and went back to yemen to spend his teenage years and yemen and came back to go to college and this friendof his said it was the mujahideen against the soviet army in afghanistan was the inspirational hot topic of the day for the young men going off the site people deciding over there and theyere extremely enthusiastic about this fight. so then he comes to colorado state and during the summer he travels to afghanistan. i don't kow what year but probably around 92 he comes back to fort collins colorado wearing an afghan hat digging people asking where i spent my summer. it's clearly a poin of pride with him to have been there. this was like, you know, the great triumph, the mujahideen against the infidels and he's living here and then it's really 9/11 comes along and i totally agree that this mrch of to the o speech after what are sometimes called the sarraute rate -- faar were on institutions where he knows a lot of people. that seems to have been his voice is shaking with rage during this talk. that is when a key first uses the language of america is at war with islam although it seems to

we have close cooperation with the government of yemen. mutual support regarding our concerns about al qaida and the arabian penninsula and beyond that i'll not comment. >> have the three citizens been integrated by the fbi. can you take the question? >> i don't know. you can ask the fbi. >> yesterday you were firm about the number. you said 12 - and - where does that come from? 3 is different than 12. >> i have my sources. i was very careful yesterday to say i was not suggesting that the 12 we were aware of were all associated with terrorism. i said i'm not going into details. just in light of the converse we've seen, i can tell you that right now we're only aware of three american citizens in custody in yemen on terrorism charges. we're can wants to seek information and ask whether or not there are additional in custody we're not aware of. [inaudible] >> i guess that indicates they've been - you know, well, not to my knowledge. i don't know. >> americans released recently in recent days in yemen that were associated with terrorism charge

years in the u.s., then the back to yemen, spent his teenage years in yemen, and then came back to go to college here. this friend of his said that it was -- they were against the soviet army in afghanistan that was the inspirational hot topic of the day for young yemeni men. some yemeni then they're going not to fight. this i remember people coming back with videotapes of bits and pieces of the fighting over there. they were extremely busy as sick about this fight. said then he -- so that he comes to colorado state and during the summer he travels to afghanistan. i do not exactly know what year. probably around 1992. he comes back to fort collins, colorado, wearing an afghan hacked and kind of dead people, asking where is that my summer. it is clearly a point of pride with him to of been there. this was like a great triumph. he is living here and then 9/11 comes along and i totally agree that this march 2002 speech after what are sometimes called the saar raids, that seems to have then -- his voice is shaking with rage during that talk. that is when you first uses the language that a

we are still talking to yemen. we are asking them to clarify if we have any additional americans in custody on terrorism charges. at the present time, there have been no arrests of american citizens to our knowledge. >> did they share the nature of these charges with you? >> in that respect, you know, our post is doing what our posts in any capital do. they look after the welfare of american citizens and have had consular access to them and making sure that their rights are fully protected. so we are familiar with the charges against them and making sure that they have full rights and going forward. >> are these three arrested in a crackdown of yemen -- apparently they are connect todd language schools and failed to show up to the schools. you had talked to them about cracking down on these people that were suspect and you didn't know there whereabouts. is this connected with that? >> the three in custody have been in custody since the first of the year. i won't detail what they were -- >> why did it take until tod

seven or eight years ago, the organization is resurging in yemen. you have the prospect of the, if not affiliated, at least sympathetic people coming into power in the horn of africa. you have a group that raised its flag in algeria in moroccan or tunisian organizations. you have a rest, after a rest, after a rest in western europe. -- you have arrest, after arrest, after arrest. after about -- over the past 18-24 months, we have had arrest after arrest after arrest here. this is a formidable organization, but if you think of it as a revolution in -- revolutionary organization. if i am in their shoes, i am saying we could have done worse. the could have done worse to have revolutionaries who never met us take up the flag, across from the southern philippines to denver, colorado. think about how this revolution has moved as you try to imagine what the future will look like. i would argue it has moved through three threads of people who have observed the revolution. the first is a core group that al qaeda is still formidable. i cannot remember a time

