"morning express." it is called "morning sunshine." it will inspire you. check it out. another guy who will inspire you is anderson cooper who goes wherever the action is. he's still in afghanistan. time now for "ac 360." anderson? >> larry, thanks so much. the action is here in afghanistan. we're at marine forward operating base geronimo. it's now morning. the date is 9/11, eight years since it all began. the attacks on america, then the war here. the war, of course, continues here. but it's a very different kind of war which is being fought which leaves with americans with a much more difficult battle on their hands. we saw that firsthand today. marines with members of the fledgling afghan army torn away during a visit to a nearby village by reports of some sort of an attack. a flare thrown, weren't sure what was going on. we gave chase. never found the bad guys. they melted away, it seems. a tough war to fight. back home, growing tougher to sell. house speaker nancy pelosi today, the top democrat for the first time doubting congressional support for the war. even the troops here making the best of a very challenging mission. so tonight all the angles. michael ware on the original enemy, al qaeda. where are they? i'll be on patrol as they try to turn the afghan army into a force to protect them. and sanjay gupta tracking the progress of a boy saved by american doctors. now on his way home. back home in washington, though, that's where we begin tonight. president obama who owns this war trying to consolidate ownership of health care reform. the day after his landmark speech to congress, he and democrats over at the white house for some arm twisting. that is not what everyone is talking about. as you know, they're talking about gop congressmen who shouted out two words about the president. "you lie." south carolina republican congressman joe wilson who apologized. president obama quickly accepting his apology. >> the reforms i'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. >> you lie! [ booing ] >> that's not true. >> i'm a big believer that we all make mistakes. he apologized quickly. and without equivocation. i'm appreciative of that. i do think, as i said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big important issues that matter to the american people, without name calling, without vitriol, without the assumption of the worst in other people's motives. >> the president saying apology accepted. the controversy still growing. who is congressman wilson? who thinks he went too far? who actually agrees with him? the raw politics from joe johns. >> reporter: this is republican congressman joe wilson, after last night, he's the man everyone wanted to hear from today. >> last night, we heard from the leadership. they wanted me to contact the white house. and state that my statements were inappropriate. i did. >> reporter: inappropriate? not everyone agrees. in his health care speech last night president obama made a debatable claim that illegal immigrants would not be insured in his health care reform plan. it was more than wilson could stand. >> you lie! >> reporter: you lie, that's what he yelled. >> that's not true. >> reporter: democrats up in arms charging wilson had disrespected the office of president of the united states. and suddenly wilson's own office became the center of a storm. the phone lines in his office, twitter and facebook pages all flooded. his office website crashed because so many people offered opinions. so what were people saying? wilson's staff said calls were three to one in support of wilson. but not so much public support from leaders of his own party, even though he may have articulated some republican anger. >> what about the sentiment? there's anger, frustration. what about the sentiment? >> i don't know. i don't know what sentiment are you talking about? >> the sentiment that the democrats are shoving health care down the throats of republicans? >> i think everybody's concerned right now about what the next steps are in health care. the congressman apologized for his outburst. i think we all moved past. let's focus on getting a good bill. >> i'm not trying to excuse it. there is a frustration in america right now. i think that frustration stems from the fact that president is pursuing policies quite different from what he campaigned on. >> reporter: so who is this guy anyway? joe wilson is not the kind of congressman you see sticking his face in front of a camera at the united states capitol complex. he kind of keeps to himself. comes from a very conservative district in south carolina. known for handling defense issues. he's also the type of congressman who worked here on capitol hill before he actually ran for congress. he's an attorney as well and a lot of people were surprised at this outburst. but not shocked. he once lit into a democrat on c-span for claiming the u.s. gave weapons of mass destruction to iraq. >> that is absurd. you know, this hatred of america by some people is just outrageous. and we need to get over that. yes, a hatred of america to say something like that. >> reporter: and today after wilson went after the president, some folks back in his home state of south carolina said they didn't like it. a democrat running against wilson even said he got $200,000 in donations overnight. but in a conservative state where wilson is a fixture, he still got support. and to cash in on the feelings, wilson this evening with an online fund-raising video explaining what happened and asking for money. so did the president lie about illegal immigrants being insured under the democratic reform efforts? the answer, technically illegal immigrants would not be prohibited from receiving insurance under