the taliban? wellthe taliban don't bother me. acally, sir, you,the american, are thone who's targeted so ifou could plea lee your house right now because your presenceere is puttg me at risk. >> rose: then i'm confused. what would they have the situation be? what do the afghans want the afghans would li a more stable government. they would want a more clean government, onehat's not so riddled in corruption.ç theyhink that the internatiol community-- u.s., nato-- has tolered a great deal of couption. >>ose: are they right? >> yes, th are absolutely right. the corruptio piece of thisis enormous.ç and 's not just on the ahan si, by the way, it's on the contracting si, it's on e official side. eight years have passed. what has been accomplished? i thk something like$300 billion habeen spent. where did it go? >> rose:hat's the answer? where did it go? >> well, a lot of it got lost in ntracting. a lot it got lost in subcontracting. there are countless stories. there's ories of an arican arms supplier at was selling arms-- a this ha

the taliban? well, the taliban don't bother me. actually, sir, you, the american, are the one who's targeted so if you could please leave your house right now because your presence here is putting me at risk. >> rose: then i'm confused. what would they have the situation be? what do the afghans want? >>he afghans would like a more stable government. they would want a more clean government, one that's not so riddled in corruption.ç they think that the international community-- u.s., nato-- has tolerated a great deal of corruption. >> rose: are they right? >> yes, they are absolutely right. the corruption piece of this is enormous.ç and it's not just on the afghan side, by the way, it's on the contracting side, it's on the official side. eight years have passed. what has been accomplished? i think something like $300 billion has been spent. where did it go? >> rose: what's the answer? where did it go? >> well, a lot of it got lost in contracting. a lot of it got lost in subcontracting. there are countless stories. there's stories

taliban propaganda footage. it shows a suicide bomber involved in an attack on the culture ministry in kabul. the bomber shoots the guard before storming into the building, gunning down others and then setting off his explosives. the taliban must have filmed the attack from one of those buildings. they have become more sophisticated not only in their media propaganda campaign but in their military operations. u.s. commanders admit that, and afghan security officials believe al qaeda has been behind the taliban's growing strength. the government says they often arrest foreign fighters crossing from pakistan. it's from there, according to afghans, that al qaeda and the taliban operate and bin laden continues to inspire many. the u.s. may be making some hehanistan, but the makeup of the enemy and the nature of the battle fight have been changed. it's no longer a fight against one organization, but a broader war against an ideology that is much greater than its original source of inspiration -- osama bin laden. >> z

the taliban came from the people. so how do you kill all the taliban. the taliban are the people. so when n.g.o.s and u.s. troops come over there and say "we're here to protect you." well, protect you from what. "we're here to liberate your women." well, we kind of don't want you to do that. >> rose: but they didn't like the taliban. >> they didn't like the taliban but they don't want a bunch of foreigners who have not delivered on their promises telling them how to rule their lives. none of them want the taliban to come back but they don't want.... ,pstates would say "we're here o keep the taliban from coming back." would that resonate? >> yes, people would love that. >> rose: why don't they say that? >> people would love that. that's whey what they're trying to do. >> ros if you ar[ general mcchrystal, is that what he says? we're here to prevent theal bran from taking over? >> that is what he's trying to sell. but he has a problem. he has a maj problem. he says "we are here to prevent the taliban from taking over. " great, i lovthat. all the afghans love it. but by the way, what

the president considers shifting the focus from the taliban to al qaeda, even after a deadly new taliban attack. our correspondent was there when it happened. continuing coverage of afghanistan, the road ahead. i'm maggie rodriguez. also tonight, the h1n1 flu phase two. not as bad as expected in some places, but in this hospital, it's as bad as can be. is there water on the moon? nasa's about to crash a spacecraft into the lunar surface to find out. and an incredible ancestral journey that leads from slavery in the south to the white house. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> good evening, katie is off. the taliban struck again today in the heart of afghanistan's capital. a devastating suicide bombing outside india's embassy in kabul. tls the second taliban attack on that building in a year. 17 people were killed today, and at least 76 others were wounded. most of the victims, afbegan civilians on their way to work. we'll have more on the attack in a moment. it came as president obama and his national security team are considering a major shif

forces were able to repel the taliban attack, but, 8 american soldiers were killed and two taliban fighters -- or two afternoon fighters were killed in -- and dozens of taliban fighters were also killed and this type of attack is happening more and more, complex attacks as the u.s. military fans out across afghanistan and moves into rural, remote areas, and hopes to better protect the afghan civilians, and that is a took place priority of general stanley mcchrystal, the top commander here in afghanistan and wants to protect afghans in hopes of stabilizing the country and is risky and puts american and afghan troops in a susceptible position to these types of attacks. eric. >> eric: thanks, reporting live from afghanistan. top commanders on the ground there are calling for more troops, and new strategy for stabilizing the country that and defense department saying despite the recent attacks the plan is still to pull out of the sparsely populated areas, part of a shift to place more troops in heavily populated centers. what happens to those areas when american forces are taken out, and can we

