Page 2 - Surge Forces News Today

and it should not have been done. >> and can the tea party deliver on this bold promise? >> look, we are going to choose the next republican nominee. >> right. >> we are not going to accept what the republican party hands us. >> but up first tonight, stunning evidence of why the stakes of that republican civil war are so consequential. new lows for president obama on just about all of the tests you use when an incumbent asks for four more years. the presidents overall approval rating, ...

welcome, everybody. it is friday, july 15th. im soledad obrien. you are watching snoonk kiran is off, christine is off, welcome soledad. good to see you. >> thank you. we have a lot to do today. lets get right to it. serious new pressure on rupert murdock and his global media empire. the justice department says its now investigating the claims that one of its tabloids tried to hack 9/11 victims phones. a report in another british tabloid, "the mirror" quoting a source who says "news of...

America. >> politically the pressure for the president to engage in a speedier withdrawal has never been greater. 56% of americans want the u.s. troops to come home from afghanistan as soon as possible. political realty defense serve robert gates acknowledged yesterday, played a role in the presidents decision. >> there are a lot of reservations in the congress about the war in afghanistan and our level of commitment. there are concerns among the american people who are tired of a decade of war....

Images are getting the most clicks. all of that next on "news nation." and topping the headlines on "andrea mitchell reports," general david petraeus is testifying before congress for the first time since taking over at the commander of the war in afghanistan. he outlined fragile but significant progress. >> while the security progress achieved over the past year is significant, it is also fragile and reversible. the achievements of the past year are important as i prepare to provide options t...

Than a year after -- less than a year after president bush announced the surge policy. overall we are talking about 18-month surge here and general petreaus is pretty clear yesterday. i think thats now our policy. were going to be trying to set conditions, july is the start of a process and the slope -- its not a waterfall, it is a slope to begin to pull out some of those surge forces. but well have to see how steep the slope is. >> barbara, this is a nine-year conflict now. you got close to 100...

Tactical directive. they should know that i will look very hard at this issue >> reporter: reassuring military families and our troops in the field he will take a closer look at the rule of engagement there in afghanistan, patti an. -- patti ann. >> senator ben nelson is questioning the general. any signs of conflict so far? >> not so much so far. he was put in an awkward spot by senator mccain when he talked about the july 2011 date that president obama set, when he wants to start withdrawing s...

This your dispute over policy. this was just a lapse of judgment on the part of the four-star commander and his immediate staff. the problem is going to be going forward. weve got a core rupt inadequate afghan government spending $4.5 billion a month, weve got 7,000 killed and wounded and were 600 miles from the sea with some pretty shaky allies. thats the problem. and the president, when he so-called surge forces in afghanistan, laid down a marker and said were going to start out one year from ...

Influence is spreading from southern afghanistan to the west and to the north. here is the chairman of the joint chiefs on that. >> the taliban have a growing influence in most of afghanistans provinces and the border area between that country and pakistan remains the epicenter of global terrorism. >> the epicenter of global terrorism, a stark warning from the chairman of the joint chiefs, trace. >> mike, what more do we know about the time table to end u.s. troops to afghanistan? >> well, admir...

His lack of knowledge of afghanistan in the first meeting days after the president was sworn in office. they met months later face-to-face while the president agonized over the afghanistan strategy. mcchrystal scoffed at vice president biden who opposed mcchrystals successful push for surge forces in afghanistan asking at one point, "whos that?" mcchrystal is portrayed as exacerbated with holbrook, and john ikenberry, the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan. mcchrystal aide called jim jones, national...