general stanley mcchrystal was abruptly relieved of command. general mcchrystal left the white house this morning before a scheduled strategy meeting on the war in afghanistan even began. that was the first sign that he would not have his job by the end of the day. and he didn't. >> today, i accepted general stanley mcchrystal's resignation as commander of the international security assistance force in afghanistan." i did so with considerable regret, but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in afghanistan, for our military, and for our country. >> ifill: mcchrystal's dismissal comes after a scathing "rolling stone" magazine profile in which the general and several of his aides criticized president obama and members of his national security team. >> the conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. it undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. and it erhodes the trust that's necessary for our

. >> larry: tonight, disgraced general stanley mcchrystal, the man running the war in afghanistan, is abruptly fired by president obama. >> today i accepted general stanley mcchrystal's resignation as commander of the international security assistance force in afghanistan. low pressure >> the journalist who brought him down is here for his first on-camera interview. who gave him access to a four-star commander in the middle of a war? did mcchrystal forget he was talking to a reporter? did the journalist know that his bombshell story was going to blow a military career? next on "larry king live." >> larry: good evening. michael hastings is a contributor to "rolling stone" magazine. he's author of the article the runaway general. that article will be out on the magazine stands friday. it led to general mcchrystal's resignation. he's also written "i lost my love in baghdad." this is his first on-camera interview about the uproar that his piece has caused. president obama has nominated us, the u.s. central command general, david petraeus, to replace general stanley mcchrystal as the top c

commander in afghanistan, general stanley mcchrystal, was summoned to the white house tomorrow to explain his criticisms of administration officials in a magazine story. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, the general issued a swift aapology but his comments drew fire from the pentagon and the white house. >> we look at the fallout with mark thompson of "time" magazine and retired generals dan mcneil and merrill mcpeak. >> ifill: then judy woodruff gets an update on how the government financial rescue program is working from congressional watchdog elizabeth warren. >> lehrer: on the oil spill story, the obama administration vowed to appeal today's decision blocking a six month ban on deep water drilling. we have a debate. >> ifill: and spencer michels reports on privacy concerns over cell phones that track and share users' whereabouts. >> if you are publishing your location to the world, anyone including a stalker or a thief or the government or an advertiser or anyone else can go and look at that information. hence, the threat. >> lehrer: that's all hi owed the tonight

four-star general stanley mcchrystal and his inner circle on the record mocking the president, calls out obama's advisers, branding one of them a clown. should the shock comments end mcchrystal's career? >> i want to talk to him directly. >> larry: then, can kevin costner rescue the gulf? the oscar winner is here to show us how a machine may clean up the mess invading the shores and the man that cut off his own life, trapped alone, freed himself the only way he could. prime time exclusive next on "larry king live." >> larry: good evening. general stanley mcchrystal is prepared to resign if the president has lost confidence in him. let's talk about today's bombshell with lieutenant colonel tony schafer, external communications director of the centers for advanced defense studies has more than two decades of field experience including two combat tours in afghanistan. and john soltz co-founder of vote vets.org. a "rolling stone" article portrays the general and staffers as being critical, even contempt wous of president obama and his administration. mcchrystal ordered back to washington

before i go further, let me say another word of praise for another american hero, general stanley mcchrystalhe is a man of unrivaled integrity and what is most impressive about his long military excellence is that how much of it remains cloaked in silence. if you understand fully how general mcchrystal systematically dismantled al qaeda in iraq, he began to turn around are failing or in afghanistan -, we will always have a place in our hearts for general mcchrystal and in our history. quasi-agree with the president that success in afghanistan is "a vital national interest." this is the only viable path to true success, which i would define in afghanistan -- as an afghanistan that is increasingly able to support its people and create its own development and never again be a base for attacks against america and our allies. in short, the same results we are slowly seeing emerge today in iraq. before heading to iraq three years ago, general patraeus, you told this committee that the issue was "hard, but not hopeless." i would characterize our mission in afghanistan the same way. nevertheless, ma

obviously i knew stanley mcchrystal very well because he worked for me here. i had known him in combat in iraq. i knew his background and his focus. that is the reason i recommended him strongly. certainly, as i said earlier, i have responsibility in that regard as well. there is also part of this that once elected, when put in a position, there is an expectation in terms of execution along the times and it every area of your responsibility. i think general mcchrystal certainly understood that and understand that. again, it is back to a significant error in judgment. as far as i'm concerned it was the appropriate outcome. >> for both of you, what does this say about the strength of the general officer corps now that you could only turn to general petraeus and essentially demote him because he was the only one really capable of doing this job? you have two generals now, mcchrystal and petraeus, who have been out in the field for years continuously for more than anyone else. are they being kept out there too long? do you need to strengthen your bench? in terms o