three of the plans passed by committees in the house. but they would have to pay for it on their own. the most important issue is who pays. the bills that have passed the three committees say the illegal immigrants cannot receive any government money, tax credits and the like to pay for health care. so several fact-checking organizations have said that the president was not lying. anderson? >> joe johns reporting. joe, thanks. a lot more to talk about in washington and across the country. let's send it to wolf blitzer. with the "strategy session." >> thanks very much. with president obama working on democrats, republican leaders were trying to get past the job of the joe wilson flap. they were trying to fire up their own troops. they and the conservative groups rallying on capitol hill. joe wilson, by the way, was not in attendance. the house minority whip speaking and hearing from wilson supporters. listen to this. >> last night we heard our president address this country. >> boo! >> we were listening for specifics. we were listening to hear something new. and we did not hear that. >> let's get more with candy crowley and joining us, political contributor roland martin, and obama opponent mark williams, organizer of the tea party express tour and co-director of the political action committee, our country deserves better. mark, let me start with you. do you share the opinion expressed by congressman joe wilson? >> absolutely. and so many people do. they also share his frustration and his anger. if he did anything wrong, he was the venue. that i have to give him a slap on the wrist for. but he absolutely spoke the truth. everybody seems to be leaving one very important thing out of this. that is the federal courts have spoken with regard to illegal immigrants or illegal aliens getting the benefits, especially health benefits. we tried to bar them from doing that in california in the '90s. the federal courts slapped us down. even language specifically excluding them is not going to stand a court battle. so whatever obama believes -- and for that matter, i don't even know what bill he was talking about. does he have a proposal? does he have a plan? what's he even talking about? >> let me bring roland martin into this. congressman wilson's heckling certainly does underscore the bitterness toward president obama right now. and this and other issues. is this simply politics as usual here or is there more to play? >> what you have here is you have people who have absolute disdain for this president. and the attitude of congressman wilson was unbecoming of a member of congress, even his own party members recognize that. interesting mark would talk about he didn't know what he was talking about. i would ask mark this. will he say on national television that senator john mccain is a liar who said today that there is no provision the, the president was absolutely right. he even called members of the republican party liars. the fact of the matter is joe wilson was lying about this provision. and so it is ridiculous for a member of congress to behave in this manner. he should apologize to the house because he brought the kind of negative reaction on them from his actions and should not only apologize to the president but also the fellow house members. >> i'll let mark respond in a moment. candy, before that happens, the fallout from what happened last night. does it help or hurt president obama's chances of getting health care reform passed? >> i don't know what it does to his chances of getting it passed. i do know that in these past, what, 24 hours, certainly it helped the president. one of his aims last night, you know, wolf, going into this speech last night there were democrats thinking, boy, where is he on this? why hasn't he really taken leadership of it? why hasn't he hit back against his critics? the polls were beginning to show an increase in people who thought the president was not reaching out to republicans. and then along come this. and what it has done is really let the president be above all of this. he talked last night about petty partisan politics. and now, you know, today he can sort of say, yes, i accept his apology. it made the president look good. that can't help but help the president. >> we'll let mark respond to roland in a moment. stand by, everyone. we'll be back with the panel shortly. first, let's send it back to anderson for a look at the rest of the hour from afghanistan. >> that's right, wolf. let us know what you think online. join the live chat at ac360.com. we'll go back to wolf. and that conversation. also just ahead -- we're out on patrol with u.s. marines and members of the afghan national army. remember, that's what the politicians are saying it's all about training the afghan national army. we'll show you how it's going, we'll show you the mission and what happened today. chasing shadows as somebody made some sort of attack on the marines then melted away. and later, michael ware and peter bergen on the original mission, finding bin hadden. what's become of that mission and where is osama bin laden? this is my small-business specialist, tara. i know landscaping, but i didn't know how wireless could help my business. i just don't know how wireless can help my business. tara showed me how i could keep track of my employees in the field and get more jobs done faster. i was blown away. i'm blown away. only verizon wireless has small-business specialists in every store to help you do business better. we should get you a hat. now buy any blackberry, like the new tour, at our lowest prices ever, female valve: hahahaha...i am sfx:strong like the ox.ght. i crush you like tiny clown car. because you are... ...clown, yes? female