and the new generation of taliban. so the night that we eventually met up with this guy he had made a call. he had told us afterwards that he'd called ahead, described our car, given our license plate, and they literally -- as i describe in the passage -- parted the way and let us through. and this was so indicative of the importance of connections and relationships in pakistan, but particularly in the northwest problem tier province. so we got to this guy's house that night, and we broke the fast. it was during ram dab. after we broke the fast, we started talking about life in swath and what was happening and what not. and he started showing me videos of talibs attacking americans in iraq. i wasn't about to stand up and say, you know, actually my dad and my brother are part of the crusading army you spent your life against, but yet i had no other choice, right? so i changed the subject, and at this point the guy said you know that osama has written a philosophy book, and i said, no, i didn't. so he brought me into thi

taliban? >> i was talking about al qaeda and the threat posed in the united kingdom by terrorist plots is organized or in collaboration with people who are members of al qaeda in pakistan. the evidence is many of the plot we have had to deal with including the most recent plots are inspired by instructions that come from cuckoo opera chips. there is contact between these in the people within the u.k. -- my point about the taliban is this. if al qaeda were to have the space to operate in afghanistan as a result of the taliban coming back to power there, then there would be an even greater danger, not just to the region, but to the streets of britain. >> the prime minister mentioned the whole country and of the whole country will be reassured by his statement today. we are there under a united nations fear. 43 nations states are in the collision. it had pledged for troops with others. would it not be appropriate for the secretary-general to announce these as soon as he can silicon build on the p

many taliban have done this since 2002.people who were senior oil officials -- some people who were senior officials have done this. there is regular contact between them and internationals, including americans. what you're talking but, no sir. yes, sir? >> i am from the bbc. hell encouraged were you about the fight against corruption. -- how encouraged or you about the fight against corruption? >> corruption is an enormously complicated issue. it is easy to put the word in the headline but when you get down to it, what does it mean and what is the difference between traditional corruption? these are complicated issues let me be very, very clear on this. we are deeply concerned about corruption. secretary clinton did not hesitate to discuss this. the international community has such a large footprint in afghanistan and a lot of the targets of opportunity for corruption come from the international community. we have a legitimate concern from that score. that is what the gao and the social inspector general of the afghanistan

killing taliban. they noted that very often, and they realize that that is not their job. >> was it business as usual? >> they have all done this before. this young man named hoates was in the truck with me. we were talking about the fire fight. they usually don't and around that long. they kept shooting this time. he talked about his mindset. he said that the key to surviving, ironically, is to not care about surviving. if you think too hard about protecting yourself, you don't take the steps that you know you need to take to resolve the situation as fast as possible. in other words, as soon as they can get out of the vehicles, they get out. they get high ground and looked around at the enemy and call an artillery and fire grenades down. that requires getting exposed, moving around, bullets snapping around you. it is scary, but it is safer to get out and take a look at the problem. you survived by embracing death. he and his unit are lucky. they have not taken a lot of casualties. one of the reasons

he talked about having a plan for the reintegration of the taliban. he talked about a larger economic commitment from great britain. but that would be conditional upon a plan to reduce corruption in the afghan government. and he talked about this all being contingent about nato and the international community, also supporting and coming through with additional kinds of support and commitments on the part of the international community. and then he said at the end of that, and we would also increase the number of troops as one of a large number of factors. we would increase the number of troops, conditional upon all those other things happening from 9,000 to 9,500. that's a very modest increase. i would hope that any increase, combat forces that the president decides upon would be that modest if it comes at all. >> senator levine. there have been a lot of holes out saying that the u.s. public is not very supportive of the afghan mission. how many more military death do you think the u.s. public can tolerate until the united states would have to withdra

>> when the afghans are able to secure most of their population and when -- from the taliban and when they have a government, which is a lot less corrupt and a lot cleaner than the current one in terms of its activities and a government which is able to deliver services to the afghan people. >> senator, in your opening comments, you several times referenced the combined nato force. considering the pressures that some of our nato allies are feeling at home, what your message to them would be about the level of commitment they should put to this effort? >> i thought the prime minister of england came out with a solid speech on this subject ta i call the british model which is the one we ought to follow. his model was the transition to afghan control and he went through all of the ways which we could show resolve during this transition period in support and partnership during a transition period. he talked about trainers, focusing on number of trainers that the british were going to increase numbers, going to build a training facility, he talked about additional manned vehicles, more fly