taliban propaganda foote. it sws a suicide palmer involved in anttack on the culture ministry in kabul. the bomber shoots the ard befo storming into the buding, gunning down others and then setti off his explosiv. the taliban must have film the attack from one of tse buildings. ey have become more sophisticated not onlyn their media propagandaampaign but in their mitary operations. u.s. commanders adt that, and afghan security ofcials say al qaeda has been behind the taliban's growing strength the government saythey often arrest forgn fighters crossing from pakistan. it's from there, aording to afghans, that al qda and the taliban operate and bin lan continues inspire many. the u.s. may be maki some headway in afghanista but the makeup of the enemy and the nare of the battle fight have been chaed. it no longer a fight against one organization, t a broader war against an ideogy that is much greater thaits original urce of inspiration. osambin laden. >> zeina khodrn afghanistan foal jazeera english. >>> across t

give us some context in terms of the relationship between the pakistani taliban and the afghanistan taliban. are they connected? are they independent of each other? >> they are part of a larger network, which includes former mujahadin commanders and of course, includes al qaeda as well. but they do have somewhat different agendas. they're agreed in anti-americanism, anti-west, they're agreed in their desire to bring shariah state to the two countries. but they have in their agendas they have different foci. so they're not exactly the same. just to give you one quick example. the afghan taliban has no particular grievance against the pakistan government. in fact, they let one another alone. and that's been one of our problems. >> is the pakistani government doing enough? i mean, of course, they had the battle in swat where they were trying to rout out the pakistani taliban. is there more that the pakistani government can do, should be doing and should the united states be demanding that they do this? >> yes, they have to go to the heart of this insurgency inside pakistan and that's an area c

of course, the key movements among this are the taliban, led by omar and they really see themselves as the legitimate government of afghanistan. so, in order to proceed, to success in afghanistan, we have to start by understanding we have an insurgency, an indigenous insurgency and sees itself as the government of afghanistan. that's what it's trying to do. >> here is the argument, you hear the opponent. it's bigger than iraq, ill-gore verned and even 40,000 nor troops won't be enough troops to practice a proper counter insurgency in that large of an environment and ungovernable place. how do you respond to that? afghanistan, first of all, is governable and throughout history, throughout recent history has been governed with the exception of the past 30 years. when afghanistan has been torn by civil war. in order to succeed with the counter insurgency strategy, what we need to do is to protect the population of afghanistan, from the campaigns of intimidation, and campaigns of assassination, that the taliban is engaged in and in critical areas, by critical areas, i mean those that are i

the job is to push the taliban out and stay in place. second lieutenant dan o'hara from chicago is a platoon leader. >> o'hara: do they know we've been shot at from this compound before? >> pelley: it's his first combat tour. two of his marines have been killed. i wonder how you know the enemy from the citizens. >> o'hara: for the most part, you don't until they start shooting at you. and even then, their tactic is hit and run. they will shoot, and before you get the chance to close on them, they will run away and kind of just run back into the population. lieutenant colonel christian cabaniss leads the battalion. >> colonel christian cabaniss: these people have suffered for too long. we can't add to it. >> pelley: he sent golf company into battle with orders to use restraint. this is a big change since the spring. all u.s. forces in afghanistan are now being told to protect civilians, even if the enemy gets away. over the last eight years, afghans have been outraged by civilian deaths, and it's a big reason the u.s. is not winning. >> c

you don't wa them to side with e taliban, you don't want em to be so afraid of the taliban that they wi side with them. andight now what's happing in afghanist and what many people worry about is you have the fence siers. we tked about a l in iraq as well. the pele are saying,ell, i don'know, which side shoul i go to? is it the taliban in control is ithe u.s. forces who are going to help me. that's why thi is such a crital period that people are really loong at the s. and they're saying,re they gog help us? are they goingo commit enoug troops that is general says it will take to succeed in afghanistan. >> charlie: so, the president faces a decision in which the sponse on the part of the afghanpeople and oer influential players might th're not in it for the long run so therefore, i'm not going to take a risk and side with em. >> right. this is a hug risk, charlie. is doesn't go away. this is not like hlthcare you don't win the healtare debate are maybe it goes away. this war is goingo go on d after day aer day. so he t only riskss rift with the military, he is going have to watch wt h

one of which had the taliban 65 miles from their capital. we have the taliban and others trying to provoke some sort of conflict between these two nations. we also have a taliban that is stretching their influence into central asia. i would say one thing about trainers. i've been a trainer. it's wonderful to have a lot of trainers on ground. who protects the trainers? who ensures the roads they're on aren't going to be full of i.e.d.s because you krnt control them? if you don't have enough forces on the ground you give maneuver space to the enemy, the freedom to attack our outposts that are remote, ineffectively manned. i think you need both. it's not a matter of either/or. >> schieffer: what about that, senator levin? do you think it follows that al qaeda will come back if the taliban comes back? >> i think there's a real possibility. that's what ought to be proceed teched against. and the question is how to maximize the chances of success in afghanistan? and when general zinni said that we've got a very strong chain of command starting in