valve: come, you hit me again and i break you. male valve: oh, you messed with wrong pipe now, car. ha, ha trust me...i have to live with her. announcer:accidents are bad. but geico's good with guaranteed repairs through auto repair express. so we can save on all our game time favorites. and if there is a better price out there, they'll even match it. which means come game time... ...i'm just as ready as he is. game time costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. welcome back. we're at geronimo in helmand province deep in taliban territory. we'll show what you happened when we went on patrol. first, we have breaking news on health care reform back home. president obama pressing moderate democrats for their support. dana bash catching up with them, getting their late reaction. dan na, what are you hearing? >> reporter: earlier this evening i talked with several senators who did meet with the president today. it was a group of 17 senators. they were all democrats and all conservative democrats. and that's quite telling that this was the first group the president wanted to meet with after his big speech. he knows that his health care plan really depends on what they can accept. and most of these senators are quite uncomfortable in some cases outright opposed to what the president prefers. which is a government-run health care option. one of these senators, tom carper of delaware, told me he really pressed the president behind closed doors to bend on that. and specifically, to hold off on that so-called public option. for several years he said he wanted to do it as a last resort. and only if other insurance reforms don't work. that's the so-called trigger. and several of these democratic senators told me that the president was quite clear, abundantly clear that he is going to be willing to negotiate on that. and several other things. and that's why it was really interesting today. the other thing we saw on the other side of the democratic divide on health care is a softening from liberal democrats. even the house speaker who said so many times over the last several weeks she can't pass a health care proposal without a so-called public option. she declined to say that in today's press conference. so there's a long way to go here. but we are starting to see a little bit of a softening of democrats and them starting to climb out of their trenches on either side of what has been a very deep democratic divide on health care. >> all right. yeah, the trenches still exist. dana bash taking the pulse of democrats tonight. thanks, dana. a lot more to talk about. let's throw it back to wolf blitzer in new york. wolf? >> let's get back to our panel talking strategy on health care reform and joe wilson's outburst. candy crowley joining us, roland martin and tea party express organizer mark williams. we're going to get what dana reported. but, mark, i want to give you a chance to respond to what roland said. that john mccain himself agrees with the president, that nothing in this legislation would give illegal immigrants in the united states the opportunity to gain from this proposed legislation. >> wolf, it doesn't have to. the courts have already spoken on that. and they'll speak again if it happens. but this bitterness that supposedly is directed toward obama, if i learned anything in my work with our country, pac.org, it's not bitterness. it's outrage at the socialist policies being embraced by this administration -- >> nonsense. >> and that goes double for w., by the way. as for the republican party goes, it's no surprise to any of us working stiffs out here that they allowed themselves to be a doormat for what is happening in washington, d.c. the fact of the matter is the republican party as a whole is absent without leave from this debate. and our representatives are -- our elected representatives are falling down on the job. of upholding and protecting the constitution. that's why the american people are rising. that's why i had almost 10,000 people outside chicago at our tea party the other day. people are sick and tired of being abused. then being called a mob and nazis because they object to that. we're the people that pay the bills. >> roland, let me bring you into this conversation. you just heard what dana reported. that moderate democrats are encouraged by what the president is saying. here's the question. will the liberal members of congress go ahead and support legislation if it doesn't include the public option? >> look. i think the liberals and the moderates are going to have to give on the issue. but the most important thing is they recognize they're going to have to get health care reform. the democrats -- this is in their plank. it has been in their plank for a number of years. there is no way in the world that they are going to allow that this moment when they're so close to slip through their fingers because they cannot blame the republicans. they will have to accept the blame themselves. democrats control the house, the senate, the white house, they can't look to anybody else. they've got to suck it up. come out and pick up their differences to move it forward. >> candy, the political reality is the president does have decisive majorities. in both houses of congress. all likelihood, he's going to get what he wants but not necessarily the public option, right? >> the public option is the one thing that the people in the white house have looked at and thought that perhaps will have to go. much depends on what happens in the senate. but it is a lot easier to see most of the liberals swallowing this and saying, okay, no public option this go around. maybe we'll see down the road if we need one. then it is to see conservatives