why make the announcement now, i don't understand, he will be succeeded by tom donelan, and there will be an announcement in the rose garden, friday afternoon, a ceremony is planned and the president will make the announcement an jones and donelan will be there and the officials are saying jones had planned from the start of the tenure to last about two years in that position. and that would be just about the time around the first of the year, for that two-year mark and 24-month mark to come up and with so much attention focus on midterms, 25 days away you wonder why the timing has to come now. martha: also crossing... the resignation will be effective in two weeks. and will happen quickly, tom donelan the deputy national security advisor is a controversial character as well, what we heard coming out of bob woodward's book, there was concern about him and he has other big supporters in the white house as well and, so, it's an interesting time given what we're learning now, where we're under cut in certain ways in afghanistan and the supply lines coming in, and, you know, difficult rela

. >> what's going to happen here, and at the end of this on the eve of the decision, tom donelan, the workhorse, national security advisor, when they go through this says to general lute who's the afghan coordinator on the national security council steps "my god, what have we got this guy into?" >> rose: there's also this, bob gates says of tom donelan he becomes head of the national security council and jones leaves. what does he say? >> he says it wouldn't work out because... >> rose: the language you use wasn't that it wouldn't work out. >> he said it would be a disaster. now, this was last year. the question is has donelan grown? can... does he have that relationship with the military that you need to have as a national security advisor. >> rose: but let's just stay with the president and how you saw him and his decision making and whether he was the right person to be making this decision in this case at this time. >> look, there's no choice. >> rose: but we're using this to make an assessment of him. you said it. >> exactly. exactly. and one of the things i found when i went dow

whether it is in a meeting with the president, secretary geithner, the national security adviser tom donelan. our position is that has to change. the house, before leaving, they weighed in that it is of concern to members on capitol hill. i think that the president believes that it demonstrates the widespread concern of people in this country of the the chinese needing to take action on this. >> amnesty international ones pakistan to be investigated. is the administration backing that demand? >> i have not seen that from the aclu. it may have already gone out, but the president spoke with pakistan this morning. if it has not gone out, it will. >> are you leaving monday open for at the possibility of adding something? >> not that i'm aware of. >> i am not seeing this in a reflection of what have may or may not have happened in rhode island. is this the way the white house anticipated the structure? according to blocking strategy, the way that closing arguments with ago, the role of the president's? has this become a hail mary pass at this point? >> said the the way we have seen the president

he is expected to name tom do donelan as jones' replacement. our next guest knows jones very well.e phone we are joined by general richard myers, the former chairman of the joints chief of staff. i understand you talked to general jones last night. one of the questions we have here is why is he leaving. >> reporter: i think it was always his plan to serve, you know, approximately two years and then move on. here is a man that has served 40 years in the military and then another two years as a -- in public service as the national security adviser to the president. he is my age, we were born in the same hospital in kansas city, a bit of trivia there. i think it's just time. he's got family matters to attend to. i think that was always his intention actually. jenna: it seems a little bit peculiar because of the timing with the midterm elections and also the timing of this bob woodward book that really describes tensions going on in the white house over the plan for afghanistan. in fact your friend, general jones, was quoted as saying, you can't win. you can't win this war. is there an