stanley mcchrystal has always shown great courtesy and carry out my orders' faithfully. i have great admiration for him and his long record of service in uniform. over the last nine years, with america fighting wars in iraq and afghanistan, he has earned a reputation as one of our nation's finest soldiers. that reputation is founded upon his extraordinary dedication, his deep intelligence, and his love of country. i have relied on his service, particularly in helping to design and lead our new strategy in afghanistan. all americans should be grateful for 10 mcchrystal -- for general mcchrystal's service in uniform. war is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general, or a president. as difficult as it is to lose him, i believe it is a right decision for our national security. the contract represented in the recently published article does not meet the standards that should be set by a commanding general. it undermines the stability and control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. it erodes the trust necessary for our team to wor

year since general stanley mcchrystal took command of the naked-let the news from afghanistan has been largely negative. the increase in casuallies -- coalition, and afghan security forces. the mixed results in marjah and the apparent return of taliban intimidation and assassinations of local officialssthere. the failure of afghan government officials to deliver much-needed services to win local alllgiances. the delay in the kandahar campaign. the resiggation of two senior afghan security officials who seemingly were among the most competent members of the cabinet and had strong coalition support. the role of local powerbrokers, including members of the karzai family, and can the heart. the growth of militias and the counterproductive activities of some u.s.-hired private security contractors. and apparent differences with the karzai egime over approaches to reconciliation with the taliban. p+general mcchrystal acknowledgd these press report -- press reports but emphasized that you have to step back and see the trend in direction. this morning we want to hear from our witnesses on how

the big story of the week , general stanley mcchrystal and what he and his staff said, mark about the president, and a lot of the civilian leadership. what do you make of this? >> well, i mean, it was a totally unexpected, outof the blue crisis that hit the white house , hit the administration. and in a strange way, because the president did , i think, handle it will in a deft and surefooted way, it could actually end up enhancing his strength and burnishing his credentials which needed burn as commander in chief. i think beyond, that judy, it was an example-- to me, anyway-- of -- putting in general petrade deficit a perfect answer, and a perfect replacement in the sense that he substituted someone who is well known, well liked, well regarded, and popular for someone who is not nearly as well known as general mcchrystal and who whose policy and practices were coming under increasing criticism. so it's bought them some time. it is not the answer to the problem. but it is a -- it's a remarkable development, and i think in a strange way, the president comes out of it stronger than he we

special representative for afghanistan and pakistan about the firing of general stanley mcchrystal and about the war. >> brown: kwame holman takes us through day three of the confirmation hearing for supreme court nominee elena kagan and judy woodruff gets analysis from marcia coyle of the "national law journal." >> ifill: tom bearden reports from florida on scientists going deep underwater to explore the damage caused by the gushing oil well. >> the whole idea about oil impacting known delicate ecosystems is really a new one. toxicity studies done in the lab do not come close to replicating the impact this might have. >> brown: and poet benjamin saenz talks of living and writing amid the violence of the u.s./mexico border. >> this is the place that really defines me, because it is such a difficult terrain to negotiate. it's not a comfortable place to live and if you want to be a writer, you don't want to live in a comfortable place. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: this is the engine that connects zero emissio

obama fired general stanley mcchrystal for publicly criticizing u.s. civilian leaders. but he suggested today the rest of his national security team is staying put. >> i am confident that we've got a team in place that can execute >> woodruff: for his part, general petraeus thread 2007 troop surge in iraq. he currently commands all u.s. forces across the middle east and central asia. pending senate confirmation, he'll inherit 120,000 nato troops in afghanistan where he visited last april. >> as we learned in iraq, as we have relearned in afghanistan, when you fight to take away the momentum and the sanctuaries and safe havens of the enemy, the enemy fights back . and that can be a difficult and tough fight . >> woodruff: at a pentagon briefing, defense secretary robert gait said the incoming commander has the latitude to revise the afghan war plan. >> the president has established the strategy, but from my perspective, general petraeus will have the flexibility to look at the campaign plan and the approach and all manner of things when he gets to afghanistan. >> woodruf