and moderates accepting it. it just isn't going to happen. >> mark, anything your organization likes about the plans that the president is putting forward? >> no. where is the tort reform? where is that at? that's the real problem. he doesn't want to take on the trial lawyers. >> wow, nothing. >> he did say last night, he wouldn't let a test go forward on caps on medical malpractice. >> well, that doesn't help the tort reform. that doesn't do anything but hurt me if i'm butchered by somebody not being able to be made whole. no, he's taking us down a $9 trillion deficit path. that we have no business walking down. we have serious problems in this country. >> so mark -- >> we have economic issues. we have social issues. we have international issues. we're having problems in afghanistan now. all of these are major priorities. and this administration is watching its approval ratings drop throughout 50s and eventually into the 40s. it won't be able to accomplish anything. it needs to accomplish much. >> there's nothing in the bill -- are you telling me that you have a problem with the president saying that if you have a pre-existing condition you are going to now get covered? you don't like that? >> yes, i'll find an insurance company that will cover me. i'm sure -- >> you're not going to find them, mark. they're not going to cover you. >> there's probably good reason, because it's a bad risk. >> wow. >> if he's going to come to me and tell me that i must have insurance or i'm committing a crime and then fine me, i don't think so. we all have a right to health care, i've also got a right to a gun. i'm not going to give him $1,000 for a gun. i have a right to free speech but they're not telling me what to say and how to say it. >> if your wife got sick and a pre-existing condition and the insurance company would turn her down, you would say, you know what? guess what. they have to make money, it's a smart move. you would accept that? >> if somebody has a record of dwis, can they still get car insurance someplace? >> answer my question, mark. >> i am answering your question. >> if your wife had a pre-existing condition -- >> if there competition reigns, yes. amazing. a company would emerge to take on those high-risk cases. >> they don't exist now. >> thanks very much. roland martin, candy crowley, thanks very much. certainly we can expect a lot more on health care in the coming days and weeks. for now, though, let's head back to anderson. he's over at forward operating base geronimo in afghanistan's helmand province. anderson, you guys are doing an amazing job out there. >> wolf, thanks very much. just ahead, a routine patrol. we're going to take you out on it. it was a patrol where routine, frankly, doesn't last very long. the radio crackled, a report. trouble came in. you'll see what happened. the remarkable story of little malik. once near death, now homeward bound thanks to american doctors. sanjay gupta is following his journey home when we continue. that provides up to five shared wi-fi connections. two are downloading the final final revised final presentation. - one just got an email. - woman: what?! hmph. it's being revised again. the copilot is on mapquest. and tom is streaming meeting psych-up music - from meltedmetal.com. - ( heavy metal music playing ) that's happening now with the new mifi from sprint-- z) the mobile hotspot that fits in your pocket. sprint. the now network. deaf, hard-of-hearin÷l and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. we're going to take you on patrol with u.s. marines as they patrol. anything can happen on patrol at any time. we'll show what you we mean. first, erica hill has a bulletin. a suicide truck bomber hit a kurdish village killing at least 19 and wounding at least 30 others. that attack flattened a dozen houses. officials said a second truck packed with explosives was stopped before the driver could detonate them. vice president joe biden and his wife jill will be in new york tomorrow to mark the eighth anniversary of the september 11th attacks. the bidens will take part in the memorial service honoring victims. president obama will remain in washington and visit the memorial at the pentagon. welcome dose gf news about the swine flu. australian researchers have found a single low dose of the h1n1 vaccine may be enough to protect adults. the side effects, really no worse than those found with the seasonal flu vaccine. the study appears in today's "new england journal of medicine." u.s. researchers say they have similar findings which they plan to report tomorrow. a bold new guarantee from general motors. anyone who buys one of the vehicles and isn't satisfied, come back for a full refund within 60 days. the promise is part of a major new marketing push. gp says the products have improved so much it can safely make that offer. and the legal victory for comedian jerry seinfeld's wife. a federal judge tossing out a cookbook author's claim that jessica seinfeld was a culinary copycat who stole the other woman's ideas for her cookbook which offers tips on getting more vegetables into children's diets. the judge said the two books really had nothing in common. they're both best sellers. other than that, they share one thing, said the judge, the goal of hiding healthy food inside meals that kids like, anderson. and as you know, we've been airing taped messages. >> okay, erica. >> we've been airing taped messages from service members in afghanistan. you've helped collect some of them. among them is lieutenant sarah verdosi. she is from new jersey. and last night she said hi to her husband and her family. good news for sarah and her dad. he was watching. he posted a message where he wrote, you make us