as the emergency medical team arrives, the taliban have been and opens fire. -- the taliban and opens fire. today's later, another marine was shot and this t killed. they have lost 13 men in the last three months. although they have driven the taliban back, they are stretched. >> the reality is we should make progress in a year. if we cannot, all the nations that participated will go back and look and see is it worth our blood? >> next summer will not look like this summer? >> in my mind, a cannot predict >> -- in my mind, it cannot. >> is there an alternative? one idea is to pull back and focus on al qaeda instead. is clear that this conflict is at a critical stage, and the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. >>> stay with us, if you can. still to come, remembering contee, one of the men still live to really knew him. -- remembering gandhi. >>> first, finding a job these days is hard. how about winning one? in italy, he purchased a lottery ticket at a supermarket and walk off with one of 10 job t the market. the idea is proving a winner. it as duncan kennedy reports. >> this su

we may forget, there's al-qaeda and taliban. so why is the taliban growing? >> that might be the downside to this. robert gates saying the taliban fighters have momentum right now. he blames a shortage of u.s. and coalition troops for the taliban's comeback. time magazine saying the problem may be local troop members because one tribe is often pitted against another. the taliban is surging in that power vacuum, but not necessarily organized. >>> how about this idea to make your house flood proof? make it float. this house in new orleans was built by brad pitt's foundation and if it floods, the base acts as a raft. genious. the house would rise on guide posts up to about 12 feet. it will sell for $150,000. >>> have you seen "the joy behar show"? check out what she's talking about. mel gibson's run in with the law in her "not for nothing" commentary. >> today, mel gibson's -- malibu police pulled him over because his car was weaving all over malibu. he was drunk and waving about the jews. he said they're responsible for all the f-ing wars in the world. why? was

is controlling the taliban worth the fight? some insist they're not a security threat to the west but general mcchrystal spoke out thursday after the big meeting in washington to argue al qaeda would return if we don't fight the taliban. >> transnational terror threats absolutely remain and i believe the loss of stability in afghanistan brings huge risks to transnational terrorists like al qaeda will operate inside afghanistan again. chris: and question three, can afghanistan be transformed? critics of the war say this country where the british and soviets both failed miserably cannot be tamed. listen to lee hamilton, foreign house affairs committee. >> i do not personally think we can modernize afghanistan. there are historical, political, cultural, economic forces that are massive in that country and we can't turn them around. chris: bob, that's the conundrum, al qaeda which we went in to catch has moved to pakistan. is fighting the taliban who are threatening us with insurgent forces in afghanistan worth the fight, and can w

the taliban? >> if you take the haconi network, generally responsible for the bombing of the interior ministry in kabul, i think they're hard-core fanatics. if you look back to taliban control, when it had more in the earlier days. i particularly worry about women in afghanistan. acid in the face of children, girl children who go to school. women who can't work when they're widowed. huddled on the streets, begging. women beaten and shot in stadiums. you know, with all of its violence. i mean, that's one element of the taliban. i think we need to look for those warlords that we can work with. those who want to work for stability, for good solid governments. i don't think we can make the country into a jeffersonian democracy. but i do think you've got to stabilize this country. you leave this country and the taliban are increasing all of the time. they're taking over more. it will have a dramatic impact on pakistan one day. i really believe that. now, should we stay there 10 12 years? i don't think

they have notç cooperate read e taliban. and one of the interesting problems that that ste needs to confront, they can say we don't want the pakistan taliban running the show w don't want to live in that kind o kistan. the probm issome of the very groups they rely upon to fight indihave overlapping memberships. so how do u fix that? >> warner: with that qstion zee to leave it. christine fair, david iatius, thk you both. lehrer: in other news today e separation of church and state was back before e u.s. supreme urt in the form of a giant crs in california. the arguments inlved the monument's presence as a war memoal on public land. the justices appead divided over letting theross remain,ç if the site is traferred to private owne. the 2009 nobel prize in chemistry was awarded todato two americs and an israeli. in 2000, thedetailed theç machinerin living cells that makes preins. their findings areeing used to crte new antibiotics. one of the amecans-- now working in engla-- had this action. it's gratifying in aay to have on