they were asked about president obama's decision to replace stanley r. mcchrystal in afghanistan. this is a little less than an hour. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the president of the russian federation. >> good afternoon, everybody. please be seated. after many meetings around the world, i am delighted to welcome my friend and partner, president medvedev to the white house. this is also an opportunity to return the wonderful hospitality of the president and his wife. michele and i enjoyed a wonderful evening at the president's home. our daughters will never forget having team -- having tea in the garden. we just concluded some excellent discussions, discussions that would have been unlikely just 17 months ago. as we have both said before, when i came into office, the relationship between the united states and russia had drifted, perhaps to its worst point since the cold war. there was too little work on issues of common concern. that did not concern the interest of either country or the world. we firmly believe that america's security interests and

this month marks one year since general stanley mcchrystal took command of the naked-let international security assistance force. the news from afghanistan recent weeks has been largely negative. the increase in casualties among u.s., coalition, and afghan security forces.

. >> learn more about general stanley mcchrystal.ches c-span appearances with the c-span video library, free on your computer any time. it is washington your way. >> "washington journal" continues. host: john shadegg is here to talk about a whale drrlling. -- is here to talk about oil drilling. this is a story yesterday in "the new york times" quoting the epa administrator, and co-chair of this mission to look at this. any moratorium would require the industry require safer drilling they wouldand that's be markedly strengthened. he said you cannot do that fast enough. look at the history of washington. a congressional hearing revealed the five major oil companies relied on an inadequate plan to+ respond to an offshore oil spill. guest: what is wrong according to the judge's opinion is that it is capricious in the sense that is not written the way his comments are written. they are not imposed on deepwater drilling in the gulf until they do those things. if you said we will have a moratorium until the major oil companies rewrite their

the white house has called afghanistan commander, general stanley mcchrystal, to washington, d.c. to explain comments in an upcoming "rolllng stone" article. senator john kerry urged everyone to stay cool and calm and not let the comments interfere with the mission in afghanistan. his comments are about two minutes. we are going to be showing you those remarks from senator kerry a little bit later. right now we're live at the white house where president obama has just finished meeting with health insurance scomblecktiffs and state insuranceeccmmissioners. he's expected to talk about the ongoing effort to implement the health care law passed by congress earlier this year. associated press writing that today at this event here at the white house president obama will talk about consumer safeguards, announcing a patient bill of rights, including guaranteed coverage for children. also, a ban on lifetime coverage limits. more than 100 million people are enrolled in plans that currently impose such limits. that's what's happening here at tte white house today live on c-span. this event w

. >> today, president obama announced he was removing general stanley mcchrystal from command of allied forces in afghanistan. this move came after a "rolling stone" magazine interview went general mcchrystal made comments. this is at the white house. >> good afternoon. today, i accepted general stanley mcchrystal resignation as commander of the international security assistance force in afghanistan. i did so with considerable regret. but also, with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in afghanistan, for our military, and for our country. i am also pleased to nominate general david petraeus to take command in afghanistan, which will allow us to maintain the momentum and leadership i do not make this decision out of any personal insult. stan mcchrystal as always carried out on orders fatefully. i have got great admiration for him and for his long record of service in uniform. over the last nine years, with america fighting wars in iraq and afghanistan, he has earned a reputation as one of our nation's finest soldiers. that reputation is founded on his extraordinary dedic

before i go further, let me say a word of praise for another american hero, general chant -- stanley mcchrystal. is a man of unrivaled integrity, and what is most impressive about his long record of military excellence is how much of it remains cloaked in silence. you understand fully how general mcchrystal systematically dismantled al qaeda in iraq, or how he began to turn around our failing war in afghanistan. these achievements and others like them are the true measure of stanley mcchrystal, and they will earn him an honored place in our history. the events that led to this hearing are unexpected and unfortunate, but they do not mean we are failing in afghanistan. i agree with the president that success in afghanistan is a vital natural interest, and i support his decision to adopt a counterinsurgency strategy, backed by more troops and civilian resources. this is the only viable path to true success, which i would define as an end -- as an afghanistan that is increasingly capable of governing itself, securing its people, sustaining its own development, and never again serving as a base for