but it sure beats embedding with the taliban. as an american, i probably will make it through. >> david axe, thanks for your work and thanks for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> video journalist, david axe has covered wars in afghanistan and iraq, you can watch programs produced with this material and interview on our website, c-span.org, and type in axe. >> on tuesday president obama will strategize tuesday night at 8 eastern, live on c-span networks. >> coming up here on c-span, what the fall of the berlin wall meant for u.s. foreign policy. after that a forum on the two major parties of the senate election. and internet marketing tactics. tomorrow's "washington journal," a look at the later news with james joyener, editor. and jeremy ben-ami, who heads the advocacy group, jay-street. and tim brown, in opposition of trying the 9/11 suspects in federal court. >> former deputy defense secretary paul will fullest takes a look back at the fall of the berlin wall. he talks about subsequent changes in u.s. foreign policy interests ques

the mayor used to support the taliban but he switched sides two years ago.he taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said that it had already tried to kill the mayor several times. >>> this is a group of kids who led the ground breaking for a permanent national memorial to flight 93 yesterday. it's going to honor the crew and passengers who died in the september 11th crash in pennsylvania. one mother who lost her daughter said it was a joyful day. >> i was thinking of my daughter who was a passenger on flight 93, you you know, what she would think about today. and she would be very happy and proud that people will have a permanent memorial to come to and remember her and her fellow passengers. >> organizers say they're going to push to make sure the memorial is completed by september 11, 2011, the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks. >>> one father just got to hug his daughter for the very first time in three decades. >> i never stopped looking. you know, i never forgot about you, ever. >> they looked for each other for years and years, b

killing taliban. they noted that very often, and they realize that that is not their job. >> was it business as usual? >> they have all done this before. the salomon named hoates -- young man named hoates was in the truck with me. we were talking about the fire fight. they usually don't and around that long. they kept shooting this time. he talked about his mindset. he said that the key to surviving, ironically, is to not care about surviving. if you think too hard about protecting yourself, you don't take the steps that you know you need to take to resolve the situation as fast as possible. in other words, as soon as they can get out of the vehicles, they get out. they get high ground and looked around at the enemy and call an artillery and fire grenades down. that requires getting exposed, moving around, bullets snapping around you. it is scary, but it is safer to get out and take a look at the problem. you survived by embracing death. he and his unit are lucky. they have not taken a lot of casualti

we decided that meant he eradicating the taliban as well. -- that meant he eradicating the taliban asell. 8 tw8 years later, there is very little al qaeda in afghanistan, very little taliban. somehow, the mission has become building a society to replace the taliban as a form of government. that is not going well. >> does afghanistan have a history of a unified military? >> i do not know. i not an expert on afghan history. recently, no. under the soviets 20 years ago, there was a partnership with alamance of an afghan federal government -- elements of an afghan federal government. there is not a strong tradition of centralized government. >> did you ever see any evidence of the u.s. or nato forces trying to eradicate the poppy fields? >> no, i did not see the revocation. -- renovatiowhen it comes to pos is not on the forefront any more. the reason that the military cared about this was because they were a source of revenue for the taliban. it is clear now that they have multiple income streams and that is just one. it is also clear that trying to eradicate poppy iies, you hurt e than y

former taliban in the national assembly. there's regular contact between them and internationals, including americans. but what you're talking about, no, sir. >> i'm from the bbc. how reassured were you by what you were hearing about the fight against corruption? and can i ask you what is it that concerns you? corruption can cover a whole host of different activities. >> corruption is enormously complicated issue. it's easy just to put the word in the headlines, but when you get down 20 it -- down to it, what does it mean? when -- what is the difference between traditional baksheesh and real corruption, these are complicated issues. let me be very, very clear on this. we are deeply concerned about corruption. secretary clinton did not hesitate to discuss this. we have -- because the international community led by the united states has such a large footprint in afghanistan, and a lot of the targets of opportunity for corruption come from the international community. and so we have a legitimate concern on that score, and that'

the taliban come in and did.are not looking, but if you have the snapshots you compare them and they call it change detection. that is a lot of what they do. they revisit areas to take these radar snapshot. they send in ground teams. >> you were with several units in different places. what sense did you get from soldiers of up to redeployments, the multiple deployments to afghanistan? >> a lot of the guys i was with were fairly young. many of them were on their first deployments and have only been in the army for a few years. as you get older soldiers, they have been at this for quite a long time. i hear a lot about droppinmorald it seems like they are talking about a different army. i am not sure that means anything in afghanistan. it might for other armies, but this is a professional army. probably the world's most professional army ever. they're highly trained, highly educated, extremely well equipped and pretty well compensated. these guys do a job because it is their job. most of them are not it theologicall

taliban don't usually hang around that long.ut they just kept shooting this time and hotes talked about his mindset when he's in a situation like that. he said the key to surviving, ironically is to not care about surviving. if you think too hard about protecting yourself, then you don't take the steps that you know you need take to resolve the situation as fast as possible. in other words, as soon as they can get out of the vehicles, they get out of the vehicles, and they gain some high ground and look around at the enemy, and then they call in artillery and mortars and fair to their own grenades dow, but that sort of requires getting out of the vehicle and bullets snapping around you. but in the end it's safer to get out and take care of the problem than hunker down and let them shoot at you. so he talked about how you survive by embracing death. and he and his unit are lucky. they haven't taken a lot of casualties. and one of the reasons is is because they fight so bravely, and they are willing to confront death like that. >>