all proud, sarah. god bless you and keep you. see you real soon. love, dad. and we're happy that we could let dad see his little girl, anderson. >> that's certainly a good connection to make and certainly parents and families in america have a lot to be proud of what the marines and navy and soldiers are doing over here. a lot of remarkable young men and women doing very, very difficult job. we'll show you how difficult the job is on patrol next with the marines. mentoring afghan troops and responding to reports of an attack. an up close look at the extreme challenges. later, the face of evil. tomorrow's eighth anniversary of september 11th. it is already september 11th here in afghanistan. question is where is bin laden? where is al qaeda? why is the u.s. in afghanistan? tough questions. we'll get answers from peter bergen and michael ware. i've seen first hand how america's dependence on foreign oil threatens our national security. billions in oil profits finding their way to the terrorists we're fighting against. that's why washington needs to pass clean energy legislation. it will create good jobs, cut carbon pollution, and stop sending our dollars overseas to be used against us. call your senators, tell them to pass the clean energy bill. it's not just a question of american energy, it's a question of american power. some people like to pretend... a flood could never happen to them... and that their homeowners insurance... protects them. it doesn't. stop pretending. it can happen to you. protect your home with flood insurance. call the number on your screen... for your free brochure. you can make a positive change in your career. you can make a greater contribution to the greater good. and you can start today, by earning your degree online... at walden university. where advanced degrees advance the quality of life. water back "live from the front lines" in afghanistan. we're at forward operating base geronimo in southern afghanistan. helmand province. earlier we went along with u.s. marines on a joint patrol with afghan troops. it began as a routine operation. you'll see, that all changed very quickly. take a look. it is at first an odd sight. u.s. marines on patrol with the ana, the afghan national army, and their u.s. army advisers. what's the purpose of a combined patrol like this? >> the mentorship is the key piece, one. two is showing the people that it's not just us. it's the ana. it's their own government as well. we didn't come here as an invading force. >> assisting the afghan national army, however, is a slow and often frustrating experience for u.s. forces. it's not just the language barrier which leaves both forces dependent on a limited number of interpreters, afghan soldiers often lack training and discipline. today first lieutenant zachery bennett is bringing a new afghan army lieutenant to a village to meet with elders. an ied went off here just the other day killing one afghan soldier. so the taliban is still around here? >> oh, they are, no doubt about it. it's just a matter of, you know, they come at night. they come during the day when the marines are not around. you ask the villagers, for the most part they tell you i've never seen any taliban or the taliban have been gone since you got here. >> they all say that? >> yeah, that's the usual song and dance. >> they're kind of on the fence about whether or not to fully support the u.s. or support the afghan government because they don't know if you guys are going to stick around. >> they've been living here for as long as they've been alive. they know how to survive, which side of the table to play. >> and they often play both sides. >> go with the strongest tribe. >> prayers are called as the patrol enters the village. few people are on the streets other than kids. one man, however, approaches lieutenant bennett with information. we agreed to obscure his face for his own protection. he tells lieutenant bennett that taliban were here just yesterday. two men on a motorcycle looking for places to plant ieds. >> what i'm saying is you need to come tell us when the taliban are in the village so we can stop them before they try to get out of the village. we can arrest them. >> do you trust the marines? [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: yes. >> yes, he says. but if the taliban spies knew i was talking you to, they would kill me. >> so there are spies around here? when the taliban comes to the village, he says, they talk first to the children about who gave information to the marines. >> you have eyes on him? >> the meeting is suddenly cut short when lieutenant bennett gets a call on his radio. >> what happened? >> someone threw a flare, they're saying. we're going to stop pushing this way. >> all clear. >> roger. >> what's up? >> threw a homemade flare at us. >> okay, roger. >> this may be a joint patrol. but the marines instantly take charge of the situation. someone flew a homemade flare at u.s. forces. now they're going to investigate. >> don't let anyone out of the village for the time being. just knock on the door. >> for the marines it's a sensitive situation. they don't want to do anything to alienate the local population. at the same time, they want to investigate that guy's house. so they do a quick search. they didn't find anything. and now they're moving on. it's also got to be a difficult situation. i mean, what you're trying to do here is build confidence with the locals and really win them over, get them off the fence. >> yep. >> you can't go charging in someone's house, you know, knocking down doors. >> yep. >> that you would otherwise. >> absolutely. >> lieutenant bennett reports the incident may be somebody trying to distract the patrol. >> make