military personnel in afghanistan. all this happening on the first anniversary of the killing of osama bin laden. nick payton walsh is in kabul for us. set the scene for us. we know the rumors had been wild throughout the day in the afghan capital. we assume he's very secure inside that presidential balance has. but all of this was stop secret given the security precautions that are necessary to protect the president of the united states. first of all, tell our viewers what time it is in afghanistan and what's going on. >> we're just past midnight. about six hours ago, one of the leading tv stations broke the news. many immediately denied that. i heard from one afghan pishl that in fact presidential palace staff were asked to go home around about midday sparking rumors that there may be some sort of vip visit. as you say, he's been to bagram. and of course now on to the presidential palace in kabul where they should sign the partnership agreement. >> nick, stand by. gloria borger is with me. as we look at the video com

let's be clear, whether we say tried in afghanistan, we don't mean tried by the afghanistan justice system. we would mean that the u.s. military would just move the trial over to afghanistan. but i think that, again, they're really leaving this up to the military and how they decide they want to proceed. certainly, they want to take into account the afghan's concerns that justice be served. there are also a lot of particular rules about whether witnesses can be introduced, whether afghan witnesses can be introduced. because if the prosecution uses afghan witnesses, then, of course, the defense will need to question them as well. so those kind of questions are still being worked out. again, nothing to say as they have in the past that he couldn't be actually tried in afrg. but, you know, as we've been talking about, this agreement that governs u.s. military in afghanistan when the fall of the taliban happened, u.s. and afghanistan had agreement that the soldiers had immunity from afghan law and processed according to the u.s. military justice system. so disagreement is in effect. i don't se

afghanistan is now a nonmajor ally. the u.s. will maintain strong defense and economic ties after combat troops leave afghanistan in 2014. >> our strategic partnership agreement is not aimed at any other country. our goal is to work with the region and the international community to strengthen afghanistan's institutions so that the transition is successful and the afghan people themselves can take responsibility and the future of afghanistan will be safer and more secure. >> next, secretary clinton heads to tokyo to ask other countries to pledge financial support for afghanistan. right now, libyans are going to the polls in their first free election in decades. it's a reason they overthrew gadhafi's chance at democracy. they are electing an assembly. the government faces a tough job. it must reign in those responsible for lawlessness and try to unify that country. >>> we officially know how mary richard kennedy died. the estranged wife of robert f. kennedy hanged herself and died of asphyxiation. no tra

mission in afghanistan, here are some of the highlights. >> is it time for us to leave afghanistan, mr. speaker? >> i think it is. i think we have to reassess the entire region. we have to understand that our being in afghanistan is counter productive. it is not for us to for them to change. >> i understand the frustration and i understand the ganger and the sorrow. i also understand and we should not forget that the attacks on america on 9/11 originated in afghanistan and if afghanistan dissolved into a situation where the taliban were able to take over, or a chaotic situation, it could easily return to a al qaeda base for attacks on the united states of america. that is still our goal as it was the day that we went in. >> i think that we're on the right track to get out of afghanistan, just as soon as we can. there's conversations with karzai now, i think our timetable is pretty good. >> what a crowd. >> i'm submitted to going all the way to tampa. i have 175,000 people who have donated to the campaign, 95% of them have given under $250. they want a visionary conservative in the reag

afghanistan. what he said to the troops there and what he said to the american people about a half an hour ago. he just finished speaking. he's expected to leave just shortly after daybreak at bagram air base. reporters with the president were sworn to secrecy until in the zone. from there he quickly went by chopper to kabul, another war zone where him and president hamid karsai signed the strategic partnership agreement. it promises american support for afghanistan through 2024. ten years after the last american combat forces are scheduled to leave the country by the end of 2012. excuse me, 2014. the president made some brief remarks, then headed back to bagram for a rally with the troops. more than 130,000 men and women serve in afghanistan. the vast majority, about 90,000 are american right now. a short time later, about half an hour ago the president spoke to the united states laying out his vision for ending america's longest war. saying afghanistan is where the war began and where it will en