the region had fallen under taliban control and followed strict law banning music.f those fighters used to be the moviegoers before they joined the taliban and decided, well, it's forbidden now. after pakistan's three month military offensive against the taliban, the army declared victory in july, two months late e it shows films with music. one of the men that goes says, we're having fun and we want to have more fun. that depends how well pakistan security forces can protect the valley. it was built in 1964 and still uses projectors made in, get this, long island. >> very interesting details there. all right. this is interesting as well. research on golf balls is redefining the term "water hazard." do explain. >> did you know that americans lose or discard 300 million, 300 million golf balls every year? here's the good news, if you want to go back and try to get your balls, you have plenty of time to do it because research shows it takes the average golf ball 100 to 1,000 years to decompose. now, to the bad news. over that time, these plastic balls are leaking dang

but the - what happened the taliban fell apart.ne wanted to defend it because it had clamped down significantly for the opium trade and it took several years for it to come back an" i don't see how you can stop that by except occupying western pakistan. it was somewhat surprising and now of course it's come back for "tp major problem in that area t õseems to me, i don't see any real way to go right to phillip's point that it could have the united states was in a position now occupying afghanistan and trying make that work and dealing with the disaster of western. unruly part of pakistan. >> so i've got 7 questions. 8. so i think what i'm going to do is take them in groups of two or three and ask the speakers to keep answers brief to get to everybody. sir, in the back corner and bill, you'll be next. >> my name is charlie smith. a native of charlottesville for 12 or so 13 year veteran. when the walls came down the title of the event. they came down because of an event that took place earlier than that when reagan came up with a stri

the other thing this does for adding more troops is it only enforces or reinforces the taliban's desirey going to fight harder. so by adding more troops you take away any incentive from the karzai regime to negotiate and you embolden the other side to continue fighting. my recommendation, of course, is to -- go ahead? >> larry: -- leave? >> oh, not leave. you can characterize it as all in or all out and i don't believe that's the case. reasonable people and rational people involved in the debate, i don't think anyone is saying all in or all out. i'm not advocating for washing our hands. i'm advocating for a political solution. >> larry: tom cotton, where do you stand? >> i support general mcchrystal's request for fully resourced counter insurgent strategy. reports of his still classified review released in august said he's requesting anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 troops. i think 40,000 would be a reasonable be but low-end figure. 60,000 would allow for a fully resourced strategy, and i hope the president next week will announce he's going to support the general and give him all the tro

the intelligence chief talked about the taliban. and she talked about that in her public comments in afghanistan which have been issued by the department. on the personnel side, we are dramatically increasing our personnel. joanne is in charge of that effort. when we came into office, they were about 300 american civilians in all of afghanistan. and most of them were on six-month tours. and they had very substantial leave arrangements to go to dubai or adu dabe or somewhere else. there were no month six-month tours. spouses were allowed to come, indeed encouraged to come, if they take jobs. and the school-age children issue is a big problem. but there are plenty of spouse there's now. that, of course, has multiple payoffs. leaves have been changed. and more and more people are signing up for a lengthier tour. and some of the people here have had tours in afghanistan and will rotate back. so we are going to be at about 900 people. i think jack gave you the figures in his lengthy press conference the other day. and some of you went to

so there after taliban and getting them. so there are options. after taliban and getting them.ns. they depend on numbers, on geography of there are options. they depend on numbers, on geography of where they numbers, on geography of where they go, the precise numbers, on geography of where they go, the precise roles. but they go, the precise roles. but they all involve sending involve sending more troops. that is almost involve sending more troops. that is almost certainly going is almost certainly going to happen. when are is almost certainly going to happen. when are we likely to get when are we likely to get that decision when are we likely to get that decision in well, decision in well, that‘s something that‘s still open. decision in well, that's something that‘s still open. general that's still open. general petreus said that's still open. general petreus said very that's still open. general petreus said very soon. the said very soon. the president ls off on said very soon. the president ls off on an asian tour off on an asian tour tomorrow. he doesn't off on an asian tour

the model predicted that the pakistani government would try to cut a deal with the taliban, who were greatly raising empower according to the analysis unless the united states increased foreign aid to $1.5 billion, that was the exact number in the book. and to the extent that we did not tie strings to that $1.5 billion, then they would go after the taliban. but the book also predicted that there was a consequential probability that the military would potentially, not a sure thing, but would launch a coup in july. they didn't. on the other hand we just passed a $1.5 billion aid bill. they protested the strings were attached. senator kerry just announced, no, no, no we don't intend to interfere with the sovereignty of pakistan, just tell us how you spent the money so they can use it for their own purposes. and as a result, they are now going to war restfully after the taliban. >> i think the 1.5 billion approved in september proves that congress has been reading the prediction year's game. maybe you can get a translator. you touched on this in your talk earlier, but perhaps you could e