the responsibility and accountability, nobody understood this better than stanley mcchrystal. even to his questions, this is something that i really -- i had not gone through with him in detail. we held them accountable and now we need to move on. >> addressing this role, you have recommended two gentlemen, they had to be relieved. can you talk about whether you are can -- whether you'll be reevaluating the way that you bring people into command? >> this is primarily my responsibility because i made these recommendations to the president. i think that -- the decision that i made one year ago, two years ago, to recommend this general -- this may have been longer than two years ago. this was the time when the serious situation in afghanistan was not yet as clear. one year ago, it was clear that we were in a very difficult fight. and i came to have concerns that we did not have the right strategy. we did not have the right strategy going forward, and therefore, the decision to recommend that he be relieved. it seemed to me that general mcchrystal's background in counter-terrorism

the president's top man in afghanistan general stanley mcchrystal heading back to washington for a facece meeting with president obama that could cost the four-star general the job. the stunning interview in "rolling stone" mocking white house officials and ridiculing vice president biden and saying he doesn't see how general mcchrystal can survive this and will resign tomorrow. we're going to talk with the reporter who wrote the article for "rolling stone" and the white house dealt a blow by the courts today when a federal judge here in new orleans blocked a six-month halt in deep water drilling near in the gulf. we'll have an interview with governor jindal at the top of the hour. >> larry: that's 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific with anderson. we're back with john metz, his fiancee. almost amputated his arm. dr. scott ellner that finished the job john started joins us. doctor, were you at the hospital? >> i was. when john presented to our emergency department at st. francis hospital, he was in grave condition and i really have to attribute the action of the paramedics, the ems, wes hartfor

before i go further, let me say a word of praise for another american hero, general chant -- stanley mcchrystal. is a man of unrivaled integrity, and what is most impressive about his long record of military excellence is how much of it remains cloaked in silence. you understand fully how general mcchrystal systematically dismantled al qaeda in iraq, or how he began to turn around our failing war in afghanistan. these achievements and others like them are the true measure of stanley mcchrystal, and they will earn him an honored place in our history. the events that led to this hearing are unexpected and unfortunate, but they do not mean we are failing in afghanistan. i agree with the president that success in afghhnistan is a vital natural interest, and i support his decision to adopt a counterinsurgency strategy, backed by more troops and civian resoues. this is the only viable path to true success, which i would define as an end -- as an afghanistan that is increasingly capable of governing itself, securing its people, sustaining its own development, and never again serving as a base for atta

my question has to do with stanley mcchrystal's policy, once they defeated the taliban. we defeated them but the reports are that they are creeping back in and people trust the taliban more than they do the karzai government. how are we going to make that strategy work in kandahar, when it is not working, by all reports coming in to color -- reports, -- guest: again, and believe we have the best counterinsurgency forces in the world, but it will take time. the resources can be helpful to the country. it will take time. i have had the opportunity to visit nine times. i have seen from all progress. when i first arrived in 2002, the rubble was feet around the room to. there was devastation during the occupation from the soviet union. for the first time, roads were paved. the last time i visited, in little shops, the beginning of an economic recovery. now there are sidewalks. to see children going to school, little boys with baseball caps going to school. little girls with white scarves. i have seen it with my own eyes. i know a civil society is being developed. one time, wh

general stanley mcchrystal said: "i think it's more important we get it right than we get it fast." russia will pursue talks to build more nuclear power plants in iran. that word came a day after the u.n. security council imposed new sanctions on iran over its nuclear program. the russian foreign ministry said the sanctions do not affect the nuclear plant talks. it also said moscow will keep a commitment to deliver surface- to-air missiles to tehran. u.s. attorney general eric holder promised a thorough investigation today, in a border shooting that's raised tensions with mexico. a 15-year-old mexican boy was killed monday night by a u.s. border patrol agent. it happened at a bridge that connects juarez to el paso, texas. there've been reports that mexican and u.s. authorities drew guns on each other after the shooting, but holder emphasized cooperation today. >> the incident that we talked about is certainly a regrettable one. one that we are looking into, but i think the relationship that exists between law enforcement in mexico and in the united states is a good one and is based