is reflected in opinion polls in afghanistan and what took place a few weeks ago, afghanistan needs the united states and since we haven't finished with the job of finishing the terrorists in afghanistan, making sure that the terrorists do not come back to afghanistan, that we also need to -- yes, it has been a difficult few weeks but would like to continue to cooperate with each other. >> you know, what is the effect on u.s. troops? i know when you read some of these things that the president of the country is saying, comparing the u.s. to the taliban or putting it in the same sentence and calling them demons, it not only undermines faltering u.s. support for this war but it must do something to the troops? >> it does, candy. we have to go back to basics, i think. the afghanistan and the united states, because it's in the american interest, we have to get off this idea that it's a favor to afghanistan. that attacks were planned in kandahar. we don't want that to be a place again. but from the point of view of the american troops, what is more important is are we as a country commit

we now know the name of the soldier blamed for a deadly rampage in afghanistan. the pentagon identified him as robert bails. he is an army staff saegt and now in solitary confinement at ft. levinworth, kansas. we're going live to his home base in washington state in just a moment. >> meantime, crowds of people in afghanistan today are furious that bails was returned to the united states. they want him to stand trial in afghanistan under islamic law. >> the price of gas is on the rise again. it went up .4% overnight. it is the eighth straight day of price hikes. the national average for a gallon of gas is now $3.83. it's 31 cents higher than it was just one month ago. with gas prices on the rise, what kind of car you drive can make a big difference. san diego judge has approved a class action lawsuit against honda motor company about 200,000 civic hybrid owners will now receive up to $200. they claim they didn't get the gas mileage they were promised. >>> candidates are facing off in three races. missouri holds caucuses to day. this is missouri's second time aroun

and the president has left afghanistan. john, you know what it's like to travel with the president like this. you went to baghdad with president bush. from being on air force one, what is that like? >> it's a dicey ride in. perhaps they're overstaying the -- overstating the risk, but they want to be extra cautious with the president. you showed the pictures of this president's visit. it's a 747. has the united states stamped on the side. that big flag on the back. they advised president bush when i took that trip six years ago next month to baghdad, they advised the same thing to president obama. they rather have them take a plane that doesn't look any different. he wanted to take this to send a signal. president bush wanted to do that. i was recruited and just left the white house beat six years ago. they white house said would you do this on a secret basis. tell as few people as possible within the news organization. when you get on the plane, they tell you turn off all electronic devices, shut off the televisions, shut o

forces and other nato forces from afghanistan is good for afghanistan and good for our allied countries. today we discussed that. we have finalized plans. so 2014 will be a year in which the united states will not be spending as much money in afghanistan as it is spending today. it will save money and we will be providing security ourselves. >> but for another two and a half years until the end of 2014, there will be thousands of american troops in afghanistan. >> yes, yes. >> and that will be expensive. >> it will be expensive, like it was in the past ten years, but this is a commitment that the world community has made to the war on terror, to the security of the united states, to the security of the world and to the security of afghanistan. >> are you satisfied with this withdrawal schedule or is it too fast -- >> no, we are satisfied. >> are you ready to take over all of afghanistan by the end of 2014? >> absolutely. we have already worked out plan to have in six months' time 75% of the country taken over by afghan security forces. >> the new president of france wants all french tro

what you guys are going to do about afghanistan. we got those characters over there shooting our guys and our guys are coming home in body bags? you guys take over washington, what are you going to do about this mess in afghanistan. >> >> i ci can tell you this, w become commander in chief i will address the american people about these issues. i will do everything in my power to transition from our military to their military, bring our men and women home and do so in a way consistent with our mission, which is to keep afghanistan from being overrun by a new entity that would allow afghanistan to be launchening point for terror again like it was on 9/11. thank you, sir. >> mitt romney in new hampshire and one week from today, i'll be anchoring live in tampa, florida where republicans will be holding their national convention. it kicks off august 27th. i can't wait. see you monday from tampa. >>> on this monday a lot going on. take a look at this. a woman seven months pregnant loses her child after a drunk driver slams into her car. t

>> well, if you compare afghanistan today to the afghanistan ten years ago, a lot of things happened. from the support that we receive from our international allies, including the united states of america and the taxpayers' money that was invested in afghanistan. whatever you name it, from economic growth to education, health, participation of women in different walks of our society, the free press, our national security forces, our police forces and infrastructure projects, infractions that afghanistan has within the region, within our neighbors and also the role that we play as an active member within the international community, all that happened within ten years' time. having said that, we have been suffering for the last 30 years after the invasion of the soviet union. so a lot of things happened but i'm not saying everything happened perfectly but we have a lot of challenges and we have a long way ahead of us. >> so i ask you that question because this morning "the new york times" had a story in which they kind of synthesized everything that has been said by president karzai ove