sure you're being smart up front, too. i don't know if they placed something on the road. >> on the way back to base the marines are especially cautious. one afghan soldier, however, tries to sneak into the village and gets caught. another of a fan soldier seems to have had more luck. it's an incident which concerns lieutenant bennett. >> that's a minor incident. but it's important in a counter insurgency. you don't want to alienate the civilians. >> yep. definitely. the key is the civilians. that's what it all comes down to. >> getting them on your side. keeping them on your side. >> yep. letting them know that we're going to stay on their side. not that we're going to stay here permanently, but stay here as long as it takes to let the ana and the afghan national security forces stand on their own two feet. >> it's going to be a while though? >> i can't speculate on that. but it's not going to be next week. >> as we approach the anniversary to 9/11, already here it is 9/11, we're going to take a look at al qaeda. that's the reason the u.s. got involved in afghanistan in the first place. where is al qaeda today? we'll take a look at that. and where is osama bin laden? we'll talk to michael ware and peter bergen and we'll track the progress of the little boy malik, the afghan boy whose life was saved by american forces. doing more for my high cholesterol. what was i thinking? but now i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries... if you have several common risk factors... or heart disease. lipitor has been extensively studied... with over 16 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems... and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. i learned the hard way. but you may be able to do something. have a heart to heart with your doctor... about your risk. and about lipitor. radar to help watch for the unforeseeable. infrared to help protect. satellites to help guide. electricity to adjust how powerfully or efficiently you drive. someday we'll all drive like this. the first-ever hs hybrid. only from lexus. welcome back. we're at forward operating base geronimo in helmand province. this is held by the u.s. marines who go out and patrol every day and are helping retrain the afghan national army. we got involved in afghanistan because of what happened on september 11th. we're a few hours away from the anniversary in the united states. already here in afghanistan it is 9/11. we wanted to take a look at where is al qaeda today. you hear politicians talking about what is happening here as a hunt for al qaeda. but you don't hear a lot of folks on the ground here talking about al qaeda. we're going to talk about that with peter bergen and michael ware. michael, in washington, you hear this war being presented as a war against al qaeda, as a hunt for al qaeda. here on the ground, you don't here much about al qaeda. >> well, that's because this is not a hunt against al qaeda. you don't hear the afghans in the combat zones in southern afghanistan or eastern afghanistan talking about al qaeda. that's why america originally invaded afghanistan way back in 2001. because al qaeda was given sanctuary by the taliban. america recognized that as a national security threat. well, that national security threat is no longer here. it's based in pakistan. there's no al qaeda training camps and there's very little al qaeda activity. the bulk of the day-to-day fighting, the bulk of the bombings, the bulk of the shootings, almost all of them are being committed by afghan taliban. so this war now is not so much about osama bin laden and his al qaeda network, anderson. >> and the taliban, peter, is totally different than al qaeda. i mean there are linkages in pakistan. but what's the linkage? >> increasingly the taliban. they've been influenced by al qaeda, ideological and tan jeshlly. they were a influential group of people when they ran the country. but the jihad is operating like al qaeda in iraq. it's an ied war, a suicide attack war. they've morphed together ideologically and tan jeshlly with al qaeda which is part of the problem. >> but when -- i mean is it accurate that this is a battle against al qaeda? >> certainly not here, anderson. as we heard repeatedly, al qaeda doesn't have a presence here. they are more of a problem in eastern afghanistan. the calculation is international forces left, the taliban will be back not because they're so strong but the afghan government is so weak. if the taliban came back, they would again offer safe haven to al qaeda. >> michael, i guess that is the argument for politicians will say, look, if afghanistan, you know, gets weaker, if the taliban takes over, then this would be a home for al qaeda. >> well, that is a possibility. but it is assumes an awful lot. it assumes, firstly, that this government will fall apart to such a degree. then the taliban would come back. very few people actually can see that happening in the short to medium term future. and if you read the latest traffic between al qaeda and the taliban, you'll see that there are differences in their messages. and, indeed, one of the most recent taliban messages stress pashtun representation and self-determination as its primary objective. the of a fan ta the afghan taliban are fighting for one thing, al qaeda is fighting for another. if al qaeda did get a toehold in afghanistan again, they probably won't be running the country. and it would be such a risk for them to bring al qaeda with them. i'm not sure the taliban goes that far down the ideological road with al qaeda, especially when you talk directly to these afghan taliban. anderson? >> peter, the hunt for osama bin laden, do we know how active it is? do we have any sense of