ifill: but if there was little debate about the president's choice to succeed ousted commander stanley mcchrystal there remains considerable disagreement about the policy he is expected to execute which includes reducing u.s. forces in afghanistan one year from now. petraeus, defense secretary gates, and the president have all said the july 2011 deadline would only be the beginning of the end of u.s. involvement. >> we did not say to starting july 2011 suddenly there would be no troops from the united states or allied countries in afghanistan. we didn't say we'd be switching off lights and closing the door behind us. what we said is we begin a transition phase in which the afghan government is taking on more and more responsibility. that is the strategy that was put forward. >> ifill: petraeus em fa sisesed the notion of that transition phase. >> it will be a number of years before afghan forces can truly handle the security tasks in afghanistan on their own. the commitment to afghanistan is necessarily therefore an enduring one. neither the taliban nor afghan and pakistani partners should doubt

after that, reaction to a "rolling stone" profile of general stanley mcchrystal in which he criticized president obama and other in ministration official. our coverage includes the white house briefing and president obama's commons late this afternoon. one all washington journal" tomorrow morning, we llok at the future of afghanistan commanded stanley mcchrystal. he is meeting with president obama wednesday about his criticism of the administration in a magazine article. our guest is james kitfield of the of the national journal." more from john shattuck, a member of the energy and commerce committee. and then we will be joined by ed schultz to talk about his book, "killer politics." washington journal is live on c- ppan every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> c-span -- our public affairs content is available on you can also connect with us on twitter, facebook, and youtube. sign up for schedule alert e- mails at c-span.org. >> treasury secretary geithner testified tuesday to a nearly 75% of tarp funds alone that the banks have been repaid. panel for the fourth time. this is a little more t

. >> today president obama announced he was removing general stanley mcchrystal from commander of allied forces in afghanistan. this move came after rolling stone magazine interview were general mcchrystal criticize the president and members of his administration. president obama has named david petreaus as mcchrystal's replacement. here is the president's announcement at the white house. >> good afternoon. today accepted general stanley mcchrystal resignation as commander of the international security assistance force in afghanistan. i did so with considerable regret, all -- but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in afghanistan, for our military, and for our country. i am also pleased to nominate general david petreaus to take command in afghanistan, which will allow us to maintain the momentum and leadership that we need to succeed. i do not make this decision based on any difference in policy with general mcchrystal, as we are in full agreement about our strategy. nor do i make this decision at any sense of personal insult. stan mcchrystal has always shown

three of the commanders, including the recently dismissed general stanley mcchrystal, had been firedd under pressure. history has a judge to many of them harshly. only general petraeus and general or the year note are widely praised as having mastered the complex mixture of skills that is required in running america's wars demands. next, a caller from oakland, california. what is on your mind? caller: good morning. i would like to say a few things. i hope i can get it all out. number one, i am black. i am a democrat. you can call me a socialist or whateever. -- whatever. i do not know why race had to be an issue. republicans always say it is not their issue. nevertheless, i am black. i just wanted to say that -- there was a person in the last administration that succ deficits did not matter. you can guess who that was. the government, in terms of tax cuts, the large corporations do not pay taxes. the top 1% pay less taxes. -- less taxes than the small people in this country. for us to be fighting back and forth in a war between democrat and republican ideology on this side and ideolo

crowley says general stanley mcchrystal has apologized to call eikenberry for his negative comments.his is five minutes. >> richard holbrooke is and kabul today. he had meetings with u.s. and afghan officials as part is his regular travels in the region

it seemed that it is right to give this new strategy of stanley mcchrystal and president obama time to work by having a correct number of forces on the ground to deliver proper counterinsurgency, to build up theeafghan army and police force, so that we can bring the troops back home. in the end, we need to make our countrr safer. it will be safer if we can behind in afghanistan that may not be perfect or brilliant, but with some level of stability that is not a haven for >> thank you, mr. speaker. next year, the british and american troops will have been 10 years in afghanistan. it is cost lives of hundreds and thousands. the war has been crossed into pakistan. are you utterly convinced that this strategy of long-term military engagement is nott because of future ppoblems? should we not think of some alternative involving neeotiation, rather than military activity? >> limit try and find some common cause with the honorable gentlemann+ -- let me try and find somee common cause with the honorable gentleman. in all lots all this by military there should be a political process -- we will n

