied benefits to those discharged with p.t.s.d. vice president biden's son will not run for his father's old u.s. senate seat in delaware. in an e-mail, beau biden told supporters he plans to seek reelection as state attorney general instead. that leaves republican congressman mike castle, a former two-term governor, without a democratic opponent. general motors made ed whitacre its permanent c.e.o. today. he had filled the job on an interim basis since december, when the automaker's board ousted

commander in afghanistan, general stanley mcchrystal, said the tide is turning against the taliban. >> i believe that we have changed the way we operate in afghanistan. we've changed some of our structures. i believe that we are on the way to convincing the afghan people that we are here to protect them. we've been at this for about seven months now. i believe we've made progress. it's not a completed mission yet. >> sreenivasan: another 30,000 u.s. troops are deploying to afghanistan. that will raise the total american force there to nearly 98,000. the suicide rate is rising sharply among young male veterans between 18 and 29 years of age. between 2005 and 2007, the rate of soldiers who took their own lives increased 26%, according to the veterans affairs department. last year at least 349 active duty and reserve service members committed suicide, more than were killed by enemy action in iraq or afghanistan. citrus growers in florida struggled today to outlast a wave of record cold. south florida was under a hard freeze warning, and readings in miami fell below 37 degrees. farther no

he will act as a counterpart to stanley mcchrystal. chancellor angela merkel says it plans to increase its number of troops to 500. these announcements come two days before the start of an international conference on the future of afghanistan. host: once again, live pictures from the auto, here in washington, d.c. they dedicated 6500 square feet to alternative-fueled cars, car makers of the future. our first guest is jim campbell, the chevrolet general manager for the general motors company. we awoke to this headline from the gm chief, "i like the people so much of insane." what did this mean to the company? -- i am staying." guest: we are thrilled that he decided to stay. he has a proven track record, he knows how to win, he is decisive, and that is what we need right angle. host: as you sit there at the auto show, what is your sense what the white house can do to help these companies hire employees? guest: i think anything that can be done to improve the stability of the economy, stability in the economic landscape is exactly what we

. >> more on general stanley mcchrystal's remarks earlier on abc "good morning america."surge in the country is turning the tide against the taliban. adding debt to a recent traditional meeting of elders and they described and optimism of the future and a sense that the tide is turning. president obama is sending an additional 30,000 troops into afghanistan. that will bring the total u.s. trips to 98,000. secretary clinton takes off today to australia, new guinea, and pop and a canny -- australia, new zealand, and papua new guinea. it is to strengthen our relations with allies in the western pacific. in return to negotiations on at the nuclear program depends on better relations with washington and the lifting of stations. president obama's special envoy for human rights in north korea speaking earlier in seoul, said the kamras mission -- regime must improve its human rights record before any normalization of relations. the administration announced funding of nine projects that are intended to increase fuel efficiency. more than half the money will come from the $787 bill

. >> general stanley mcchrystal, the top nato commander in afghanistan in an interview earlier with thecial times acencio the increase in the number of american troops in afghanistan will help negotiate a peace treaty with the taliban. an international conference on afghanistan will likely endorse plans to lure let -- lord taliban fighters to lay down their weapons. -- to lure taliban wefighters to lay down their weapons. the u.s. military has agreed to expedite a review of iraq and afghanistan veterans discharged with ptsd to determine whether they were improperly denied a net-benefits. the agreement came from a class- action suit originally filed by seven combat veterans who allege the military legally deny benefits to those discharged because of the disorder during a six year timeframe ending october 2008. hillary clinton and foreign ministers from a host of nations are meeting in montreal today to discuss improving aid to haiti and to consider its long-term reconstruction. today's meeting comes as aid workers continue delivering more food to the haitian people. and finally, japan's

he had a role in forcing people to me examine the three options that general stanley mcchrystal had givenr. obama. they were convinced that it was inadequate, so in effect, they tasked jim jones to find a new set of options. not only that, but finding a new set of options that were the valuable. -- were valuable. mcchrystal gave the three scenarios. he knew that we could send 80,000 troops, which he would walnot happen. he really wanted 40,000 troops. it was from that that the delivered of process began. by and played a key role in insisting that we rethink all of the assumptions that the basis of policy. for example, we said we would train 250,000 afghan security -- could we actually do that? we talked about a civilian surge that would come along with the military. what can be accomplished with a government as corrupt and weak as them? i think his goal was to ask the hard questions. in some ways, make himself on pleasant. asking the questions that no one was completely sure of. that is perhaps why the process took so long. did the answers come out the way that joe biden wished they would