the key is to get the tribal leaders to understand what we're doing and to fight the taliban and al qaeda for us. >> i understand exactly what you said and you are concise which makes you think you're a military man, are you? >> caller: no. we can't win there. >> you don't think the goal laid out is attainable? >> caller: what we have to do is -- it's more a matter of nation building and bringing the people to believe in what we're doing and why we're there. we're occupiers. they'll always be against us. >> if you think it's not attainable and we can't win, is it time for the troops to come home? >> caller: not yet. >> i didn't want to put words in your mouth but it seemed like the logical step from what you were saying. >> caller: we can't increase troops because no matter what you do, you're not going to win. >> thank you for the conversation. appreciate that. got a lot of comments on my facebook page starting last night because that's when we started to broach this subject. let's give you a sample of what we got. jeff says -- norma is on the known. i think that you have something to re

it may become a sanctuary where the taliban can undermine pakistan. if they are already don't have pakistan as a sanctuary. i am not arguing that afghanistan is irrelevant. i just don't see it as critical to the effort against terrorism or the future of pakistan. i don't think the general has made the case -- this is really at the heart of the president's dilemma. would it, in the long run, accomplish anything? would the results be commensurate with the investment? if we put in 40,000 more troops, things will improve. i have no doubt about that given the talent of the u.s. military. the real question is, will it and door once we dial it back? -- endure once we dial it back. there is also the reality of corruption that we're not going to get rid of. i do not see it as producing commensurate results. i would roughly stay where they are for the time being. i would put an emphasis on training rather than more fighting. i would put much greater resources into pakistan, and i would except at the end of the day, there are limits to what we can accomplish. th

the mujahedin and the taliban are all the same.th the ones that they can convert and control and manipulate. to dismiss the idea that the government is not manipulating and controlling these guys, i know you know about this network. they have done this before part. e. guest: i don't agree with your premise that the u.s. is to put it -- is behind al qaeda. i don't believe the u.s. is behind these plots. amas salem is a hero who informed to the fbi that stopped a second string of plots in 1993. ali mohammed was a second forces sergeant who infiltrated the u.s. military and was a security net for al qaeda. he was an enemy combatant but not classified as such but sends to long-term imprisonment -- sentenced to long term in prison and in 1998. he was not working for the fbi. he had volunteered to work as a double agents but his main master was al qaeda. host: another twittered message says how can you explain your mission without racial profiling the rest of the muslim population? guest: we can do that easily parted we do not profile pe

but sadly, i think the taliban in the south have been able to intimidate through the threat of the use of force. we have not been able to protect the locals against the threat of the worse. the difference that the taliban in afghanistan is not conducting violence attacks against civilians casualties than presumably having learned some lessons from iraq. it's probably going to take forces that are going to take an important change. the second thing that we haven't done that we did successfully in iraq is partner our units, american forces, coalition forces in this case with the afghanistan national army. what we see in afghanistan although the army units have training teams with them, we don't see the same kind of day day-to-day partnership that our units in iraq had. whenever i went to iraq, i would visit any unit brigade, battalion, even a company level, i met their iraqi partners. i don't have that same in afghanistan. so it's vital that we start connecting operations side by side with the afghan national army. so that they become as effective as quickly as possible. so we grow the a

very little taliban as well. the mission has changed too much is disrupting the organizations, but building an almost western-style society to replace the taliban as a form of goverment, i guess. that's not going well. >> do they have any history of a unified military, a force that serve the country in the past? >> i don't know. i am not an expert on afghan history. recently, no. under the soviets 20 years ago, there is a partnership with elements of an afghan federal government ahead, just like there is today. i don't mean to equate the two, but recently there has not been a strong tradition of centralized government. >> the see any evidence of the u.s. or nato forces trying to work with local officials to eradicate the poppy fields. >> i did not see that, but there is a good reason. we have moved past eradication. >> to what? >> when it comes to poppies, is not really in the forefront anymore. the drugs -- is the reason that the military cared it was because they were a source of revenue, are a source of revenu