you want to have someone in yemen, for example, do it for you. one of the measures of success for the organization will be whether any of these affiliates get enough safe haven and ideological traction to start independently running an al qaeda-like organization. one of the most recent things is the december 25 attempt because it is the first time that i can think of where an affiliate showed intent and capability to reach inside the united states and to my mind, that is not just a kinetic or operational act. it is the indication that the aisle ideology even as al qaeda just got enough traction in yemen and people are saying how do we take out president and how do we take out detroit. i think on your questions about the internet, a couple of thoughts. the first is i think we should play. i think people bho who go beyond the line and sho things like beheading videos on the internet, i say you're done. there are operational implications on this. how much do you lose by shutting down your internet sites and how much do you gain by destroying ideolog

this adversary is not in yemen. they are human hiding behind the facades of jihad, who have decided that the murder of an innocent soul is acceptable. this is an ideology that can never win. unless we let it. this is not a threat to this country. this is not an existential threat. it's a threat to the lives of the innocents who will die in future years, but is a threat -- it is a threat that we can handle. they are not jihadists and they are not terrorists. they are murderers whose movement is dying. and i would love to take your questions, as long as they're not tough. >> thank you, phil, for a very -- [applause] 4 very provocative -- in terms of the landscape that they covered. i'll take the prerogative of asking the first question. part of that is, obviously, to be no. 3 and al qaeda is obviously a dangerous job. and your comments respond in terms of the individuals and institutions, and not to pay too much attention to the peaks and valleys over six months cycles, but i am increasingly concerned to the bridge ma

they are in yemen, somalia. we have invested tremendously in afghanistan, a very unstable, inhospitable place. just an example of the policing, we have spent over $6 billion in policing there and have literally nothing to show. we cannot find the trained people. we cannot find the weapons. we cannot find the ammunition. if we are going to build a country, it needs to be america. americans are hurting. we need to be investigating -- investing right here, not in afghanistan. >> i will not make that commitment not to vote. we are putting all of our eggs in one basket. we are making sure we are pursuing terrorists, wherever they are. if we leave, we are right back to september 11, a day where we lost over 3000 americans, and we have to be sure that we win back momentum. the afghani question is also about pakistan. the chief problem is from the taliban, and that group is in pakistan. we have to work across the borders. we have to make sure that we do not leave afghanistan a failed state, and we also have to pursue te

states, i mean, you can very easily change the names of the countries and say, a boat was coming from yemen to the united states and it's coming in and it wants to cruise down -- it wants to cruise down into the east river. of course the united states would not let that and the coast guard would say, you're going to stop right here soe can inspect what's on this boat and if they kept going, certainly we would not say, oh, that's ok. every step necessary would be taken to stop them. well, that's kind of what happened here. what effectively happened was this boat said, we're not going to stop and they said, we're going to leave the israelis with no opportunity except to board the boats. that's what created the conflict. israel did not create the conflict. they were essentially in a defensive posture saying, this is the line, don't cross it and we're going to give you every opportunity before you reach the line to avert this conflict. the people on the boat chose not to. they wanted this conflict. they wanted this conflict. they did not want to deliver humanitarian aid. they wand this conflict

we also have to pursue terrorists in somalia, in yemen, other parts of the world where they are. the efforts in afghanistan are clearly not exclusive, and i want to make sure we protect the national security of this country, make sure. my experience here is colored by the fact that i landed in iraq at the peak of the search. i saw counterinsurgency work. in afghanistan, they found mineral deposits that could help drive the economy forward. >> thank you. rebuttal? all right, cal cunningham, the oil pollution act of 1990 passed shortly after the exxon valdez spill. it limit corporate liability to $75 million for economic damages. in north carolina, state lawmakers are considering lifting that cap. as a federal lawmaker, there is discussion of this. would you lift the cap? why or why not? >> yes. there should not be a liability cap. if bp caused the pollution, caused the damage, it should pay for. i think we will hear tonight the president talking about setting up an escrow fund that would be funded by bp. it should be administered by a third party, so that bp does not control who i