afghanistan. the president will be telling us about the new strategic partnership agreement he has just signed with afghanistan's president outlining the relationship between the united states and afghanistan after the withdrawal of u.s. forces at the end of 2014. white house officials tell us the timing was driven by the negotiations over that agreement at an upcoming nato summit. critics will say it is about politics. everyone knows today is the anniversary of the raid in pakistan that killed osama bin laden. on the ground, do people there -- are they aware that president obama is on the ground? >> reporter: late in the afternoon the sun went down there was a report on afghan media suggesting that he was already in kabul. since then we have seen absolute silence across the city occasionally by helicopters and that is presumably some part of the president in and out of the capital. the speech we are about to hear in the next half hour i think will be cap suilated. there are two bits of the speech

they were preparing for a deployment to afghanistan. they are major thomas budzejko, captain michael quinn, captain benjamin cerni gchlt lia, captain anderson, sergeant everett, lance corporal little and lance corporal elliott. they're trying to federal government out how in the world it happened. >> the youngest son of robert f. kennedy has been charged with misdemeanor, harassment and child endangerment after he allegedly tried to take his two day old son out of a new york hospital last month despite warnings from nurses. when they tried to stop him, he allegedly twisted one nurse's wrist and kicked another as she approached him. the nurse's attorney said they were trying to enforce hospital rules. he said the nurses didn't recognize kennedy as the baby's father and intended to protect the child who apparently had not been discharged. >>> next, the showdown is tuesday and the race is tight. gop presidential hopefuls battle it out for michigan and arizona. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on tr

and afghanistan? >> well, wolf, president obama is moving very quickly across afghanistan during this visit for a very simple reason. as he tries to move ahead with this strategic partnership keeping the details of this trip secret is key to keeping the president safe. it doesn't get much riskier than sending the president of the united states into a war zone. president obama arrived into bagram air base, afghanistan, under cover of darkness with extraordinary security measures. reporters traveling with the president were sworn to secrecy. the secret service is prepared for anything that could happen. it starts with getting in. u.s. planes landing in afghanistan perform a corkscrew type landing making sharp banks and terms to avoid heat seeking missiles. the colonel knows first hand how dangerous it can be. now retired he told wolf blitzer about secretly taking george w. bush to baghdad in 2003 while combat raged. >> the challenge wasn't so much to get him in there because we easily fooled everybody a

and afghanistan at the time. and the other thing, of course, is the afghans are now saying absolutely publicly there will be no drones allowed to take off from afghanistan to target terrorists wherever, in pakistan or else where. this is also a big issue. >> huge issue. >> when the u.s. takes its forces out, it will rely increasingly as it has already on the drone strikes so that's an issue, if they can't take off. >> the number of drone strikes by the obama administration has skyrocketed compared to under the bush administration and peter bergen recounts in his new book the impact it's had on al qaeda, the fear that drone strikes has caused al qaeda, osama bin laden wrote about it himself. >> absolutely right but still the militants in pakistan we saw two weeks ago with the audacious attack some say came across from pakistan and penetrated the very heart of the government, didn't get to the palace in kabul but it did get to the parliament and the other, of course, issue is remember, we all remember when the unit

troops should leave afghanistan. president obama indicated today the strategy hasn't changed. >> make no mistake. we have a strategy that will allow us to responsibly wind down this war. we're steadily transitioning to the afghans who are moving into the lead. and that's going to allow us to bring our troops home. >> but ranking member of the senate armed services committee, senator john mccain, says the president's rhetoric sends the long message to lead nurse afghanistan. senator mccain, how so? how is the president saying the wrong message? >> he sent the wrong message for a long time. i was glad to hear what he said today. but he doesn't have much credibility anymore in the region. because initially for a surge they asked for 40,000. he agreed to only 30,000. they needed the end of another fighting season in order to finish the job in the eastern afghanistan, the president announced an early withdrawal. the military commanders said in testimony that would quote increase the risk. why we would want to increase the

and what happens to the admission in afghanistan now? seth jones spent years in afghanistan. recently as senior adviser to the commanding general. phil carter, official for the obama administration. good to have you with us. seth, let me start with you. what happens from here? is this something that becomes turning point if the burning of the korans was not one? >> i think what's important here, we've seep it in past cases. there have to be -- this was justice done to local tribes, that has to be done fairly quickly. the political process we're doing in the u.s. military can be a little prolonged, but i think afghans have to see something so move iis moving fa quickly. >> and certainly as more and more troops leave was u.s. soldiers or u.s. forces working with afghans. hand in hand, right? side by side. is that even possible at this point? >> no, there's a huge trust deficit here and this incident, if only this incident were the only thing we had to worry about. there was a trust deficit caused by the burning of the korans. by the shooting of the two officers at ministry of t