the status of it? >> it's very active. since the battle of tora bora in december 2001 there's been no actionable intelligence. there are formed hypotheses. these are basically guesses, they're not intelligence. >> the u.s. has had more success lately in hitting some of these al qaeda leaders in pakistan with drones. >> indeed. the bush administration amped up the drone program. there were 34 attacks under bush. in the last year of his administration. there have been 36 under obama. obama ratcheted up this program and taken out about half the leadership. they've been effective. >> peter bergen, michael ware, thanks. up next, we want to get you caught up on other stories making headlines tonight including bernie madoff caught on tape giving tips on how to fool the feds. you've got to listen to that to believe it. and michael jackson's final rehearsals. in you details on the upcoming documentary. ♪ anyone can prove they're strong once. the real question is can they prove it again and again. ♪ at northwestern mutual, we've answered that question compellingly... for over 150 years. northwestern mutual. consistency counts. put our strength to work for you. learn how at northwesternmutual.com. well, more from afghanistan in a moment. first, erica hill joins us with a 360 bulletin. erica? >> in a newly released audio tape, convicted swindler bernie madoff is heard giving tips how to outsmart s.e.c. investigators. the 2005 phone call is with a person who was going to be interviewed by federal regulators about madoff's investment firm. madoff started the call by saying, "first of all, this call never took place." and then offered the following advice. >> you don't have to be too brilliant with these guys. because -- you don't have to be -- you're not supposed to have that knowledge. and you know, you wind up saying something which is either wrong or, you know, just not something you have to do. >> a yale university graduate student who is supposed to get married this weekend vanished. anna lee was last seen on tuesday. her purse along with money, credit cards, and cell phone all left in her campus office. authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the yale university police. a 360 follow up, a lawmaker who resigned after being caught on tape bragging about having sex with two lobbyists denies he had an extramarital affair. he talked about skimpy underwear and how one woman likes to be spanked. his only offense is engaging in inappropriate story telling adding, he regrets the choice of his words. and the preview about the upcoming, behind the scenes documentary on michael jackson this sunday, you can see it during the mtv video muse ache wards. janet jackson will open the show. michael jackson's film was put together of 100 hours of footage shot during rehearsals for the london concerts. the movie will be released next month for a two-week engagement. anderson? >> coming up, the question everyone around here gets asked and you better know the answer, it's our shot of the day. first, malik is going home. the wounded 2-year-old afghan boy who underwent surgery at a u.s. military trauma hospital. sanjay gupta follows his recovery and return. towels, sheets and then there was the stuff he wanted... like a new microwave. and because of walmart's unbeatable prices, we were able to get it all. ...and then some. set them up for success-- for less. save money. live better. walmart. while i was building my friendships, my family, while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. find out more about slowing the buildup of plaque at crestor.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. you're looking at some photos taken by photographer tim worthington who is traveling all week with us. all this week dr. sanjay gupta is here in afghanistan, reporting from trauma centers, air mobile medical units, talking to doctors, medics, showing you how they're saving lives every day. aun jay's also been closely following the recovery of a 2-year-old afghan boy who suffered a massive brain injury. the kid's name is malik and many of you have been profoundly touched by his strength and determination. today army special forces flew malik back did a clinic choser to his village. sanjay gupta made the trip with the boy. here's his report. >> this was going to end well. but when we met malik, he looked like this. bandaged, broken and desperate. a toddler from a remote high mountain village, malik had fallen down a cliff like this when a u.s. special forces unit found him. >> he ended up falling off the roof and landed on his head. causing a fracture. then he started to get a hematoma, which was causing the problems he was seriously having. >> reporter: army special forces. this is them at work. these guys are the elite, the invisible warriors, and this is showing how they got malik out of the mountains. by cover of night they would chopper him to a military surgical hospital. it was the boy's only hope. these guys are special forces. hard-core. they've never been filmed before. they wouldn't even tell me their real names. but they made saving malik part of their mission. >> didn't appear to see anything, wouldn't track with his eyes. couldn't get much of a response from his pupils. so it was a pretty simple case when we first came on. it was obvious what needed to be done. >> army special forces brought malik here several days ago. he was brain injured, paralyzed on the left side of his body, in dire straits. we have seen him improve over the last couple of days. now the mission is to get him home. special forces invited us along for a special look. here at this kandahar military surgical hospital a neurosurgeon and his team operated to release pressure on