there are areas where they are quite ssrong such as in yemen and somalia. that does not negate the need to do what is possible to deliver a basic level of security in+ afghanistan. the country cannot once again become home to al qaeda. doing that at the same time as working with the pakistan government can actually help to stabilize the region, from which to denounce of terrorism have come. -- from which huge amounts of terrorism have come. i'm happy to announce your ideas -- to discuss our ideas.+ this must be given time to work. >> sandra osborn. >> will the prime minister be mindful of the need to advise on human rights? not be oppression of women? >> i am grateful for the honorable lady's question. i think some progress has been made. when i say we're not going to or brilliant society, it does not mean that does not matter. they do. for instance, the recent peace meeting was 20% more -prepresentatives who were wome. president karzai and the britiih press -- all the questions from the afggan press corps for the women. i thouuht that was a sign in and %++

they are in somalia, they are in yemen, and when we concentrate on afghanistan, we have lost sight of some of that. we have invested tremendously in afghanistan, an instance -- and this -- an inhospitable place. we spent $600 million in policing this and have literally nothing to show. we cannot find to train people ammunition.ons in the with that long-range presence, we cannot build that country. we need to rebuild america and invest right here, not in afghanistan. >> mr. cunningham. >> we are not putting all our eggs in one basket. we are making sure that we're pursuing terrorists wherever they are. we cannot leave afghanistan a failed state. if we do, we're right back to where we were prior to september 11, a day when we lost nearly 3000 americans. we have to make sure that we're successful air, that we win back the momentum, transition security afghani forces. the afghani question is not just about afghanistan, but also about pakistan. the chief challenged in afghanistan is from the taliban, and in pakistan. we have to work across the border and make sure that we do not leave afgh

all these countries thaa we go into, somalia, yemen, sudan, these countries have the most to lose because they will be the first countries that will be overthrown. i would appreciate an answer. it is nine years after the attacks of 9/11. guest: thank you. you are very prospect -- perceptive. the financing simply does not make sense. when i visited qatar, dubai, uae -- and i represent hilton head island -- i tell these people that they look like hilton head island on steroids. these people want to live in the 21st century. you are right. usama bin laden's first target was the royal family of saudi arabia. we should expect more from them and work to stop the financing of terrorism. what is frustrating, everywhere you go, you see islamic charities. the vast majority of these charities are working to alleviate poverty in the region, but some are fronts for terrorism. we must depend on our allies for their own self-interest, self preservation, they need to be working with us to uncover the level of terrorist financing. host: we are talking about the state of terrorism. let's listen to an excha

wondering if the gentleman could please address iran's hard tower in regards to brazil, turkey, bahrain, yemen, sunoco se --n senegal, and i could go on. they have an incredible uranium supply being placed on rivers that ave ports to go to the atlantic. i would also be interested in having him go in a little more detail between the relationship of a russia and china in regards to miron. -- in regards to iran. by the green party and has been so ignored by this administration because that is why we're going to get change. host: can you define mean between soft and hard hours? caller: we use soft ppwer in order not to have to use are hard power. they use soft power in tandem with heart host: power. thaak you for the call -- in tandem with hard power. guest: they use soft and hard in tandem. hezbollah has won popular support with its hard exploits in south lebanon and its social services, its soft power. this has been an approach of a run threat the region. -- this has been an approach of the iran throughout the region. he has far more supporters, i would argue, in a lot of places like lebanon and

israel, and jordan, kuwait, lebanon, libya, morocco, oman, syria, tunisia, the west bank, and gaza, and yemen. george mitchell to set a date with the u.s. delegation in the palestinian investment conference, part of our effort to support their economic reforms and institution building efforts. during the course of the day, he had the opportunity to talk with president abbas about the pic, and i think they are attending dinner as we speak. he will have other meetings this peek with both palestinian and israeli officials. so the schedule is still being worked out. today in the dominican republic , they are hosting the world summit for the future of haiti -- solidarity be on the crisis. this is the first time that the owners have met since march 31 when the donors conference in new york pledged more than $5 billion to haiti over two years for the nation's most immediate rebuilding needs. senior officials from the department of state and usaid are part of this delegation that includes cheryl mills, counselor to secretary clinton, deputy assistant secretary julissa reynoso, a and also paul we isen