nobody really wants to talk about defeating the taliban. you need to create a civil society in afghanistan. host: how specific does he need to be? guest: i don't think he will be very specific. presidents usually are not. he will set general goals, increase the troop commitment. he will have to explain why it is important that we fight. " we hope to achieve there. the problem is, those issues are very complicated. more fundamentally, the degree to which we can achieve those goals -- i am not sure that afghanistan to return then to what we want to turn it into in short order, much less that the u.s. army and marine corps are the best mechanisms. but that is where we are. we do not have the infrastructure with usaid and those other things or the ngo's project think are problematic in their own right. we are left with a charge of carrying now missions. guest: without the troops how you build roads, schools, create institutions that will build a society that will be the bork against extremism? guest: building society is not traditionally a mili

it sure beats embedding with the taliban. as an american, i will probably make it through. >> david axe, and thanks for your work. thank you for joining us. >> video journalist david axe has covered the wars in afghanistan and iraq as was the conflict in sudan. you can watch programs produced with his material on our web site, c-span.org. go to the search box in the upper right-hand corner and type in a-x-e. >> the president plans to address the nation of the future of afghanistan at 8:00 p.m. eastern from west point. we will have live coverage on the c-span networks. >> coming up, sec commissioner, and on america and the courts, and look at recent changes in the supreme court. >> american icons, three nights of c-span original documentary on the iconic homes of the three branches of american government continues. tonight at 8:00 p.m., the capitol. american icons, tonight at 8:00 p.m. on c-span. get your own copy of american icons, a 3 disk dtv said. order online at c-span.org /store. >> this week, a discussion with fcc commi

it may become a sanctuary where the taliban can undermine pakistan. if they are already don't have pakistan as a sanctuary. i am not arguing that afghanistan is irrelevant. i just don't see it as critical to the effort against terrorism or the future of pakistan. i don't think the general has made the case -- this is really at the heart of the president's dilemma. would it, in the long run, accomplish anything? would the results be commensurate with the investment? if we put in 40,000 more troops, things will improve. i have no doubt about that given the talent of the u.s. military. the real question is, will it and door once we dial it back? -- endure once we dial it back. there is also the reality of corruption that we're not going to get rid of. i do not see it as producing commensurate results. i would roughly stay where they are for the time being. i would put an emphasis on training rather than more fighting. i would put much greater resources into pakistan, and i would except at the end of the day, there are limits to what we can accomplish. th

taliban leaders claim responsibility for most of those. but they're denying being involved in some of the deadliest attacks. >>> former new jersey governor jim mcgreevey is training to become an episcopal priest in hoboken. remember his 2004 confession revealing his affair with a man? it ended his marriage and his political career. mcgreevey tells wcbs his spiritual journey is going -- those are some of our headlines. >>> good morning, sunshine. i'm robin meade. today federal officials will tour an illinois prison that could house dozens of detainees from guantanamo bay. thomson correctional center is about 150 miles west of chicago. the population is 600 people. correspondent richard lui joins us now. what do those 600 people think about this proposal. >> robin, they're thinking about things all folks across the country are. jobs. many in thomson are just worried about getting back to work. the prison there sat empty for five years because the state didn't have the resources to open it. it's still almost empty right now. but state officia

their weapons to the taliban.british officers say taliban fighters have infiltrated the afghan police force.+++tp0 excuse me, since there is pressure to quickly recruit more afghans, properly vetting the new policemen is tough and the prime minister is concerned about this, certainly, of the britain. >>> remember, the bird's nest, the center of last year's olympic games in beijing. now chinese officials are trying to figure out what to do it. now, only a few thousand a day pay to tour it. that's down from 50,000. sports teams have not been able to move into the nest because it costs just too doggone much. but it looks, great, rafer w weig weigel. >> but doesn't look good empty. >> it was not empty last night. people looking forward to the victory parade, when that happens. we're talking about the new york yanks. >> the empire fights back. it is the first one for the yankees in their new $1.3 billion park and their first in nine years. oh, how they've just suffered so much and how sweet it was. >> yankees win, the

so we went, owe ousted the taliban from government. we pursued bin laden and punisheded him.troops. >> and it's been almost nine years since all those objectives you just laid out. so what do you think the objectives are now? do you think they're attainable? . >> caller: here's the thing. as long as we're there, we're going to fuel nationalism and spill american blood for nothing. the taliban will remain after we leave, and keep on fighting, because they're protecting their poppy. >> so it sounds like you want everyone to come home. more facebook comments. nathan wrote, you can't win against terrorism. if you kill one terrorist, two more take its place. leave before it breaks our nation apart. chad wrote, unless we catch bin laden, this one is one we shouldn't have our noses. isn't this a civil war between the people of afghanistan? and eric is on the phone from ft. wayne, indiana. how do you define winning in afghanistan? >> caller: i don't really think that they're actually a true definite term of win in iraq or exactly pulling troops out. >> afghanistan, you mean? >> calle

