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Anderson Cooper kicks off AC360 with a recap of the most important moments from the speech and then talks to his panel: Michael, Christiane Amanpour, Nic Robertson, Peter Bergen, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Michael says he was disappointed by the revoiced rhetoric he heard ("Let's hit Pakistan with a wet piece of lettuce") although he was not expecting details to be discussed in the speech.
In the second clip, John King and Michael are back at the Magic Wall to show again where the American/NATO forces are and where the fighting is.
Finally, Anderson talks to Fareed Zakaria about the president's grasp of the situation in Afghanistan (which leads to a wisecrack about Michael's wearing of the salwar kameez).
ANDERSON
COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight: President Obama's new
plan to fight the war in Afghanistan and, he says,
finish it soon. He is sending more troops, 30,000,
but it's a commitment with an expiration date, July
2011. A year-and-a-half to fight the Taliban, build
up Afghan governance and security forces, and then
try to get out.
He made his case at the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, about an hour north of New York's Ground Zero,
where the war began more than eight years ago.
We have extensive coverage in the hour ahead from our
reporters who have been there for years, our
political analysts on the heat this is already
taking, Dick Cheney blasting the president today,
liberal Democrats already opposing any additional
troop commitment.
But, first, some of the key moments, in case you
missed the speech, President Obama tonight, in his
own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:
Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years, it
has moved backwards. There's no imminent threat of
the government being overthrown, but the Taliban has
gained momentum. Al Qaeda has not reemerged in
Afghanistan in the same numbers as before 9/11, but
they retain their safe havens along the border. And
our forces lack the full support they need to
effectively train and partner with Afghan security
forces and better secure the population.
Our new commander in Afghanistan, General McChrystal,
has reported that the security situation is more
serious than he anticipated. In short, the status quo
is not sustainable.
Now, let me be clear: There has never been an option
before me that called for troop deployments before
2010, so there has been no delay or denial of
resources necessary for the conduct of the war during
this review period.
This review is now complete. And as commander in
chief, I have determined that it is in our vital
national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S.
troops to Afghanistan.
After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home.
These are the resources that we need to seize the
initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that
can allow for a responsible transition of our forces
out of Afghanistan.
I do not make this decision lightly. I make this
decision because I am convinced that our security is
at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the
epicenter of violent extremism practiced by al Qaeda.
It is from here that we were attacked on 9/11, and it
is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I
speak.
This is no idle danger, no hypothetical threat. In
the last few months alone, we have apprehended
extremists within our borders who were sent here from
the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to
commit new acts of terror. And this danger will only
grow if the region slides backwards and al Qaeda can
operate with impunity.
These are the three core elements of our strategy: a
military effort to create the conditions for a
transition; a civilian surge that reinforces positive
action; and an effective partnership with Pakistan.
It's easy to forget that when this war began we were
united, bound together by the fresh memory of a
horrific attack and by the determination to defend
our homeland and the values we hold dear. I refuse to
accept the notion that we cannot summon that unity
again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That was President Obama tonight.
You heard him defend the length of time it took him
to come up with a new war plan, the president
invoking his visit to Dover Air Force Base during
that time, where the remains of America's war dead
come home. He witnessed the return of 18 of our
fallen. More than 800 American men and women have
died in the Afghan theater since the war began.
Mr. Obama also speaking tonight of how polarized
Americans have become over this war. The question
now, of course, did he change any minds tonight? Did
he change your mind?
Because, in addition to the 18-month clock he started
tonight, there's about a half-dozen more clocks
ticking, a budget clock, a military morale clock,
and, as always, a political clock.
I want to get a quick read tonight on some test
reaction on all of it from CNN experts and
correspondents, a lot of whom have gotten the answers
firsthand, spending a lot of time on the ground over
the years, a lot of them recently back from
Afghanistan, starting with chief international
correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
Christiane, what jumped out at you tonight?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL
CORRESPONDENT: Well, he obviously put the troops on
the ground. He has put this deadline of 18 months to
start withdrawing them.