the boy's injured brain. in time they knew the swelling would go down. and his senses could return. i visited every day as he slowly recovered. he was paralyzed on his left side. but he was gradually coming back. and finally, with a little aid from his father, he was on his feet. again. now, after a week of treatment, he is well enough for the journey back to his village. malik is now in the back of the helicopter. this is the way patients are transported. in the middle of a war zone. his father's got him wrapped in this blanket. i had expected a real homecoming. but afghanistan is too dangerous and his village too high and isolated to fly him all the way. instead, we brought him here to a primitive clinic. we were greeted by afghan police who kept a close eye on us the entire time. as for the toddler, malik slept most of the way. my first impression -- we're a long way from that gleaming army hospital. here, water pumps instead of faucets. dirty floors. no bed sheets. but malik is on his way home. >> one final exam of malik. you still don't smile. can you push? pretty good, got some resistance there. how about the leg. can he kick it? kick. he still needs months to fully recover. his prognosis is bright. here's the thing. malik's village is high up there. no place to land a helicopter. so his father and their new friends in special forces will walk through these mountains to carry the boy home. i'll tell you what, i've seen neurosurgical procedures in lots of different parts of the world but nothing quite hike this. as you might imagine the key now for him is going to be the care he gets after the operation. that's what these doctors and medics are focusing on, they'll visit him in these remote villages to make sure he's still cared for as well as he possibly can be. was it really for fun, or to save money on heat? why? don't you think nordic tuesday is fun? oh no, it's fun... you know, if you are trying to cut costs, fedex can help. we've got express options, fast ground and freight service-- you can save money and keep the heat on. great idea. that is a great idea. well, if nordic tuesday wasn't so much fun. (announcer) we understand. you need to save money. fedex if you're using other moisturizing body washes, you might as well be. you see, their moisturizer sits on top of skin, almost as if you're wearing it. only new dove deep moisture has nutriummoisture, a breakthrough formula with natural moisturizers... that can nourish deep down. it's the most effective natural nourishment ever. new dove deep moisture with nutriummoisture. superior natural nourishment for your skin. for "the shot" i'm joined by members of the 1st battalion 5th marines. zachary bennett, first lieutenant. you were in the story from the patrol yesterday. today it's 9/11 here already. eight years into this conflict, what's it like being here on 9/11? >> i think for a lot of us, it's just a reminder of why we're here in the first place. why we joined. not necessarily why we're here now. but it's a good thing to think about in the back of your head as you're living day to day out here. >> a lot of people probably don't understand the mission here very well. a lot of people in the united states. it's not just about hunting taliban. you're really -- it's all about the local population. >> absolutely. there's more to this war than just shooting guns. it is the people. it's the people that matter here. and without them we're not going to win this. the government of afghanistan's not going to be successful. >> what's your name? >> mark skillser. >> who's this? >> my dog isabella. >> she's an ied dog? >> that's correct. >> what is she specially trained to do? >> find ieds. different types of odors she's trained on. pretty much her only purpose out here. >> what's your name? >> kyle campbell. >> how long you been here? >> since may. this is my third combat. twice iraq, first time to afghanistan. >> what's it like for you being here on 9/11? >> something i wanted to do. obviously i wasn't around the marine corps around 9/11. but i mean, glad to be here. it's something i've always wanted to do. >> your name? >> shane brown. >> is the mission a lot different than you thought it was going to be? >> no, sir. i thought it was going to be sit around, assist with the population, helping the people, secure. >> where are you from? >> kansas, sir. >> all right. appreciate all of you guys, what you're doing. you guys have been great with us the last couple of days and on patrol yesterday. as we're getting a lot of e-mails and stuff from people saying thank you for what you're doing. hope you know how much people respect what you're doing out here. thank you very much, appreciate it. stay safe. members of the 1-5 marines. we've been it with them all week here in afghanistan, first at patrol base jaker and then at forward operating base geronimo. we'll have more tomorrow night from afghanistan. our coverage continues right now. we'll show you out on patrol with u.s. marines the next hour. also will take you to washington where the drama over the congressman who heckled president obama continues today. we'll be right back. he ran off with his secretary! she's 23 years old! - oh, come on. - enough! you get half and you get half. ( chirp ) team three, boathouse? ( chirp ) oh yeah-- his and hers. - ( crowd gasping ) - ( chirp ) van gogh? ( chirp ) even steven. - ( chirp ) mansion. - ( chirp ) good to go. ( grunts ) timber! ( chirp ) boss? what do we do with the shih-tzu? - ( crowd gasps ) - ( chirp ) joint custody. - phew! - announcer: get work done now. communicate in less than a second with nextel direct connect. only on the now network. deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com.