the official said that general stanley mcchrystal who has since issued an apology for comments, has been directed to attend the monthly white house meeting in person on wednesday rather than over secure video teleconference, so that he can discuss his comments with president obama and top pentagon officials. the republicans line, and jacksonville, fla. caller: thank you for taking my call. yes, i think it is time to get out. i do not know why we're still over there. iraq, obama has blood on his hands killing all those innocent civilians with drones. why aren't we told by the media how many of our soldiers are being killed? every month he used to give out how many were killed, but they do not do that anymore. the first caller wanted to know republicans are on top? if the caller had been watching every morning for a long time, she wwuld know every month it is changed, once per month. thank you. host: this is from houston, texas, ronnie. caller: good morning to america, even though it seems like a sad state of affairs. judge made an excellent comment. we are talking about karzai. george bus

development has been advanced significantly by partnering efforts that were expanded under general stanley mcchrystal's come and -- come and. -- command. despite the progress, there is considerable work to be done to reduce attrition further, and to develop effective leaders, especially with respect to the afghan national police. it will take further training, and expand the professional training opportunities. initiatives are being pursued in each of these areas. recent salary and benefit initiatives are helping to improve recruiting and retention of afghan security forces. training capacity has been increased significantly. it is now one trader per 30 trainees, down from 79. the intensity of our kmart is also beginning to show results. -- our team work is also beginning to show results. we sometimes even share the same operating centers. nearly 85% of the afghan army is now fully partner. in short, isaf and afghan forces train together, plant operations together, and fight together. afghan forces are in the lead in kabul. they are supported, but already shouldering the responsibilities of leadership.

has been focused on the recent "rolling stone" article which resulted in the resignation of stanley mcchrystal. but even more troublesome to me than the general's inappropriate remarks were the comments by senior military officials about the state of the war and the future of our involvement in afghanistan which seem to contradict what the obama administration has told us. i quote, if americans pull back and started paying attention to this war, it would become even less popular. another said, instead of beginning to withdraw troops next year as obama promised, the military hopes to ramp up its counterinsurgency even further. the american people and our troops deserve to know the troops about what we are doing in afghanistan. we need clarity. we should have clarity before we bring up any war supplemental appropriations bill. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, this week i in

thank you very musm >> president obama just announcing that general stanley mcchrystal is no longer in charge in afghanistan, he has nominated general david petraeus, who must be confirmed by the senate. the house is in recess, some members working on resolutions and bills today, expected back for votes at about 4:00 or 4:30 eastern time. tomorrow members considering changes to campaign finance disclosure rules, the measure is in response to the supreme court's ruling that corporations, labor unions, and interest groups have the same free speech rights as individuals and do not have to disclose campaign doe nays -- donations. we'll have live coverage of the house when the members return about a half-hour or hour from now. also on the hill, representative joe barton will retain his top spot on the house energy and commerce committee. barton who came under fire after apologizing to b.p.'s c.e.o. tony hayward about the way the government treated the company, will stay on the committee which oversees oil and gas regulation, among other areaa. right now we go to a briefing by admiral thad a

stanley mcchrysttl. senger john kerry remarked to this. >> i want to take a minute to respond to remarks in a magazine article. i had a conversation with general mcchrystal about a half hour ago. i emphasized to him that i think that obviously those are comments that he will have to deal with. i have enormous respect for general mcchrystal. i think he is a -- to rid a soldier. as far as i am personally concerned, our priority is the mission in afghanistan and our ability to proceed forward confidently. it'll be up to the president of the uuited states to make the decision as to whether or not the national security staff thinks they can do that. all of us would be best served sttying cool and calm and not succumming to the normal washington twitter about to this. we have troops on the front line. we have a major mission we are in the middleeof. i think the priorities of the mission areebest served by general have their connersation to make a determination of how we proceed forward. >> peter crowley says general mcchrystal has apologized to richard holbrooke. this is five minuues. >> richard holbrooke is in kabul today. he has meetings with afghan official

obviously, i knew stanley mcchrystal very well because he worked for me for a year. i have known him in combat in iraq. i know his background and what his focus was. that is the reason i recommended him -- strongly recommended him. certainly, as i said earlier, i have responsibility in that regard and understand that. there is also part of this that, when selected, there is an expectation in terms of next -- expectation in terms of execution. i think general mcchrystal stirred -- general because -- general mcchrystal certainly understands that. it was a significant error in judgment. as far as i am concerned, it was the appropriate action and outcome. >> what does it say about defense strength of the general officer corps now that you can only turn to general petraeus because he is the only one capable of doing this job? you have to generals, mcchrystal and petraeus, who have been out in the field continuously more than anyone else. do you need to strengthen your bench? does a general petraeus have any flexibility in your mind to make any changes in the strategy on t