Experts on the ground told us today that the last
thing people on the ground there need and in the
region is the notion of an exit strategy, because
they want to see promises kept, security delivered,
and some kind of stability and development laid, so
that Afghanistan can, in fact, stand on its own two
feet.
COOPER: Senior international correspondent Nic
Robertson, was it a mistake for the president to kind
of put a timeline on this? Does that signal to our
enemies when the U.S. wants to get out?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL
CORRESPONDENT: Unfortunately, it does.
The Taliban have all time in the world. They have
said that from the beginning. They have their own
strategy. They'll be deciding now when to put in
place their own surges, midterm elections for the
upcoming presidential election. They will have their
surges. They will watch where the troops deploy to.
They will make their own movements. They will change
their own strategy. And they will wait those 18
months, and be ready to step forward when troops step
back.
COOPER: Michael Ware, you have spent a lot of time in
Afghanistan. You lived in Kandahar. What did you
think of the president's speech?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, maybe I
expected too much. I found it disappointing.
Apart from, you know, confirming the fact that he is
sending extra troops, the rest was just rhetoric. I
mean, we've heard it all before: Let's pull together.
Let's hit Pakistan with a wet piece of lettuce. Let's
take a new...
(LAUGHTER)
WARE: You know, let's take a new path forward.
I mean, obviously, we're not going to give away the
details in the president's speech, but I thought it
lacked the substance I was hoping to hear.
COOPER: Peter Bergen, national security analyst,
you've spent a lot of time on the ground in Pakistan.
We were just there together in September. What did
you think? What did you hear tonight?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, you know,
the -- if we're talking about the withdrawal in 18
months, there is a huge kind of caveat to that, which
is, it's conditions-based.
Right now, there are 34 provinces in Afghanistan.
Only one is actually controlled by the Afghan police
and Afghan military, which is Kabul Province, the
capital. So, you know, when it comes to this 18-month
decision, you know, it could be that only two
provinces are handed over. It could be 10. Who knows?
It's a very, very big caveat. It's not that there's
going to be a big drawdown come July 2011, I don't
think.
COOPER: Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent,
you were just there with us in September. Casualties
are going to increase. There's no getting around it.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT:
Yes.
I didn't expect him to talk about the increased
medical capabilities out there, but obviously -- that
is obviously something that is going to be necessary.
The hospitals there, the biggest trauma hospitals,
are already running at full capacity.
Add to that that you're really -- most of the
medevacs are by chopper. So, you need more choppers.
You need more personnel to transport these patients
back. And just the nature of these injuries, Anderson
-- you saw them as well -- I mean, they're just very,
very difficult to treat.
The medical infrastructure is not good, even at its
baseline.
COOPER: We are going to have more with our panelists
in just a moment, a lot more throughout this hour.
Let us know what you think. Join the live chat, the
discussion going on now at AC360.com. I will try to
log on shortly.
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ANDERSON
COOPER: Thirty thousand more troops for Afghanistan
puts real pressure on an already stretched military.
Tonight, we want to take a quick, closer look at the
troops, where exactly they are going to be going in
Afghanistan.
Let's bring in John King, who is at the magic wall
with Michael Ware -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT:
Anderson, thanks.
And as we zoom in on Afghanistan, let's first
remember it is in perhaps the world's most volatile
neighborhood here. Now, let's come in a little bit
closer and we will underscore the challenge the
president outlined tonight.
Here is Afghanistan. And I want to draw a quick line
just to help as we go forward here. Just going to
draw this line through here. And, as we go forward,
you will understand the significance of why.
And, Michael, you jump in as we do this.
First, let's take a look at where the troops are now
in Afghanistan. And you see the American flags and
the British flags down in this region, most of the
NATO flags up...
MICHAEL WARE: Yes.
Notice all the American flags, Aussie flag, British
flags here, and the NATO-European flags at the north.
Now let's go to the next item, and you will see why.
KING: I can you show right here. The darker the
province -- right.
WARE: This is where the fighting is. This is where it
isn't.
KING: But the darker the province, the stronger the
Taliban.
WARE: Right, the darker the province, more Taliban
influence or control.