but they have integrated into the taliban going back to before 9/11, so that the taliban would not give up osama bin laden. they were that closely aligned. so while they are different, they are very close allies so if the taliban, back, al qaeda comes back. that is the key point to be made. i agree with you about the importance of pakistan. their nuclear-weapons add a whole new dimension to the importance of this problem. and then think you are exactly right that this is in large measure -- at least partly, and ideological struggle. military alone will not win. that is why development aid in afghanistan and pakistan is important. that is why i think strategic communications is important. so we can convey what we are trying to do with the people there. so we have to do this across the government. not just a military problem. but again, my view is if we send the military out to do a mission, we give them full rein to the mission, not tight hand behind their back. this is what this review smacks of. host: base city, michigan. last caller. -- base city. caller: my first statement is we crea

the taliban had the troops in their sights. watch as the rounds land close by. >> we are going to try to shoot the birds down. >> as the emergency medical team arrives, the taliban again opened fire. two days later, another member of the platoon was shot and this time killed. they have lost 13 men in the last three months, and although they had driven the taliban back, they are stretched. >> the reality is we should be able to share tangible progress within a year because of we cannot, all the nations that are participating are going to write to go back and look and say, "is it worth our the blood and treasure?" >> with that, an alternate ship. many want thousands more afghan soldiers, but that will take years. another idea is to pull back and focus on al qaeda instead. what is clear is that this conflict is at a critical stage, and the window of opportunity to win this war is rapidly closing. >> stay with us if you can on "bbc world news." still to come, we are remembering gondi. we will hear from one of the few men still aliv

some of us may forget there's al qaeda and there's taliban so why is the taliban growing? >> that may be the down side. defense secretary robert gates saying taliban fighters have momentum right now. he blames the shortage much of u.s. and coalition troops over the past seven years for the taliban's comeback. "time" magazine saying the taliban's largest group may be local tribesmen who loosely ally themselves because hamid karzai often pits one against the other and the government may be damaged by allegations of election fraud. not necessarily organized, robin. >>> richard, thank you. eight years ago today that war started. >>> the father of a missing florida 5-year-old haleigh cummings is moving to divorce the child's stepmother. she was the last person to see little haleigh. ronald cummings talked to hln's nancy grace and suggested now maybe misty cummings will talk more freely. >> the two of us have agreed to go separate ways and if in the long run something comes about haleigh then she can -- it will be whatever. >> police say cummings' teenaged wife misty has not coo

he says the taliban insurgency is gaining strength and u.s. and allies need to, quote, reverse the current trend. he is expecting to ask for more boots on the ground and help train for afghan forces. >> gregg: military analysts as i see it say that the long-term success is about more than defeating the taliban, what do they mean by that? >> he says that, too. there needs to be greater reach out to the afghan population. >> there is no question that the general is dead on. this is not how we're going to kill and capture taliban, but how we're going to make relationships with the afghan people, how we are going to get their support to identify the taliban. >> molly: president obama's review of the strategy is likely to take some weeks. >> gregg: molly, thanks. >> julie: as the president weighs in on his options, u.s. troops are face as deadly mission there. a spokesperson saying five u.s. soldiers were killed in separate militant attacks in the past 24 hours there. this as the afghan presidential elections remain in limbo. colonel powell, afghan

on the same side as the taliban. >> worldwide joke, all on the same side of the taliban. lots to talk about with msnbc richard wolfe, author of "republican gait." >> you can medicate me now. >> the nobel committee seems to be insisting that the award was what for president obama has already done and not in anticipation of what he might do, but at the same time they seemed to hedge that a little bit or maybe be nudging him toward future accomplishment, do you see it that way. >> that's one way to put it. i actually think this is a work in progress and that's what the nobel prize committee were actually suggesting and this is not the first time they have done this kind of thing. whe remember when they gave the award to yasser arafat, it was a peace process. admittedly they had gone a lot further on that particular path, but arafat obviously turned his back on peace. and what you have now, never mind what rush says, there were a lot of pundits at the start of the day in washington was saying, look, president obama hasn't achieved anything, so what's this all about? that's a

we don't want the taliban to be a host for al qaeda. if, in fact, the real fact is in pakistan, why don't we just make sure that, for example, the pakistanis are stable enough to keep the taliban at bay and then go after al qaeda? >> let me pick up on that with you, liz. there's an anecdote in the latest "newsweek"-week with joe biden on the cover where he makes the point to the president, pakistan is where al qaeda leaders are and the country with nuclear weapons and the argument seems to be you can beat al qaeda, the real threat to the u.s., without winning in afghanistan. >> i think that's just clearly wrong. and i think you've got a situation now somehow where the president made a decision in march about strategy, that he was going to go with counterinsurgency and you've got vice president biden being portrayed as an expert on counterinsurgency. -- counterterrorism. general mcchrystal is the expert on counterterrorism. he knows that can't work alone in pakistan. pakistan, we have to shore up the elements inside pakistan who want to