we know he serves three tours in iraq and in his fourth to afghanistan, his first to afghanistan. we learned more about his past and views toward civilians in the conflict in iraq. we have an army account of the battle of naja where he talks about the importance of making sure you distinguish between fighters and nonfighters. he said i have never been more proud to be part of this unit than that day. the fact we discriminated between the bad guys and noncombatants. we helped the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us. that's a little bit of a glimpse into the thinking of staff sergeant bales during that account back in 2007. he's been described by neighbors as a happy, normal family man. a neighbor talked about their kids going to each other's birthday parties. we are not sure what set off this rampage. >> all right. much more to learn about this alleged incident. thank you very much. appreciate it. >>> here is a look at other top stories. several explosions in the syrian capital of demas kus. government buildings. syrian state television blames terrorists f

she's live in kabul, afghanistan, for us. sarah, is it likely that bales will be returned to afghanistan? >> reporter: not likely at all. how anyone accused in the military, what the process is for that person and normally they would go through a military tribunal. we heard from his attorney, staff sergeant bales' attorney saying there's not a chance that he's going to be brought back here and tried here. you're hearing chants death to america but also that he betried accordinging to islamic law. that is also not going to happen. they'll use the law under which the agreement exists. we should also talk about the protaft. this is the second time we've seen it in jalalabad. quite a rowdy protest. hay closed down one of the main roads, and now we're seeing another protest break out there again. but we're not seeing protests all around the country. they're very isolated. this is only the third protest since this happened on sunday. it's almost been a week now. very different from what we saw when u.s. troops were accused of burni

for afghanistan." he is "outfront" tonight. you spent a lot of time in afghanistan and iraq and all of these war zones. a charge that has a lot of people pretty upset. high levels in washington caused real problems. what happened? >> well so you had two camps in washington. you had the white house team. you had a state department team. the state department, you had their point man for afghanistan. the veteran diplomat richard holbrooke who died a year and a half ago. he was in charge of trying to manage the overall diplomatic strategy. really try to push towards getting to negotiations with the taliban. a very difficult challenge. this is a guy who had ended fighting in the balkans. a real diplomatic heavyweight. there were senior officials in obama's white house who just didn't like him. it was very personal, acrimonious fight. what happened was their infighting essentially stalled american policy in trying to come up with a plan to get to negotiations. it wasn't like the taliban were sitting at the other end of the table. thi

which is what the goal is in afghanistan in general. and that allows the president to continue to say that the coalition is together in nato. and which is the goal here in general. and allowed the president to say this earlier today when he was meeting with afghan president hamid karzai. >> the world is behind the strategy that we've laid out. now it's our task to implement it effectively, and i believe that we can do so in part because of the tremendous strength and resilience of the afghan people. >> reporter: fredricka, another task for the u.s. and all the countries here is to get agreement on international financial support for the plan in afghanistan going forward. more than $1 billion a year through 2014. and also, to figure out what international military commitments will look like in afghanistan after 2014. fredricka? >> and a neighbor to afghanistan, pakistan, that is being discussed as well. and apparently there are some reports of the u.s. being denied access to some of the roads in pakistan. what's going on? >> reporter: so

troops in afghanistan. and more than an affair? searching the home of mistress paula broadwell. >>> fashion faux pas. known for its runway shows but racism in the briefest of briefs? >>> we talk to michigan state head coach tom izzo live this hour. "newsroom" starts now. >>> and good morning from washingt washington. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining us. this morning, a shocking new development in the sex scandal that toppled one of the most respect respected men in washington. now it has snared another top general, john allen, commander of all international troops in afghanistan. today the feds are sifting through a mountain of e-mails and messages he traded with a woman named jill kelley. a mind boggling 20,000 to 30,000 pages and agents are searching for anything inappropriate. now here is the common link. that woman, kelley, jill kelley, she's the one who received harassing e-mails supposedly from petraeus' jealous mistress, paula broadwell. petraeus admits to the affair with broadwell and has said that this wom