algeria, egypt, israel, jordan, kuwait, lebanon, libya, oman, syria, the bishop, the west bank and yemenin the region, george mitchell spent the day with the u.s. delegation with the palestine investment conference in part of our effort to support the economic reform and institution to efforts. during the course of the day, he had the opportunity to talk with president obama about the pick and they are attending dinner as we speak. he will have other meetings this week with both palestinian and israeli officials although some of that schedule is being worked out. today in the dominican republic, the d r is hosting the world summit for the future of haiti, solidarity beyond the crisis. this is the first time donors have met since march 31 when the donors conference in new york pledged more than $5 billion to haiti over two years for the nation's most immediate rebuilding needs. senior officials from the department of state and usa are part of this delegation that includes secretary clinton, the deputy secretary and christopher millikan from usaid. this follows up and heady with the govern

the terrorists we are fight are no long for the afghanistan only, they are operating in yemen, somalia, subsaharan africa an here in the just. the christmas day bomber was from nigeria. an increasing number of terror attacks are being plotted here on american soil. major hasan who killed 13 people at fort hood, texas, was born in virginia and an increasing number of extremists from around the world are being connected and motivated by the virtual afghanistan through the internet. we are fighting an enemy without borders and must have a strategy without borders. in a world of limited resources, the next question we need to ask is this -- how can we best spend our precious tax dollars to make americans saferest? unfortunately right now we are allocating most of our resources to jaff began stan, where at most only 50 to 100 al qaeda are operating, according to c.i.a. director leon panetta. every day we read a new report that the billions we are investing are flowing to drug lords, corrupt local official, and even the taliban. according to a recent eye-opening report by subcommittee chairm

wee got a few ap, i'm reading andy yemen and we knowumar farouk abdulmutallab came out of that. and now we seem to have ptp, the pakistani taliban going. so we've got somenew node that can produce externally direct terrorist. bua u.s. person recruits, not the omette headlee, others, rather than what she saw maybe early ichi people coming in fromutside and infiltring or enetrating. in fact,hich is god in david headlee a kind of weird situation -- wherit is not the right word, but an usual which is a u.s. rsphysically here but externally drect hit out of the united states for attacks within a few affiliates. so that kind of turns thing on its head. and then forth think we've seen, you kno, in this area of life and from all otheryou know, e increasing relevance of the internet which does not respect geographic boundaries. that is my analysis of th threat environment. i do thnk t seriou meant what said when i was standi there before ich is i think there's a lot of people who wake up every morning and go to bed everyght and think about how to kill us in those buding i think the threa

in recent years the border patrol has intercepted people from yemen, pakistan, iraq, somalia, people from most of the countries on our enemy watch list. those types of individuals who for whom we should be suspect are the ones who are being captured and cut and detained. the question is how many are not being captured and caught and detained? we have found discarded apparel, backpacks with old chinese passports that have been modified, that have been cut up, that had been reused. we are not really sure exactly why they were there and for what purpose they have, but we know that those types of individuals are coming across our southern border. please let me try to emphasize, the reason therr should be such concern is because of some of the kinds of people who are illegally entering this country who is sole purpose is not to find a job or join a family but whose sole purpose is to further the illegal drug trade, whose sole purpose is to further illegal human trafficking, and whose sole purpose could easily be for terroristic reasons. one of the ironies of our situation on the southern

i talk about concerns with respect to the growing safe havens and in fact an awful lot of focus on yemennd somalia specifically. and there is a al qaeda presence specifically in yen and right now which is very dangerous and growing and needs to continue to be addressed. there is certainly a terrorist safe haven in somalia and in terms of stability, it is a country that is certainly if not a field state is a borderline phill state and in fact there are -- there are camps where terrorists are trainee in somalia that we all need to be concerned about. so, and concerned about the fact that somalia continues to fester to use your word in a very negative way, a government that is struggling to cotrol under asult from organizations that are terrorist based and continue to be the home for the piracy network clearly which is a challenge in that part of the world. so i am extremely concerned about that and its continued ability to continue to grow in the future. the other ple where there is long term potential is number africa where al qaeda has a very strong link as well. while we focus on afghan