Afghanistan to Hold Runoff in Disputed Presidential Election; President Obama Visits Counterterrorism Headquarters
BLITZER: All right, the president of the United States has just started speaking at the Joint Terrorism Task Force headquarters in New York. He's trying the FBI director, Bob Mueller, right now. Let's listen in.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we are grateful to him. I also want to commend Police Commissioner Kelly, Assistant Director in Charge Joe Demarest and the leaders who've helped to put together a team that is more integrated, more collaborative and more effective than ever before. You know, here at the Joint Terrorism Task Force we have folks from the FBI working side by side with some of New York's finest, as well as countless federal, state and local partners. I was taking a look at the list, and it looks like 45, 46 different agencies represented here. And together your success in thwarting terrorist attacks, the strong intelligence you've gathered, and the hard-nosed investigations you've pursued has proved to be a model for law enforcement officials across the country. And for that, you should all be extremely proud. No one knows better than you how important this work is, because you've always been on the front lines in fighting extremism. Last month, we marked the eighth anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, and on that terrible day when terrorists brought so much death and destruction on our shores and so many lives were lost, many of you were the first on the scenes, saving lives, working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice, and guarding against future attacks in subsequent weeks and months and years. That effort continues to this day, quietly, doggedly, courageously. Most New Yorkers, much less most Americans probably don't know this office is here and they don't know what you do. Obviously, you're not doing it for the glamour or the glory or the pay.</s>OBAMA: You do it to serve and protect your country. And because of the effort and sacrifices that you're making on a daily basis, we are making real progress on our core missions of disrupting and dismantling and ultimately defeating al Qaeda and its extremist allies. I said this when I had a chance to speak to some of the NYPD leadership team last month over the phone, but I particularly want to express my appreciation and admiration for your terrific work, especially in the recent weeks. Working together, you've saved countless lives. And your collaboration earned the respect and gratitude not just of New Yorkers but Americans everywhere. This level of cooperation and integration is going to be critical in defeating the type of determined and resourceful, and oftentimes in the shadows, opponents that you're up against every day. Nerve centers like this one help you share intelligence, answer questions, and give support instantly. And because each organization is on its own, this task force has shown how much stronger all of you can be when you're actually working together. You're setting the standard for everybody else, as I said, and you're showing what focused and integrated counterterrorism work really looks like. And the record of your service is written in the attacks that never occurred because you thwarted them and because of the countless Americans who are alive today as a consequence of that work. And so America's in your debt for that. Of course, we all know that we're facing a determined adversary. They are resourceful. They are resilient. They are still plotting, as we have become all too aware. No one can ever promise that there won't be another attack on America's soil. But I can promise you this: I pledge to do everything in my power as president of the United States to keep the American people safe. And that means I pledge to give all of you the tools and the support that you need to get the job done, both here at home and around the world. And I pledge that I will stay as focused on this mission as you are. So, we all have to redouble our efforts in the face of threats that persist. We're going to have to draw strength from the values that we hold dear. We're going to have to keep our eye fixed on the world we seek to build, one that not only defeats our adversaries, but that also promotes dignity and opportunity and justice for all who stand with us. To do that, I'm going to need all of you to continue the extraordinary work you do and the collaborations you do. That's how we're going to prevail in this fight. That's how we're going to protect this country that we love. So, I know that all of you are extraordinarily business. And I do not want to draw you away from the work that you do. I just want to let you know that we appreciate it. We acknowledge it. We thank you for it. And I'm going to continue to be standing behind you each and every step of the way. So, thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.</s>BLITZER: The president thanking members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York City. This is a joint collaboration, New York City law enforcement and federal law enforcement. You heard the president thank the FBI director, Robert Mueller, who's there, the New York City police chief, Ray Kelly. This is the task force that's charged with trying to prevent another 9/11 happening in New York. And by all accounts, they are doing an outstanding job. The president making this stop over at the headquarters to thank the men and women who work there personally. Right now, though, you are handing President Obama yet another first. But this is a milestone the president is not necessarily celebrating. It comes from our fresh CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. And we're seeing a few other startling items the White House may not necessarily like. Indeed, they may have to start worrying about. Let's bring in our Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. She's going through all the numbers. And some pretty stark numbers there.</s>CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What's interesting is, after nine months of the Obama administration, the president's poll numbers are beginning to show some wear and tear. For the president, today's poll really is a mixed bag.