>> it's been a tough ten years in afghanistan. i think it's important that we remember the reason that we're in afghanistan. it goes back to 9/11 and the attacks that were made on this country. we've seen certainly some successes when i talk to our military men and women. they can-foot the successes and, you know, think about the opportunities for women right now in afghanistan and i think it's so important we continue to stand for human rights for women all around this world and that's a key to defeating terrorists. i don't think that we can ignore the fact that there are those terrorists, al qaeda that continue to threaten america and threaten freedom around the world. and so i've supported president obama in his approach in winding down and making that smooth transition in afghanistan, but i think everyone is getting tired of the long war. >> if i can get you to answer quickly because i want to move you on to one more subject. but is it time to push for a quicker removal of the troops than the president want? >> i certainly do

and an lawmaker kept out of afghanistan by the president of afghanistan. i'll ask why the highest u.s. officials actually went along with it. i went to a small high school. the teacher that comes to mind for me is my high school math teacher, dr. gilmore. i mean he could teach. he was there for us, even if we needed him in college. you could call him, you had his phone number. he was just focused on making sure we were gonna be successful. he would never give up on any of us. and it hasn't been going exactly as planned. [ director ] cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job, no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. >>> as mitt romney campaigns to lead the nation, he rarely talks about his leadership experience in the mormon church. he volunteer

can this afghanistan survive? will it keep having democratic election, can it actually defeat the bitter enders and the taliban? there's a good reason to believe no. but the country or at least a majority of the country is ready to wash its hands. i think there are a lot of folks on the right who are going to say, look, this is a serious mistake. we should maintain an investment, we should stick at it. but the problem is that that's not a very politically viable position even if you believe that to be true. >> nor as a pragmatic one. maybe what he's saying is pie in the sky but the broader goals are more out there. >> and much bigger. >> and tim punk joining us. he's gotten criticism from the likes of mitt romney, for laying out a time line. but the president brought that up and addressed it specifically. here he is. >> as we move forward some people will ask why we need a firm time line. the answer is clear. our goal is not to build a country in america's image or to eradicate every vestige of the taliban. these

this, though, was his first deployment to afghanistan. now, we also know that he's a qualial qaeda -- qualified infantry sniper, which means he's trained to kill at 800 meters. he remains in nato custody tonight. we do have some new details about how the u.s. military learned about the i think ncide what happened as soon as they found out. chris, what more can you tell us? >> one of the biggest tipoff was when these afghan villages showed up at the base, carrying their wounded saying someone had been shooting at them. before that happened, this soldier apparently left the base, walked ute of the gate about 3:00 in the morning. the afghan security guards who were manning the security gate knew that was not right. they called their american counterparts. the u.s. military did a head count and figured out that this soldier was the only one missing. they then scrambled a helicopter into the air to start looking for the soldier, but by that time, before the helicopter could locate him, he actually came back into the base, walked in, gave himse

they want to see him tried in afghanistan. president karzai opened surveillance video of his remote base. he says that afghanistan is at the end of its rope with the u.s. >>> moving on now to politics and is it a busy st. patrick's day for the republican presidential hopefuls. mitt romney is holding a rally in illinois. the this is live pictures courtesy of ksdk. it is a town hall going on now. rick santorum on the trail too. he has seven events in missouri and illinois. and earlier today he didn't hold back in the criticism of romney's record as massachusetts governor. >> in the case of governor romney he gives away that issue. he put forward bill that was the model for obama care. and then advocated that at the federal level and then denied that he did it. not only was his policies bad you can't trust him to tell the truth. >> mitt romney had a quick swing through puerto rico this morning before heading to that illinois town hall you saw earlier. romney is optimistic about a win in the puerto rico primary. >>> new revelation

he was very much committed to what he was doing in afghanistan. he felt that the way to help the people there was to become their friend and trusted them. he was a very, very good father. he did puppet shows for them. very close to his children. the best way to sum it up is he lived more in 44 years than most of us will live in 80. he lived life to the fullest. >> the mother of john loft s who lost his life. >>> new information about the gop presidential candidates. we are hearing that rick santorum will get secret service protection and newt gingrich has almost asked for it. mitt romney already has it. our political team working on this story and we will have more in about ten minutes right here on cnn. >>> when this is happening in syria it is hard to imagine anyone doing anything but hiding in their homes. syrians went to polls today to vote on a referendum to change the constitution. 55 people were killed today across the country. the national red cross trying to work out a cease fire to get humanitarian aid into homes. the consensus is that t

and nato forces in afghanistan. we'll get the latest on the alleged civilian massacre by an american soldier and the fallout. >>> bill clinton's surprising first reaction to the death of osama bin laden. for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions... [ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers. ♪ to help business do more for customers. homicide of young people in america has an impact on all of us. how can we save these young people's lives? as a police chief i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. i learned early on if you want to make a difference you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig, i'm committed to making a difference and i am a phoenix. oh, yeah? [ chris ] you can call us 24-7, get quotes online, start a claim with our s