subduing the taliban? if he can articulate that.ost: we are approaching the 1000 person mark in terms of casualties eight years into the war. guest: if you gave general mcchrystal everything that he asked for, we would be swallowed up in afghanistan by breakfast. it is a huge country with a tribal government if you want to call a government. it is run by someone that we all like knowledge is corrupt. can you picture sending anyone's child to support the karzai regime? in his brother, out in the open as a drug kingpin. without knowing that you are going to kill al qaeda, how much as the taliban negotiated? is it pakistan that we need to worry about? are we going to interfere with that? is the counterinsurgency what we want to do? or could it be the joe biden plan? sending in more special forces and drones, pinpointing what we need to do. we are never going to bring anything even approaching what we have in iraq to afghanistan. host: eric holder defended his decision to have the trial for khalid sheikh mohammed in new york. margaret,

it is already owned by the taliban. according to mr. singh, he said afghanistan is a friend of india. he announced to the world yesterday. he's in a no-win situation. host: that is peter in philadelphia. next caller in phoenix, good morning to you. caller: i think this whole war is a big mistake. host: why is that? caller: we're in a no-win situation going into afghanistan. the soviets with in there, and the afghanis ran them out of theire. is a no-win situation. we are going to send in 30,000 troops to get slaughtered? it does not make any sense. host: "usa today" leads on a public opinion poll on the war. susan page has written the story. host host: next telephone call is from clearwater, fla. on the democrats' line. caller: i say we should absolutely get out now. afghanistan is nothing more than a graveyard of empires. we have these terrible wars, but we cannot pay for health care or higher education for u.s. citizens? as long as we have grossed well to disparity in the world, there will always be terrorism. these horrible acts of te

. >> considering the situation in pakistan, are you concerned that the taliban -- pakistani taliban can infiltrate into india? and also that they would reach the pakistani nuclear bombs? >> let me say that we are worried about the activities of the taliban in the mainland cities and towns of pakistan, and that is a threat to security not only of pakistan but also a threat to security of our country. >> de believe the obama administration can help put pressure on pakistan, given the new decisions that that would likely take about afghanistan? should pakistan acted out terrorists -- act against terrorists, did that figure in your talks with mr. obama? >> i have discussed this matter with the president and with the secretary of state. i have been assured that u.s. influence will work in the direction if you have asked for. -- that you have asked for. >> compared your 2005 visit, this visit may be more on ceremony and lessen content per your comments about that? and did you see bipartisan support for india in this congress? >> have not come about any resistant to india's role. our involveme

was in afghanistan was because al qaeda had the safe-haven protection of a government run by the taliban the president will discuss tomorrow is insuring that we prevent the taliban from being capable of controlling the government of the gas -- of afghanistan, as well as incapable of providing safe haven from which al qaeda can plot and undertake terrorist activities like we've seen happen previously in the united states. >> to do that, do you have to have complete success with a counterinsurgency so that there are no remnants left of the taliban? >> i will let the president go through some of that tomorrow. >> congressman obey and murtha put into the bill -- i understand you have not heard any discussion, but when the president meets with senators tomorrow, will he give them any guidance? >> let me get back to you on that. dollars should we be at a turning point after the announcement of iran yesterday? >> that is a question for the iranians. the iranians should quite clearly understand their responsibilities and obligations under international treaty that they signed. iranians had been

taliban leaders claimed responsibility for most of those, but they're denying being involved in somee deadliest attacks. they say pakistani intelligence agencies and u.s. security contractors were behind those. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton said she would be happy to chat with sarah palin over a cup of coffee. clinton was responding to passage in palin's new book where she writes that if she and clinton ever met for coffee they would disagree on many issues but she respects clinton's 2008 campaign. >>> first, let me check in on you, head bed. i'm robin meade. great to have you here. the funerals were held across the country on saturday for some of the victims of the ft. hood shootings. one was held in san diego for john gaffaney. a former co-worker remembered him for being very personal. >> i think john's gift was that particularly when we were seeing veterans, he could talk the talk with them. and had a way of working with those people, in particular, that really needed services. >> major nidal hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the ft. hood shootings

violence has been soaring there as the taliban expands its turf. >>> soon you could skip the customsine when flying home from overseas. homeland security wants to expand an experimental program for prescreening travelers so if you pay a one-time $100 fee and you undergo a background check, you can report your arrival and make declarations at computerized kiosks. now customs officials say it's cut the average wait time from ten minutes to three. through customs in ten minutes? please. >>> the second installment of the "twilight" series. this time around bella is tangling with more than just the undead. >> too late now. >> bella, get back. >> paul, paul, get back now. >> you know what, critics don't love this one. they say it lacks spark and even the special effects aren't so great but it really doesn't matter what they think. look at the crowds of people waiting for the premiere in the east village last night. around here people are attending them like at 6:30, 9:30, 11:30, until it officially opened at midnight, i guess. >> how about that? the special effects looked pretty good, a gi