on the same side as the taliban. >> worldwide joke, all on the same side of the taliban. lots to talk about with msnbc richard wolfe, author of "rene gaed" -- renegade." >> you can medicate me now. >> the nobel committee seems to be insisting that the award was what for president obama has already done and not in anticipation of what he might do, but at the same time they seemed to hedge that a little bit or maybe be nudging him toward future accomplishment, do you see it that way? >> that's one way to put it. i actually think this is a work in progress and that's what the nobel prize committee were actually suggesting and this is not the first time they have done this kind of thing. remember when they gave the award to yassir arafat, it was a peace process. admittedly they had gone a lot further on that particular path, an extraordinary transformation. but arafat obviously turned his back on peace. and what you have now, never mind what rush says, there were a lot of pundits at the start of the day in washington was saying, look, president obama hasn't achieved anything,

and some who even support the taliban. this new strategy is also proving to be extremely dangerous and deadly for u.s. forces who must get out, walk around and interacts with the local population, exposing themselves to taliban attacks. the success of the new strategy has been limited so far but general mcchrystal believes it will ultimately pay dividends and bring stability and peace to afghanistan. in kabul, conor powell, fox news. >> geraldo: i think that the president should heed mcchrystaled admonition but what if the democrats don't follow their own president and agree. >> president obama put general mcchrystal in place as his hand picked person to lead that effort essentially saying i trust this guy. you either do or you don't. you have to listen to your military commanders on the ground who as i say have mud on their boots and blood on their shirts. here is what we need to clear the objective. we did have success in afghanistan until about 2004 and we started taking the resources away and putting them in iraq and t

after five years of repressive taliban rule, they were free. >> i'm very happy. because our country is free, free from the taliban. >> reporter: they could listen to music, shave their beards without fear of being killed. women could lift their burkas and go to school again. it took the u.s. and itself allies only about a month to come down this road and win kabul. but after eight years, it is losing much of the country. for millions here, the war has been a disappointment. lack of security, development and jobs means that less than half say the country is headed in the right direction. today, security is so poor, abc news filmed these taliban fighters just a few days ago less than 50 miles from the capital. and many afghans are angry at the u.s. military, which they believe has been more focused on fighting than on protecting the population. fighting that has caused thousands of civilian casualties. >> had the u.s. put more emphasis on the people of the country and on what the people wanted and needed, we would have had an army of afghans everywhere who would ha

they're against to their own taliban to some extent. are they really on our side? because historically that government has supported the taliban in afghanistan. >> well, i mean, obviously you've hit kind of the heart of this thing, chris, because you can't de-couple pakistan from afghanistan. we have got to have a commitment from the packs to provide us assistance if we're going to prevail. otherwise you're going to continue to have these folks go back and forth across the boarder. i'm not sure the answer to your question is in the affirmative. we haven't seen the right kind of signs coming out of the packs but we do know they're giving us some permission to carry out some military operations that have been very beneficial and hopefully we'll be able to continue to have some sort of cooperative spirit with them that will allow us to get a more favorable reaction from the pack government as well as from the pakistani people. >> what do you think of the government in kabul? i mean, that election's a little bit murky, to put it lightly. lots of talks of what we used t

they face almost dailgun battles wi the taliban. the bbc went to one of the marines' mos rete combat outpos. >> marching to war, taliban positions, just a coupl hundred meters over in that direcon. things have been acquired over the last few weeks, but the fe was th thealiban were regroung. so fr, that seems to be bei borne out. they need cover anda volley of mortgages as fire in. -- a volley of mortars isired in >> we got one marinehot. >> oneof the marines is st through the chest. he is able to talk but needs urgent medical care. the talibanad the troops in eir sights. watch as the rounds land close by. >> we are going to try to shoot thbirds down. >> as the emergency medical team rives, the taliban agai opened fire. o days later, another member the platoon wahot and this time killed. they have lost 13 men in the la three months, and although ty had driven the taliban backthey are stretched. >> the reaty is w should be able to share tangle progress with a year because of we cannot, all the nations tt are participating a going to w

they did not use the term taliban. help us understand the difference, if there is any, and their motivation. >> reporter: the taliban is generally a movement that is strong in southern afghanistan. in the east, you have fighters who have crossed over from pakistan, but you also have many villagers who are simply angry that there are american troops in afghanistan, and they are -- they're fighting to defend their own territory. they're hostile to outsiders, and they don't want the bases there. so it's not that it's such an organized movement, a taliban militia. in many cases you just have fighters who are angry that there is a u.s. base, in this case, at the bottom of the hill. >> richard engel, nice to have you back. thank you. let's turn now to nbc's mike vaquera at the white house, where today's violence underscores the hard choices facing president obama as he reassesses the course of war in afghanistan. mike, when might a white house decision come on whether to deploy more troops to afghanistan? >> well, lester, ad