</s>OBAMA: What did I say during the campaign? I said change is hard and big change is harder.</s>CROWLEY (voice-over): And he's got the polls to prove it. As the president navigates his way through a series of issues as controversial as they are vital, he's getting a yellow flag from the American people. New polling finds for the first time fewer than half of Americans agree with the president on issues important to them. A majority, 51 percent, disagree. That's a 10-point jump since April.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love you.</s>OBAMA: It's all -- I love you back.</s>CROWLEY: Despite the majority disagreement on issues, the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll also found the president's approval rating remains in the healthy mid-50s. And two-thirds of Americans say he has the personal qualities a president should have. A popular president who is less popular on the issues. There's a way to work this.</s>KEATING HOLLAND, CNN POLLING DIRECTOR: They still like the messenger. That's important for Obama because he'll be able to look presidential, and Americans may respond to that as he's trying to make a pitch for his health care plan, financial reform, whatever he decides to do in Afghanistan and Iran.</s>CROWLEY: And about the Nobel Prize, even the president seems stunned he got it.</s>OBAMA: To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize.</s>CROWLEY: Americans agree. Only about a third believe the president deserved the prize. Fifty-six percent say they disapprove of the decision by the Nobel Prize Committee to give it to him. Still, there's a hometown hero effect here, with almost 70 percent of people saying they are proud an American won it. And then further proof of that old adage that Americans like their politicians most when they are not running for anything, the most popular person in the Obama administration is not the still-popular president.</s>HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Good morning.</s>SCHULTZ: It's his secretary of state. You remember her, once seen as a sharply divisive politician, the "also ran" of the 2008 primary season. Hillary Clinton is now viewed favorably by 65 percent of Americans, outshining even Michelle Obama.</s>CROWLEY: And for the president there is a lesson in that. These poll numbers, Wolf, as you know, have a way of changing. Nothing like, say, a health care reform bill that works, that might bring more people on board as to agreeing with his policies.</s>BLITZER: Any explanation why Hillary Clinton is all of a sudden so popular?</s>CROWLEY: Listen, I think it is true. I think we have seen this over time with a lot of politicians, that once they are not running, people like them. So, "I like that person." She is in a non-political position. She is a policy wonk. She is shining in a place that she really likes working. And people see that and they like her, as long as she's not running.</s>BLITZER: As long as she's not in politics, it helps her politics.</s>CROWLEY: That's right. Exactly.</s>BLITZER: Thanks very much for that. Candy Crowley. The commander-in-chief working the phones, as we've reported. President Obama had an Oval Office phone conversation with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan today. The president applauds President Karzai for agreeing to a runoff election amid complaints of voting fraud in Afghanistan's recent presidential election. Let's bring in our senior political analyst, Gloria Borger. Gloria, how does this election that's going to come up November 7th, the runoff election, affect what the president of the United States now has to decide on, namely whether to accept the recommendation and send another 40,000 troops to Afghanistan?</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. Well, first of all, Wolf, they are really happy about this election. They have been pushing for it. Senator John Kerry was there at their behest, pushing Hamid Karzai to have it. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the phone. Because they believe that if they are going to send more troops into Afghanistan, as the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said this weekend, you have to be dealing with what he called a credible partner over there. I think the big question right now, Wolf, is whether this election on November 7 is going to affect the timetable for the president's decision. You had the secretary of defense, Robert Gates, this morning coming out and saying that whatever emerges in that election is going to be what he called an evolutionary process. So, he seemed to be pushing for the president to make a decision, regardless of the election on November 7th. There are some in the White House who are saying, you know, you might as well wait to see if it happens.</s>BLITZER: If the U.S. does go ahead, if President Obama authorizes sending thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan, and there's a new election, Karzai is elected, he did get more votes, presumably, than Abdullah Abdullah, his main opponent, how does the U.S. balance the legitimacy of the new government, assuming it emerges in Afghanistan, with all these additional troops and a lot of money going there? Because there's potential for a lot of fraud and abuse.</s>BORGER: Sure. And you're right, Wolf. The betting is that it is going to be Karzai who is elected, but I think the key word here is "accountability." You cannot just throw more troops into Afghanistan. You cannot just throw more money into Afghanistan, really, without setting up very tight criteria, very tight benchmarks that the government is going to have to adhere to. Because as you point out, this is a government that has been known in the past for its corruption. Something else in talking to experts, I think you are going to have to come up and hear from this White House, I believe, a clear plan for what happens after we send these troops. And that is what we call in Washington an exit strategy. People are going to want to know, if you are sending more people in, Wolf, when and how are they going to come out?</s>BLITZER: Easy to ask that question. Not that easy to get an answer to it. All right. Thanks, Gloria. We'll be back. Members, at least some members of the news media, were fooled big- time. 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