and across much of the country. i think the president said it best of all. this is a very tough fight that we re engaged in. there are serious problems here. i don t think you heard overoptimistic statements for me. in fact, i won t use the term optimism or pessimism for that matter. i use realism. if general david petraeus is confirmed by the senate and takes over the war, he faces controversy and challenge. first, he must show he gets along with ambassador, criticized and fired by stanley mcchrystal. this is the deadliest month of the war for the coalition. after complaints by some troops feeling their lives are at risk because of tight restrictions on combat, petraeus is going to review the ruls, but no hint of what changes, if any he will make.
now to wolf blitzer s exclusive conversation with former president bill clinton. the setting, a global forum in south africa. the topic, how to bring about a peace deal in the middle east. take a listen. when you left office, you were very close to a deal between the israelis and the palestinians. i know you have a lot on your plate right now, but if the president of the united states and the israelis and pl st palestinians said to you, president clinton, get back involved and negotiate a deal between the israelis and the palestinians, would you accept that challenge? well, let me answer you this way. anything i say about that is a loser. my whole life now in terms of my public utter raances is to causo
also we re near the end of a very bloody month in the afgh afghanistan war. petraeus is going to go before senators tomorrow, hoping to be confirmed as the new war commander. he may pale in comparison to the damages that he could face in the weeks and months ahead. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr, she is here with a preview in what this means. hey, barbara. a lot of pleem tell you, the biggest challenge for general petraeus may be trying to show the senators he can make progress in the war. coalition forces talk again with local afghan leaders. four months ago, they promised to bring security to this area, but the taliban are still here