. >>> coming up, the plan for afghanistan, all u.s. troops out by the end of 2014, but do the presidential can dwdidates have different strategies behind that? details ahead. ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tub

this was his firth tour to afghanistan, fourth tour overall. the family did not expect him to be redeployed. they were sad to find out he had to be deployed to afghanistan where he went in december of last year. he joined the service in late, 2001, november that year. a couple months after the september 11 terrorist attacks. cnn spoke with a high school friend of his. let's hear more from him right now. >> he had a big heart. he was a financial adviser. i know he couldn't take that, like losing people's money when the market went down. so, he felt that he needed something bigger in his heart, mind and soul. that's why he went into the military, in general, to help people. >> so, we hear from this friend. we have heard from him talking about the importance during his tour in iraq, the importance during battle of separating combatants from non-combatants. he didn't show animosity toward civilians. we'll learn more about what triggered this incident. as of now, we are piecing all the pieces together. >> thank you for the latest on that. stay with

soldier accuse of killing 16 afghans in afghanistan. also a dramatic change of where he's being held. >> he's lying on the ground. oh, my god. >> a hysterical woman reporting the shooting death of a teen in florida. police finally released the 911 calls in the trayvon martin case. >>> and new video of the tornado that barreled through henryville, indiana, earlier this month. all that coming up this hour. >>> this morning we know the name of the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 afghan civilians and where he's being held. the suspect is army staff sergeant robert bachlles. he's now in custody at ft. leavenworth in kansas by himself. he's married, a father of two kids. this was his first tour of duty in afghanistan but he's done three tours in iraq. here's what neighbors had to say about him. >> completely shocked. >> i would describe him as super fun to hang around with, kind of the life of the party. super loving, friendly to everybody he met, great with his kids. i just -- i don't -- i don't see how that has happened. i never saw any

obama goes to afghanistan. he gets a lot of coverage. he gets -- that's an advantage that incumbent presidents have in elections. >> i think this president is politicizing foreign policy 10% or 20% as much as president bush did. >> you still don't like him? >> because he came in and said i'm going to do things differently. same thing with the fundraising. he said i'm going to do things differently, and he wanted us to have this walk on water standard for him, and that's why he is being punished. it's the expectation. >> here is an interesting fact. the morning of the trip bh we did not know about this unannounced visit to kabul, an afghan television station tweeted it, and a spokesman started calling around to news outlets that picked up that tweelt. buzz feed took it down. the drudge report did not. the white house was saying, no, president obama is not in kabul. that was technically true because he had not gotten there yet. they were trying to protect his security. >> lie outright. nobody would -- >> i hope they don't take you up on th

troops out of afghanistan. now the white house could speed up that withdrawal now set to be completed by the end of 2014. "the new york times" is reporting the administration may bring home nearly half the 90,000 troops by early next year. the move had been considered for weeks but gained new urgency after sunday's attacks and recent outrage after the burning of korans. he says no decision has been made and he is warning about a, quote, rush for the exits. >>> at the bottom of the hour we'll talk to a reporter from "stars and stripes." she will explain why the newspaper is calling the soldier's home station in washington state the most troubled base in the military. >>> have you been outside yet? the first official day of spring is only one week away but, boy, is it warm outside. temperatures are expected to be 20 to 30 degrees warmer than normal this week and that's all over the country. the people who run the cherry blossom festival in washington think the trees may bloom weeks earlier this year in mid march

and afghanistan. president obama reached out to his afghan counterpart, but the phoned conversation seemed to do little. president karzai condemned the shooting spree as an unforgivable crime. brianna keilar is at the white house. so, brianna, how worried is the administration about this latest blow to the alliance? >> carol, they are very concerned. there's enough challenges with afghanistan. this is obviously something that creates a huge challenge, going further for the at mrgs. it comes on the heels of this burnings of korans. there's also the concern of the cumulative effect hat this point. you saw yesterday how quickly president obama reached out and made a phone call he did that from the limousine from one of his daughter's game. president obama is calling this tragic and shocking and stressing -- and this is something that you're hearing a lot of administration officials hear, carol, that does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the united states has fo