i don't think it's going -- the north koreans, the taliban, the iranians. they really don't care whether he won the nobel peace prize or not. who knows. maybe it gives him more leverage in europe, where we're trying to get a few more troops to afghanistan. maybe a little more average among other key allies. we'll see. >> one last question. closer to home. other republicans, they've spoken out and said, for what? two weeks into the job, why should re get this? others, though, sarah palin, bobby jindal, mitt romney haven't said anything about this. >> and general mccain was positive. i think that the republican party learned from the mistakes of a week ago. it's always good when the republican party does learn something from their past mistakes. doesn't always happen. but a week ago you had these videos that went viral of republicans cheering america losing, an olympics bid. which is stupid. it's outrageous. i think they learned from those mistakes and so yesterday they sat back, bit their tongue. unlike me they don't have a three-hour live show, if they thin

we're risking a taliban victory. when your general tells you that, you can't say i don't care what he says. obama is faced with two choices, wind the war down or listen to general mccrystal if he wants to win it. it's a tough choice, but i think those are the choices. >> what is the definition of defeat? if he makes a decision to get out and says we can be protected as a country, where is the defeat? >> the united states started this war on the taliban. the united states will lose, the taliban will control the south and east. the united states will be seen as having been defeated. the people cast their lot with the americans will be slaughtered and massacred. you'll have city officials, tribal leaders, government officials, soldiers, women who taught in these women schools, they will be wiped out just as they were in algeria, vietnam and cambodia. across the arab and islamic world, lit be seen the americans committed themselves to a war, they said we're going to turn this into a dmokty, and after 800 dead, the americ

taliban the opportunity to attack u.s. soldiers and u.s. forces throughout the country. general mccrystal placed a real emphasis on protecting u.s. afghan civilians but also puts u.s. soldiers in harm's way. it's one of the things they're working on, trying to reduce u.s. casualties but also protect afghan civilians. >> thank you for the update. the death toll has mounted in afghanistan as we've been talking about some of the worst fighting in the nearly eight-year-old war. eight american troops have been killed following an ambush near the border with pakistan. we're live in washington for hour number two of america's new headquarters starting right now. more breaking news from iran. high level u.n. report says that iron now has the information it needs to build an atomic bomb. james rosen is working the story from the newsroom here in washington. hi, james. >>> senior u.s. officials are treading gingerly around draft reports from the iaea that concludes iran possesses "sufficient information to design and produce a worka

it would result in the taliban taking over all or part of afghanistan. it would result in the whole region wondering who america is. pakistan, which is doing a good job against their insurgency, would be undercut. you cannot fight these people from a distance. in march the president said we have to defeat the taliban and we have to make sure al qaeda has no safe haven. so i hope that this deliberation, which i understand this is a tough decision, doesn't go on so long that it becomes indecision. general mcchrystal said within a year, if we don't change the momentum on the ground, we could lose our ability to defeat the insurgency. a counterinsurgency strategy properly resourced is our best way to go forward. half measures will not only lead to a defeat in afghanistan. it will affect our ability to change iran. iran is watching us. if we're indecisive about what to do in afghanistan as an american or a coalition group, then they're going to take what we do in iran less seriously. so the president has a window of time here to seriously deliberate, but it's

, the taliban would otherwise take over so we're not there. what sort of solution is that for afghanistan? ultimately we can't win a counterinsurgency for the afghan people. what they say is good luck if you're a third party country in if you're doing this. afghanistan needs to run a counterinsurgency. >> we don't have a reliable partner. >> that's the point mccrystal makes in his document. the only way to build afghans in the situation where we can win a counterinsurgency war is to win the population. the only way to win the population is guaranteed security. that means a hell of a lot more troops. that's the only strategy to stabilize afghanistan. the other strategy, get all the way out. the politics of getting all the way out are really bad. the politics of doing what you have to do to win are really bad. there's no easy path for the obama administration. >> from the very serious and the dire to something on a lighter note that makes a serious point about this priority and what the president has accomplished or has not yet accomplished and

comparing it to hamas and taliban, which also criticized the nobel choice. and the president's fans rallied too. >> at the end of the day, i think part of the reason was because he inspired many people around the world to want to make change and make peace. >> reporter: the nobel committee says that's precisely it. the president has given hope to the world for better relations and fewer nuclear arms and he's gone beyond some of his recent predecessors in reaching out to muslim countries. >> i've come here to cairo to seek a new beginning. >> i think it's a good start, really. i think he deserves it. >> reporter: but the award is still a shocker for many. in the united kingdom, for example. >> it's a bit early, isn't it? to be giving him a nobel peace prize? >> that's just ridiculous. i think he deserves that. >> reporter: despite all of the opinions, there is genuine danger lurking here. the president has launched such ambitious plans for improving world relations, even some supporters fear it raises expectations far too high. aaron david miller is a former