host: general stanley mcchrystal has said "i think any afghans can play a role if the focus on the future on the past." what does he mean there? guest: it is important to look at the passed precisely to understand what general mcchrystal may have meant. afghanistan's past is one of extraordinary violence and turbulence, not just since 9/11, but since 1979 and the soviet invasion. for many afghans, most, the violence is all they have ever known. what i think general mcchrystal is talking about is, think about a future that would not be like the past. the future with reasonable levels of security and stability and opportunities. host: what is the historical relationship between afghanistan and pakistan that americans need to understand to better understand what is happening in the region and the u.s. efforts there? guest: great question. afghanistan cannot be a drastic or dealt with in isolation. i think the obama administration has been absolutely right in having an afghanistan and pakistan strategy. incidentally, the same thing we worked hard on during the bush administration when i was a

. >> stanley mcchrystal said that he is turning the tide. when you talk to the afghan officials, did they look hopeful when it comes to the coordination and cooperation between afghanistan and pakistan, especially in the borderline along the tribal region and tribal area, because these two countries have had trust issues before? >> obviously, the afghans would prefer that the border area on the pakistan side be -- not be a safe haven for the afghan taliban which is headquartered over there. all of us emphasized to the pakistani leadership our view that the taliban is a problem regardless, whether it is pakistan taliban or afghan taliban, and a greater level of cooperation between the pakistan government and the afghanistan government would be in everybody's best interest. the threats to both regimes are both -- are quite similar. >> the top intelligence official in afghanistan delivered a pretty scathing internal critique of the intelligence operations there. did you see or received any assurances that that has been turned around? >> say tha

he had a role in forcing people to me examine the three options that general stanley mcchrystal had givenvinced that it was inadequate so in effect, they tasked jim jones to find a new set of options. not only that, but finding a new set of options that were the valuable. -- were valuable. mcchrystal gave the three scenarios. he knew that we could send 80,000 troops, which he would walknot happen. he really wanted 40,000 troops. it was from that that the delivered of process began. by and played a key role in insisting that we rethink all of the assumptions that the basis of policy. for example we said we would train 250,000 afghan security -- could we actually do that? we talked about a civilian surge that would come along with the military. what can be accomplished with a government as corrupt and weak as them? i think his goal was to ask the hard questions. in some ways, make himself on pleasant. asking the questions that no one was completely sure of. that is perhaps why the process took so long. did the answers come out the way that joe biden wished they would? i would say no. the nu

. >> host: general mike stanley to the cause stanley and mcchrystal said i think any afghan can play with the focus on the future and not on the past. what does he mean? >> guest: i think it's important to look the past precisely to understand what general mcchrystal may have met. afghanistan's past is one of extraordinarily violence and turbulence not just since 9/11 that literally three decades after the soviet invasion of 1979. so, for many afghans and indeed most afghans, violence is all they have ever known, and what i think the general mcchrystal is talking about was think about a future that what nabil like the past. a future in which there was reasonable levels of security and stability and opportunities for a life that most afghans have ever known. >> host: what is the historical relationship between afghanistan and pakistan that americans need to understand in order to get a better understanding of what is happening in that region and the united states efforts? >> guest: it's a great question because afghanistan cannot be understood or dealt with in isolation, and i think t

he had a role in forcing people to me examine the three options that general stanley mcchrystal had givenr. obama. they were convinced that it was inadequate, so in effect, they tasked jim jones to find a new set of options. not only that, but finding a new not only that, but finding a new set of options that were the valuable. -- were valuable. mcchrystal gave the three scenarios. he knew that we could send 80,000 troops, which he would walnot happen. he really wanted 40,000 troops. it was from that that the delivered of process began. by and played a key role in insisting that we rethink all of the assumptions that the basis of policy. for example, we said we would train 250,000 afghan security -- could we actually do that? we talked about a civilian surge that would come along with the military. what can be accomplished with a government as corrupt and weak as them? i think his goal was to ask the hard questions. in some ways, make himself on pleasant. asking the questions that no one was completely sure of. that is perhaps why the process took so long. did the answers come out the way