the americans destroyed a bunch of korans they're going to remember back a few months ago when terry jones that even if we did a right they're going to remember of that wacko back in last year when westboro and terry jones so it's a it's a broader p.r. problem and the problem we have is it's not going to go away as certainly this would be a p.r. problem because it is not making troops there less very good at all and we should mention that defense secretary leon panetta has condemned the act and vowed to take measures to prevent something like this from happening again but jake has the damage already been done. i mean the damage was done the damage was done. a long time ago when the israeli state was established in the treatment of palestinians thus far has been bad the damage was done when the us did a bunch of. things regarding governments around on supporting saddam hussein in the one nine hundred eighty s. and supporting khadafi and mubarak and a bunch of corrupt regimes in the damage was even further done when we invaded iraq in two thousand and three on the sarah lee now again ask. si

less than a year ago, there was a similar incident where terry jones in florida burned a quran and the were protests in afghanistan as well. the interesting thing is the reaction has largely been confined to afghanistan. there has not been the larger issue across the islamic world. maybe part of it is being grouped by the situation in syria. the taliban are clearly exploiting it. >> as american forces prepare for a withdrawal at the end of 2014 to what extent these incidents change the equation for america? >> the first challenge is whether the united states can get to 2014. the u.s.-afghanistan relationship is in the balance. there is mistrust building on both sides. you see that in the presidential campaign. newt gingrich is asking where the apology is from the afghans for killing american soldiers and wounding others. this is likely to create tension and skepticism in the relationship. >> does it change the relationship in terms of leaving behind a country that works in america's favor as opposed to working against america's interest? does it make it harder for america to find a pol

isn't the first time that something like this has happened we saw it just last year when pastor terry jones finally decided to go ahead with his idiotic plan to burn the koran afterwards we saw massive protests in afghanistan we saw ten u.n. workers killed that doesn't mean that violence or riots are justified it just means that we should know better by now how this is going to be perceived and what the possible reactions might be in a muslim country in which you've got a huge military presence for the last ten years. and you wonder why winning hearts and minds hasn't exactly been working out but anyway i'm not here for a visit the numerous conversations we've had on this show about counterinsurgencies félix about the failings of this entire war effort because we do that all the time because we care the mainstream media on the other hand that they make it seem like they could care less and so what reporting on the story today they treat it as just another piece of news those riot prone afghans just getting pissed off again but if they at least have the decency to try and play catch up to ad

and this is not to mention the qur'an burning pastor terry jones and the rage he sparked i mean this should be religion one hundred one for military folks especially those living in afghanistan why has that lesson still not been learned foreign terror was started that the pentagon is not properly called trained soldiers for cultural sensitivities and awareness the pentagon has not been interested in and in that generally speaking the hearts the minds campaign has largely been counterproductive in every in every possibility and i do think although we need to see this is a broader part of fourth generation warfare we're now the information war is a part of it now the the taliban are using this against us to the karzai government is using this against us and you know the islamic world will use this against us as well and rightfully so because the us should not be in the business of burning korans or burning books remember that's what the nazis did the nazis burned books and we don't want to be like them right former u.s. marine also r.t. blogger jakes alberto lending his perspective to

this is not to mention the qur'an burning pastor terry jones who can forget him and all the rage that he sparked i mean this should be religion one hundred one for military folks especially those living in afghanistan and yet there are reports of some of those afghan workers who said they tried to stop this from happening and they were ignored why does this still go on derek well it's completely inexcusable that it still goes on and i don't think there's a good answer for that other than for some reason we have a problem getting through people's heads how serious these cultural violations are and how dangerous they are in being able to whip up these kind of violent protests and i have to say the clip you just played shows that you know there's an understanding at least on the strategic level that the game that's being played in afghanistan is counterinsurgency and that means you have to win the hearts and minds of the people right now that was always the wrong strategy to apply to afghanistan we should have been pursuing a military strategy there in the first place but for republicans

and the history of terry jones, the southern pastor burning the koran, which led to the killing of 12tory today, that after ten years of being in the country, how did our personnel not understand the gravity of burning the holy book? >> that is the dynamic that we have here. we have a global news environment. the most powerful weapon in the world is a cell phone camera, everything that we see and go and say is potentially visible to vast numbers of people and the governor knows this, it can shift public opinion in one direction or another. it has inflamed violence in afghanistan. we have seen, you know, protests for them, protests where guns are now turned on american soldiers who had four soldiers killed, as you said, a number wounded. it's a very serious situation in afghanistan. if there's good news here, it's that the violence and unrest seems to be focused primarily, if not exclusively, on afghanistan. so, we have not -- created a potential opening for groups like al qaeda that might try to exploit it, that has not happened but it has put the u.s. afghanistan at risk. >> we are s

the reason secretary gates spoke out about the burning of korans by terry jones.bama has spoken out about the burning of the korans is we can see the individuals of individuals and know that's not the intent of the government. that is not the case in afghanistan. they are looking at this and wondering, is this not the way the entire government feels about us, the way the -- all the coalition forces feel about us and feel about our holy book. so that's why i think it's an important distinction to draw about afghanistan and the way we feel over here as well. >> you know -- go ahead, congresswoman. >> i have to agree. i think wes has laid it out very well. this is the holy book of the majority of people in that country. they don't know if an individual did this or this is the policy of the united states. i think it's not surprising that there's a tremendous amount of uprising. i think the president handled it in the right way. and it's one more challenge that we have to face. i don't think this is surprising and says that everyone hates us. >> what's all that crowd a

within the past year we had the case of pastor terry jones which inflamed public opinion in afghanistan. a year ago when he put the koran on trial and then burned it. so the fact that we somehow had not reminded all soldiers coming into afghanistan about careful treatment of the koran and other important symbols of islam is absolutely a military mistake. >> and does the burning and violence derail obama's current afghan strategy? >> not necessarily. but it clearly puts the relationship at risk. you know, obviously you've had the unfortunate incident and then you've had this retribution. what is most concerning is that afghan security forces have turned their weapons on their american allies. four american soldiers dead, others wounded. and it just chips away at the fundamental trust and adds to the tension that has already existed in our relations with afghanistan and calls into question whether the two countries can maintain a long-term partnership. >> and what do you make of president karzai's reaction to all of this? >> obviously the afghan government, just like the american governme

last year after terry jones burned a copy of the koran, two weeks of protests culminated in crowds, overrunning the u.n. office and killing seven foreign workers. and that's the worry here. the slow-burning anger on the streets that builds on itself. american apologies, investigators and calls for calm are falling on deaf ears and seems there is little they can do to dampen the afghan rage to this incident. >> little end in sight. mandy clark in kabul this morning, thank you for joining us. we appreciate it. >>> and back in this country, it's just three days until the michigan primary which is crucial to the hopes of mitt romney and rick santorum. cbs news correspondent dean reynolds joins us live from lansing. good morning, dean. >> reporter: good morning, john. well, a loss here in michigan would be a major setback for either romney or santorum because at this stage in the race, it's all about momentum going forward. at a speech in detroit, mitt romney said he was uniquely positioned to beat president obama. >> i not only think i have the best chance, i think i have the only chance. maybe i'm