This is where the NATO troops are. This is the bulk
of the fight. And indeed, even on this map, I would
argue that you could make Kandahar as dark as
Helmand. Perhaps Zabul. Perhaps Partika. Even perhaps
Khost.
I mean the Taliban's control is even worse than it
looks here, especially at night in the villages.
American patrol will come at day. But by night, guess
who's in charge?
KING: And if you send 30,000 more US troops, most of
them highlighted in here, what is the impact even if
things go very well? I want to bring in the
neighboring region here, because what happens in
Afghanistan will deeply effect what happens in the
border region in Pakistan.
WARE: Absolutely. As we know, Pakistan's role in this
great Afghan game, as you may want to call it, is
they're giving sanctuary to those who are killing the
American soldiers and attacking the U.S. government.
Now up here there's Pakistani Taliban which is
different to the Afghan Taliban. There's al Qaeda.
There's the Hisbe Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. But
these sanctuaries, these safe zones for the fighters
stretch all the way down. Indeed, even down here in
the major city of Quetta in Pakistan, the leadership
there is well known. It's called the Quetta Shura.
They're the ones running the war from here.
So the problem stretches all along. And I would
suspect the bulk of the 30,000 troops going there are
going to be going to this region. Right now this is
where the fight is. Right here in Helmand province
where Anderson was.
See, the problem is, America's bitten off a very
small piece of a large apple. To the Taliban, this is
all one operating area. But we're trying to do it bit
by bit by bit. And they're just simply running rings
around us.
KING: Anderson, as you can see, and you know it from
your time there, again, most of the concentration
will be down in here. Some NATO forces up here. And
one of the big questions we will answer in the coming
days is will the NATO allies put up real numbers or
will they send modest, symbolic contributions,
Anderson.
COOPER: Yes, Mike and John, stick by that wall for a
second.
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ANDERSON
COOPER: Fareed Zakaria, you were at the White House
today along with several others. You had lunch with
President Obama. He has really been looking into the
minutia of this policy. I mean, that's what he's been
spending a lot of time doing, correct?
FAREED ZAKARIA: He's been looking into the minutia.
He's very well informed on it. He can talk about
Pashtun areas and Tajik areas. He'd give Michael Ware
a run for his money on that map. But I think...
COOPER: But he's not wearing pajamas like Michael
Ware.
ZAKARIA: I didn't tell you what he was dressed in.
MICHAEL WARE: Yeah, well, at least I look good in
them.
ZAKARIA: No, but I actually think what he spent a lot
of time focusing on is a bigger issue. Which is what
are the strategic states here for the United States?
Because you know, we give ourselves the challenge --
how do we stabilize Afghanistan and defeat the
Taliban -- that's a huge challenge. It's one we could
do if provided the resources and time. But the
question is, is that in the national interests of the
United States?
What he has focused in on is the idea that disrupting
and dismantling al Qaeda is the core national
security interest of the United States. And I think
in that sense, this is a limitation of what have been
previous conceptions of why we were in Afghanistan.
Certainly a limitation from Bush.
President Bush talked often about the need to
establish a viable functioning democracy, a
flourishing economy. Obama doesn't talk about a lot
of that. It really is focused on dismantling al
Qaeda.
COOPER: Well, Michael Ware, can they then do what
they did in Iraq? Can they either co-opt Taliban,
those 10-dollar-a-day Taliban, the ones who aren't
hard core ideologues, and can they just start to buy
off people? Pay thugs, you know, to form militias and
control small amounts of territory?
WARE: Anderson, there certainly is some room for
that. And I can tell you now that, from when I was
there back in September, the American military is
already investigating this option.
Indeed, a pilot program was underway, at that time
being run by the president's brother in Kandahar.
They're calling it the local national protectors'
program.
Now it will be a lot more complicated than Iraq. It
will be a lot bloodier. It will be a lot messier.
Expect a lot of human rights to go out the window.
But once you give power to these men, and I sat with
them in Kandahar, if they say, "There will be no
Taliban in my district," then there will be no
Taliban in that district. And if they show up, they
won't just kill their wife and their father and
mother. They'll probably kill their goats, their dogs
and everything. There is an option that needs to be
explored.