international forces are staging a new assault on the taliban near the area where eight u.s. soldiers were killed over the weekend. 16 united states troops have been killed in afghanistan already this month already, matching the death toll for all of last october. and then the suicide bomber attacked the u.n. agency in was laum baud. >>> pray vaccines will be available in some states today. there are confirmed swine flu cases in all 50 states. >>> coming up next, the political round table with our financial advisor, she will join us here at the table. and then the republican candidate and former congressman, pat tumey. we'll be right back on "morning joe." it's gmc truck month. shop sierra 1500 slt with the 403 horsepower 6.2 liter v8. it's the most powerful half ton v8 in its class. step up to the best. it's gmc truck month. get 0% apr for 60 months on 2009 gmc sierra or get $6,000 total cash back on select 09 sierra 1500 extended and crew cabs in stock. see your gmc dealer today. really bad. then we learned that a flu shot can reduce the risk of getting the flu by up to 70%

the taliban claims responsibility. the blast killed at least 17 people and injured 80 more. it happened right in front of the embassy of india. there were a lot of workers cleaning the canals, this man said, most of them have been killed. this is the latest in a string of attacks that have shattered the relative calm in afghanistan's capital. taliban fighters beauvergne to ramp up the violence ahead of the elections and they haven't stopped. this morning's blast comes as the white house weighs a request by the top general in afghanistan to send 40,000 troops to fight the taliban and keep them from giving safe haven to al-qaeda. >> they commander in chief is city studying the question and talking an a shift in strategy. as the president considers his opposition he is faced with opposition from his members of sending more troops even if it is not full 40,000. >> military power is not the answer alone to our problems. >> reporter: if he doesn't send more troops he will receive sharp criticism from republicans. >> there has to be an overall strategy and a significant number of t

battle, it included some of the high ranking taliban leadership for the region. by all accounts this was a fire fight, heavy gun fire rained down on the remote area 10 miles short of the pakistan border. the fire and the fight was so intense some of the enemy fighters breached the wire and the u.s. military had to retreat inside the base itself and set up a new inner parameter. and after six hours apatchy attack helicopters, and heavy fighting from the americans, the enemy was beaten. the u.s. military already informed the area tribal elders they were getting ready to shut down the combat out best and withdrawal the forces from the region as of tomorrow. so those in the area knew that this was going to happen. and u.s. military officials are convinced the taliban organized this attack in an attempt to score some kind of propaganda victory, not only here in afghanistan but in the united states where the debate over what to do about the war in afghanistan is raging almost as intensely as fire fights as we see here. >> thank you. dan senor here with us. and i want t

martha: let's discuss the taliban on the ground. let me play this sound bite from general jones. >> the al qaeda presence is diminished. the maximum estimate is about 100 operating in the country with no basis, no buildings to launch an attack on us or our allies. the next step is the century's across the border, but i do not foresee the return of the taliban, and i want to be clear that afghanistan is not in danger of falling. martha: it is this true? >> this is exactly the concern that led president obama to unveil this strategy. now in is not a problem? no military people that i know say the taliban returning to the south is not a significant threat. martha: a quick thought, colonel shaffer? >> the problem is, the taliban have established a shadow government. they have known about t safe havens i putoget tr an operation in 2003 dealing with this. we have allowed the situation to develop, and now we have to find a way to curtail this shadow government. the only way to do that is to deal with the pakistan side of the border. martha

the taliban are really hitchhiking on this. you delegitimized them by saying come to the table and let's fix this together. shepard: you say make the battleground where this is far in pakistan. that is a tall order? >> no, because the dod operates in afghanistan, and more troops we sent to afghanistan, it is like flies to honey. it will just bring more violence. the state department operates in pakistan, but you look at the ideology, the home bases, the people we are fighting, it is all based in pakistan. we are not allowed to officially help them in pakistan. i say the battle started in pakistan, and it should be ended in pakistan. shepard: your third point is to just admit that there are similarities to past wars. >> dates likes to pretend -- shepard: defense secretary robert gates. >> exactly. that is not true. you will see the similarities between rep the russians did and what the americans did, so the -- what the russians did and what the americans did, so the bottom line is we have to learn our lessons that may be are not

the bloodiest battle against the taliban in more than a year. reports are saying that hundreds of rebel fighters swarmed two military outposts and it happened in a remote area between the border between afghanistan and pakistan. at least eight of our american troops are dead along with at least two afghan army troops. hello, everyone. we have the latest on this and other top stories today. i'm jamie colby. >> i'm eric sean. it's considered to be the fearest attack of the war so far. it's reuniting the controversy of deploying our troops in far-flung outposts that can be overrun by the taliban fighter it is. the latest there. connor, what is the latest on this fight and what happened? >> well, eric, violence has hit record levels across afghanistan this summer. this battle as you said is one of the deadliest not only for the summer but during the entire eight-year war here in afghanistan. eight u.s. soldiers were killed and two afghan soldiers. military officials are describing this attack by the taliban as brazen and describing it as well-organi