both internally and a externally -- as to the threat from the afghan taliban, the pakistani taliban,nd from groups in afghanistan who are just plain gangsters and drug dealers. it is a very complex issue. you have to sort through it to decide what your policy will be. i think that is going on now. host: the me ask you about iran. over the weekend it staged war games and sits on the nuclear offer from the west. guest: what you are seeing is iran acting in a nationalistic way, not to our best interests, but to theirs. we have been threatening a iran for a decade now. in their effort to get their nuclear power and potential for a nuclear weapon we have been through the bush administration when we wanted with policy to overturn their government. they are being threatened militarily by the israelis to blow up these sites. they are going through what they see for themselves. i think that we have to watch it. but i think we have to watch what we say and do. one of the ironies today in iran is that the opposition to the government in the election turns out to be the people who were objecting

taliban commanders have claimed responsibility for several of those attacks so far. >>> and then in about three hours nasa plans the first of three space walks at the international space station. astronauts will install a spare antenna and some new cables. it will be the first space walk for dr. robert satcher jr. who is also the first orthopedic surgeon in space. we'll have live coverage all this morning on "morning express" so stay with us. we'll take you straight to it. so why do people hate one another? a researcher at gonzaga university is leading an effort to start answering that question or try to. the ultimate goal is to create a new academic field of paint studies. the university even offered its first class on hatred last spring. it was taught by five professors from different disciplines. >>> and new this morning for you, president obama saying u.s. allies are discussing ways to punish iran for rejecting a nuclear deal. he made that comment in south korea on the very last day of his asian tour. eight days long. he says there will likely be sanctions over the next several weeks.

has intensified its push against the taliban. the army's overall suicide rate has jumped. the army says it's working to get more mental health workers to help soldiers cope. that report comes as president obama sends more troops into afghanistan. >>> president obama is now in singapo singapore, the second stop on his asia tour, meeting with the members of apec. before he left japan, he said the u.s. needs to work more with asia because it could create jobs back at home. >> this is a place where the risks of a nuclear arms race threatens the security of the wider world and where extremists who defile a great religion plan attacks on both our congress. and there can be no solution to our energy security and our climate challenge without the rising powers and developing powers of the asia pacific. to meet these common challenges, the united states looks to strengthen aligns and build new partnerships with the nations of this region. >> while in singapore, the president is due to talk with russian president about replacing the nuclea

the fight against the pakistan taliban was a u.s. fight, not a pakistani fight. i think the attack -- attachment of pakistan, with our support, they've taken action in the valley. so i think we're moving forward past the major piece of legislation providing assistance to pakistan. >> the afghanistan i think there are a number of different options. i think it would be a mistake for the united states to withdraw. there are some people who are advocating the beginning of a immediate withdraw. i think that would be a big, big mistake. in fact, several years ago, i advocated incoming u.s. forces in afghanistan. as, you know, the president hasn't received forces. now whether or not you increase forces above the level is not just the question of troop levels. but you obviously have to clearly analyze the political situation and take into the liability into the karzai government. >> let me stop you. do you have a position on that? there are others who have doubts about that. the vice presidency had real doubts about that. do you have a view on that? >> well, i do have a

violence has been soaring there as the taliban expands its turf. >>> new movie friday here.ay the second installment of the "twilight" series. the teen vampire saga. this time around, bella is tangling with more than just the undead. >> don't! >> too late now. >> bella, get back. >> get back now. >> critics really don't love this one. they say the movie lacks spark and even the special effects right so great. doesn't matter to the fans. look at the crowds of people waiting for the premiere in new york's eeshast village last nig. >> i'm getting schooled by my producer. this is a tv show? no. it was books. like harry potter? yes. this is the first movie? no this is the second one. okay. i must be 90 years old at this point. i have no idea. i miss out on everything. >> apparently the vampires are sexy and hot in this series, clearly. >> fair enough. and dog, too. it looked interesting. what p up, rob? the big low pressure region right across the midwest finally moved itself away it's anchored over ontario. that's the first batch. you saw the rain over texas. more in a second. i

of a counterinsurgency strategy where you're trying to convince people of afghanistan to repel the taliban and support the government in kabul, you have to have some faith in confidence of the government of kabul. and it is very difficult to see whether that is there now. in fact, most of the evidence suggests otherwise. i think this is an area where you have got to make a determination about whether what's going on in afghanistan is a leading civil war between the taliban and forces of the northern alliance, and a number of other factors, or whether you believe putting more forces on the ground as part of a counterinsurgency strategy can increase security to the point where you will be able to gain the confidence of the people. but we have not yet, we in congress, we have not yet benefited general mcchrystal's testimony. we have not heard from eikenberry before congress. so i think we need to have the kind of debate in congress that they've had in the white house before making what is clearly a very consequential decision. >> let's go to your questions in just a bit. start think about wha