mission, commitment to afghanistan. here's a little bit more of what mitt romney said. >> you go to the people that you're fighting with and tell them the day you're pulling out your troops? it makes absolutely no sense. his na af ta is putting in jeopardy the mission of the united states of america and our commitments to freedom. >> reporter: kyra, our most recent polling indicates that most americans don't support the war in afghanistan. when you break it down by party, there's definitely a partisan divide. republicans, a majority of them, 54% according to the most recent poll, they support the war in afghanistan. democrats and independents do not. this is an issue in the battle for the nomination and also in the battle for the white house. it's trumped by the economy but it is an issue. >> all right, paul. donald trump promising a, quote, major announcement this afternoon. what can you tell us? >> reporter: every time we seem to be done with donald trump,'s back. all four of the candidates are in nevada. donald trump

history. >> reporter: 70,000 american troops are still fighting in afghanistan. but will election day affect them one way or the other? we see two candidates moving closer and closer to the point where there's not much space between them. >> our goals should be to complete a successful transition to afghan security force business the end of 2014. >> next year, afghans will take the lead for their own security. in 2014 the transition will be complete. >> reporter: there were real differences at the beginning of governor romney's campaign last summer when he seemed to criticize obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to afghanistan. >> it's time for us to bring our troops hope as soon as we possibly can. i also think we've learned that our troops shouldn't go off and fight a war of independence for another nation. >> reporter: by november he opposed in i plan to bring most troops home before 2014. >> i stand with the commanders in this regard and have no information that suggests that pulling our troops out faster than that would do anything but put at great pe

and he's on a path out of afghanistan. i think there are some troubling aspects, as your first guest, congressman paul, would point out. but yeah, i think -- you know, i call it the taxi cab bump. you know, during the bush years when you get in a taxi cab in a foreign country and tell them you're american, they didn't like that, but ever since obama is in charge, when you get in a taxi cab in imman and baghdad, you get it, and they appreciate the americanism of it. >> that's definitely true. good luck. >>> coming next, only in america. do we really need a top gun sequel? [ shivering ] sorry. sore knee. blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees? it's the one you store in the freezer. gives that instant cold sensation. that's chilly. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. and it lasts for hours. [ sigh of relief ] [ short breath ] [ longer breath ] [ short breath ] [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. we want to pr

romney has criticized the 2014 date for pulling out of afghanistan saying that publicizing a timeline is naive. today on abc's "this week," panetta said the republican criticism is all campaign rhetoric >> i think you've got 50 nations in nato that agree to a plan in afghanistan. it's the lisbon agreement, an agreement that, you know, others, president bush, president obama, everyone has agreed is the direction that we go in in afghanistan. what is that direction? it's to take us to a point where we draw down by the end of 2014. that is the plan that has been agreed to. and it's a plan that is working. >> peytonia went on to say that the 2014 withdrawal timeline is the only way to ensure a successful transition to afghan forces, and as you just heard he says the plan is working. >>> it's a memorial day weekend, of course, time to honor those who died defending our freedom. but we're also taking time to remember those missing in action. every memorial day thousands of motorcyclists honor these people by gathering in washington for rolling thunder. many of you have heard about this. thi

we've been in afghanistan for ten years. they're tired of having these foreign troops in their country. it's understandable and we should be moving to a much lower profile mission that is really devoted to trying to attack and destroy al qaeda and associated terrorist groups. this whole task of trying this unending nation building project in afghanistan is just not going to work. you know, we may stabilize kandahar or places, but trust me five years from now after we've left, those places will look a lot like they've looked. they will revert to their historical destiny. >> very sober assessment. let me change the subject. you have a big special coming up this weekend, gps road map for saving healthcare. in the current presidential campaign the obama healthcare is a subject of huge debate. not fully implemented yet. republicans say it's a disaster. too much bureaucracy. takes away personal choice. demes say it will be a great thing in the end. >> the swiss found they had a system much like ours. private doctors, private insur