workers were killed today by taliban militants. the a "associated press" says a u.s. citizen is among the dead. also, rockets with were fired at the presidential palace and a luxury hotel. no one was hurt in those attacks, though. >>> d.c. sniper john allen muhammad will be executed on november 10th. virginia officials announced that yesterday. he will be given a lethal injection. mohammed's lawyers are asking for lem enscy because they say he has a severe mental illness. >>> remember the pilots who overshot the minneapolis airport? they have had their licenses revoked in a harsh letter, the faa said the captain and first officer endangered the public while they were on a personal frolic in the cockpit. >>> the decision is effective immediately but the pilots have ten days to appeal it. welcome back. i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. 30 minutes past the hour. now 31. >>> president obama will sign a law today making it a federal crime to assault someone for their sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. the measure is named for matthew shepherd, a gay wyo

they say the taliban is gaining strength, but others say the u.s. can fight the war with more unmanned droned aircraft and special forces teams. >> you have to start where you are not where you wish you were. and the reality is that because of our inability and the inability of our allies to put enough troops into afghanistan, the taliban do have the momentum right now, it seems. >> well, several hundred people protested the war yesterday outside the white house. it was a peaceful demonstration but park police said 61 people were arrested when they refused to move back from the sidewalk. they were given tickets and released. >>> firefighters are gaining ground against a wildfire outside l.a. thanks to some cooler weather. the more than 7,800 fire is 30% contained. a spokeswoman says it's not expected to spread unless strong winds develop. most of the people who live in the area have evacuated. officials still don't know what the cause of the fire was. >>> a man who fell out of a hot air balloon is in serious condition this morning. this is the video

taliban militants stormed the guest house being used by the u.n. at least six staffers were killed in that. the associated press reporting one is a u.s. citizen. >> i have to see when we know the full situation what this means for our work here in afghanistan. at the moment we continue as normal. we obviously have to adjust our security in light of this. but this is a very serious incident. it's also tragic. these are civilians working for afghanistan. this is a totally senseless thing that's happened here. it's an outrage and it's a tragedy. >> let's step back now for some context. this comes after two straight days of heavy losses for the united states. yesterday eight u.s. soldiers were killed by two roadside bombs in afghanistan. those locations are marked by red stars on the map you see there and then on monday 14 u.s. troops and civilians died in a pair of helicopter crashes. the war in afghanistan is now eight years old and october now the deadliest month yet. >>> president obama will sign a law today making it a federal crime to assault som

a surprise attack by hundreds of taliban fighters on u.s. troops. a live report ahead. >>> iran with nuclear bomb know-hoe how. >>> court date. an alleged talker appears before a judge. you'll hear what the man's lawyer says about his client. >>> plus -- >> for every person who buys an american car in the next six months, you're going to get one of these. >> spoofing the president. saturday night live with its take on the president obama checklist of sorts. a very good morning, everyone. i'm alex whitt. 10:00 a.m. on the east coast, 7:00 a.m. out west. what are the five myths of the economic roofly? >>> but new this morning, reaction about the push for a new vaenlg in afghanistan. this as eight u.s. soldiers were kilted today in a fierce gun battle with militants near the pakistan border. on "meet the press," susan rice talks about the president's strategy in afghanistan and the call for more combat troops to the region. >> the president has to make a judgment based not only on the military assessment of his commander on the ground, also the inputs

it would result in the taliban taking over all or part of afghanistan. it would result in the whole region wondering who america is. pakistan which is doing a good job against their insurgency, would be undercut. you cannot fight these people from a distance. in march the president said we have to defeat the taliban and we have to make sure that al-qaeda has no safe haven. i hope that this deliberation which i understand this is a stuff decision doesn't go on so long that it becomes indecision. general mcchrystal said within a year if we don't change the momentum on the ground we could lose our ability to beat the insurgency. a counter insurgency strategy properly resourced it the best way to go forward. half measures will not only lead to a defeat in afghanistan, it will affect our ability to change iran. iran is watching us. if we are in decisive about what to do in afghanistan as an american or coalition group then they will take what we do in iran less seriously. the president has a window of time here to seriously deliberate but it's oning out and w

millions of people can vote and did so in the past elections despite taliban threats. women can walk the streets, and hold jobs in parliament and al qaeda has no safe haven, no training camps, no launch pads in afghanistan for terrorist attacks against us in the west. these are huge achievements in just eight years. but the reality is that this mission cannot continue forever. and it should not continue forever. and our populations, afghan and international, want to see light at the end of the tunnel. they want to see the beginning of transition to afghan lead, and that means from a security point of view afghans taking lead responsibilities, province by province, with international forces in a supporting role. it means afghans running their own schools, their own hospitals, their own government. i believe that if we can show transition actually happening, our public will continue to support this mission through to success. but i'm convinced that if we do not clearly and concretely begin to move towards transition to afghan leads, it will be impossible to sustain publi