. >> hello, my name is christina taliban. i am the founder and chair of the free elections-- and also the libertarian candidates. the libertarian nomination for california's secretary of state. currently an initiative in support of the top two primary is on the ballot in california for june 2010. how the demopublicans have rigged the system and left independents out in the cold primary at the top two vote getters in the primary the only names did appear on the november vali vinnette that means one political parties represented. the tup to primaries are the biggest threat to the existence of minor parties and over 50 years according to richard wainer cronon bellock access. my question is, and also i want to mention in washington state of almost 200 races there are only 08 candidates that did not advance the general election, they are only eight candidates that did advance the general election because they ran unopposed racist. my question is what is your position on the top two primaries and how you think this will impact thir

it may become a sanctuary where the taliban can undermine pakistan. if they are already don't have pakistan as a sanctuary. i am not arguing that afghanistan is irrelevant. i just don't see it as critical to the effort against terrorism or the future of pakistan. i don't think the general has made the case -- this is really at the heart of the president's dilemma. would it, in the long run, accomplish anything? would the results be commensurate with the investment? if we put in 40,000 more troops, things will improve. i have no doubt about that given the talent of the u.s. military. the real question is, will it and door once we dial it back? -- endure once we dial it back. there is also the reality of corruption that we're not going to get rid of. i do not see it as producing commensurate results. i would roughly stay where they are for the time being. i would put an emphasis on training rather than more fighting. i would put much greater resources into pakistan, and i would except at the end of the day, there are limits to what we can accomplish. th

both internally and a externally -- as to the threat from the afghan taliban, the pakistani taliban, and from groups in afghanistan who are just plain gangsters and drug dealers. it is a very complex issue. you have to sort through it to decide what your policy will be. i think that is going on now. host: the me ask you about iran. over the weekend it staged war games and sits on the nuclear offer from the west. guest: what you are seeing is iran acting in a nationalistic way, not to our best interests, but to theirs. we have been threatening a iran for a decade now. in their effort to get their nuclear power and potential for a nuclear weapon we have been through the bush administration when we wanted with policy to overturn their government. they are being threatened militarily by the israelis to blow up these sites. they are going through what they see for themselves. i think that we have to watch it. but i think we have to watch what we say and do. one of the ironies today in iran is that the opposition to the government in the election turns out to be the people who were objecti

but the intelligence talked about the taliban. and then she talked about that in her public comments in afghanistan which has been issued in the department. on the personnel side, we are dramatically increasing our personnel. joann is in charge of that effort. when we came into office, we were about 300 americans civilians, and all of afghanistan. and most of them were on six month tours. and they had very substantial arrangements to go to dubai, or abu dab buy. and there was no real continuity. there was no more six month tours. spouses are allowed to come, and encourage to come if they take jobs, and school-aged children issue is a big problem. but there are plenty of spouses there. leaves has been changed, and more and more people are signing up for a lengthier tours. and some of the people here have had tours in afghanistan. and we'll rotate back. seen we are going to be at about 900 people, i think, jack gave you figures in his lengthy press conference the other they. and some of you went with jack on thursday the same day th

general mcchrystal crafted a plan to defeat the taliban and he recommended in august that the u.s. would need 40,000 additional service members to roust the militants out of kabul. monday's session was the 10th to be held in the situation room. the next call is from charlotte, north carolina. rich, republican line. is washington soaking america's rich? caller: good morning, how are you? yes, and unfortunately it is going to get worse. i swear that every time i look at the administration of their conducting our foreign policy and domestic policy, i would think it is jimmy carter. that will come back to haunt him in 2010 wheand 2012. in some other folks have been furious -- i and th some other folks have been curious. why did our administration not do like they did in world war ii? they sold war bonds, keeping it within the capitalistic investment system. i would rather prefer to see as helping out through the capitalist model instead of moving towards a socialist model, where we take it under the guise of assistance, purchasing it by the government. instituting taxes to generate rev

pakistan has done something to control the activities of the taliban terrorist groups in the administeredareas. but it is our sincere belief that it has not acted as it should have acted in dealing with terrorist elements, using their energies to target our country. nor has pakistan used all this machinery to bring all of those murderous gangs who perpetrated the horrible crime and mumbai -- in mumbai. innocent citizens lost their life. several nationals of foreign countries, including six from the united states, and two from canada, that lost their lives. pakistan should be pressured by the international community could do much more to bring all of those people who are responsible for this horrible crime. there is now impeccable evidence that the conspiracy was planned in pakistan. it was executed with the active connivance of peoples who are still roaming around freely in pakistan. and therefore i respectfully request the world community to use all of its influence on the powers that be in pakistan to desist from that sort of behavior. >> two last questions. china -- anthony -- at the r