and he's on a path out of afghanistan. i think there are some troubling aspects, as your first guest, congressman paul, would point out. but yeah, i think -- you know, i call it the taxi cab bump. you know, during the bush years when you get in a taxi cab in a foreign country and tell them you're american, they didn't like that, but ever since obama is in charge, when you get in a taxi cab in imman and baghdad, you get it, and they appreciate the americanism of it. >> that's deaf nfinitely true. good luck. >>> coming next, only in america. do we really need a top gun sequel? in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ an accident doesn't have to slow you down... with better car repl

we are in afghanistan covering the anguish and vows of revenge. a quick caution, the video in this report is disturbingly bloody. >> reporter: not far from a u.s. military outpost, a disturbing scene. a dead toddler with a blood-stained face lies sandwiched between two dead men in the back of a pick-up truck. in another truck, a blanket reveals charred remains of more people. they are a few of the victims of the shooting rampage. one guy came in and pulled a boy from his sleep and shot him in this doorway. then put the gun in the mouth of another child and stomped on another boy this mother says. u.s. officials, including president obama expressed their condolences and sadness. that has little meaning to the families. one family alone lost 11 family members in the incident. look at these bodies. they are all belong to one family, this villager cried. men wept openly barely able to speak through their tears. they picked up shell casings. the evidence something terrible happened. overwhelming. the floors and walls of the homes stained with blood. as

you were embedded with troops in afghanistan. in your most recent book, you talked about the difficulty for the u.s. troops in trying to -- the frustrations a lot of them feel. >> in "the shadow patrol" i tried to embed, i did embed, i tried to get a sense of what was going on over there. there's no question that our guys have an incredibly difficult job because what we're trying to do is convince the villages you shouldn't side with the taliban. you should remain neutral if not friendly to us. the problem is we're leaving. they know we're leaving if it's not next year, three years, five years from now. the taliban are staying, they're afghans. it's very hard for us to win that battle. >> and you talk about in the book, it's fascinating, the guy in the cia who is coordinating with a couple soldiers, a sniper, to basically do heroin deals, the afghanis make a lot of money by selling it into europe. would it surprise you if something like that were not just fiction? >> it would not. there have been small drug rings uncovered. the b

a simpler way to ship. >>> tonight viens in afghanistan. the fourth day of protest in response of burning of korans by nato troops. the afghanistan government say at least eight people were killed in riots today. president obama has apologized to the afghan people. he was embedded with soldiers in the 101st airborne division. he's also the author of "the shadow patrol" and he's outfront tonight. >> ten years is a long time. this happened because we accidentally burned these korans. but there would have been some reason that this happened. >> and what about this issue of accidentally? there's a lot of people in afghanistan who don't believe that. there are people in the united states who are skeptical of that. what do you think? >> what would we gain by intentionally burning this sacred book? what people don't recognize is these books are normally always in arabic. the soldiers who do this don't read arabic. it just looks like a book a detainee isn't supposed to have. >> you remember embedded with troops in afghanistan. in your most recent b

it happened in the eastern part of afghanistan. a total of eight nato troops died yesterday and today in three separate incidents. attacks come as secretary of state hillary clinton meets with diplomats in toke ko and they're discussing afghanistan's future and the shape of the international force going forward. also in afghanistan, a woman was shot to death. executed in public. someone r recorded this public killing of a woman. t she's wearing a burka and we won't show you the moment of her death, but a man with an automatic rifle shoots her at least nine times while men gather around and cheer. afghan officials believe the woman was part of a love triangle involving two taliban commanders who accused her of adultery. u.s. officials have called it a cold-blooded murder. kofi annan is back in syria to sign on to a new peace plan even as a special envoy touched down in damascus, the death toll was creeping up. at least 43 people were killed today. secretary of state clinton had her own message for syria's

general that commands all troops in afghanistan. this is because of the so-called green on blue incidents where afghans are attacking u.s. coalition forces. allen has ordered all troops to carry their weapons fully loaded on base at the headquarters out doors, inside buildings 24/7. he wants them to be ready in the event they are faced in an attack. this classified order now applies to all bases across afghanistan. you think it's a war zone, everybody carries a loaded weapon all the time but at these bases they really don't. now they will. >> thanks so much. appreciate that from the pentagon. >>> running from a wildfire. residents talk about their escape from a burning washington state subdivision. [ female announcer ] granola thins. from nature valley. crispy granola, layered with creamy peanut butter or rich dark chocolate flavor. 90 calories. 100% natural. and nature...approves. granola thins. from nature valley. nature at its most delicious. ♪ atmix of energies.ve the world needs a broader that's why we're supplying natural ga