> pelley: good evening. after 10 years of war, the obama administr"> > pelley: good evening. after 10 years of war, the obama administr" property="og:description"> > pelley: good evening. after 10 years of war, the obama administr">
captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. after 10 years of war, the obama administration has told the afghan people how it really feels. in a carefully worded speech, america's top diplomat in afghanistan scolded the afghan leadership and said, in effect, how dare you complain when america's sons and daughters have died for your country. the speech happened over the weekend, but we only got ahold of the pictures today. this is also the day that president obama made up his mind on a reduction of u.s. forces. we have two reports. chip reid is at the white house, and first, david martin at the pentagon with that rebuke to afghanistan. >> reporter: carl eikenberry, the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan, has finally had enough of president karzai's public denunciations of the american war effort. >> i must tell you that i find occasional comments from some of your leaders hurtful and inappropriate. when we hear ourselves being called "occupiers" and worse, and our generous aid programs are being dismissed as totally ineffective and the source of all corruption, our pride is offended, and we begin to lose our inspiration to carry on. >> reporter: speaking at a university renovated with american tax dollars, eikenberry seemed to unburden himself of years of pent-up frustration. >> mothers and fathers of fallen soldiers, spouses of soldiers who have lost arms and legs, children of those who have lost their lives in this country-- they ask themselves about the meaning of their loved ones' sacrifice. >> reporter: eikenberry, who was the military commander in afghanistan before becoming ambassador, has long been critical of karzai. in had this secret 2009 cable to secretary of state clinton, he wrote, "president karzai is not an adequate strategic partner." then, three weeks ago, karzai, angered by another incident in which american forces accidentally killed civilians, publicly accused of u.s. of acting like an occupation force. >> afghanistan is an ally, not an occupied country. >> reporter: now with his tour at an end, eikenberry is responding in public. >> when americans who are serving in your country at great cost in terms of our lives and treasures, when they hear themselves compared with occupiers, told that they are only here to advance their own narrow interest and likened to the brutal enemies of the afghan people, my people in turn, they're filled with confusion, and they grow weary of our effort here. >> reporter: eikenberry is accusing karzai of more than just ingratitude. he's saying the president of afghanistan doesn't get what this war is all about. >> pelley: thank you, david. the president has made a decision about bringing some of our troops home from afghanistan. early last year, he sent a surge of 30,000 additional troops, bringing the total there to about 100,000. the president said then that some of them would start coming back next month. chip reid is at the white house. >> reporter: well, scott, the president did make his decision today, but white house officials say he won't announce it until a speech here at the white house tomorrow evening. now, source say the president will announce a timetable of anywhere from 9-18 months for pulling those 30,000 surge troops out of afghanistan. the pentagon wants the pace to be slow because they do not want to lose gains that they have already made, but here at the white house, a number of official,including vice president biden, have argued for a faster pace and they make three basic arguments. here they are-- first, the killing of bin laden. they say that means a big part of the mission has already been accomplished. second, the cost of the war. it's staggering. more than $2 billion a week, and third, public opinion, which has turned against the war. today, secretary of defense gates, who has argued against a fast pace, said even he understands that public opinion is part of the equation. >> the president has to take into account on any national security issue sustainability here at home, both among the public and in the congress. and it goes without saying that there are-- there are a lot of reservations in congress about war in afghanistan and our level of commitment. there are concerns among the american people who are tired of a decade of war. >> reporter: in fact, scott, a recent cbs news poll shows that 64% of americans want the number of troops in afghanistan decreased. >> pelley: chip, put all this in context for us. how rapid a draw-down could we be talking about? >>. >> reporter: we're talking five to fen 10,000 troops over the next months or number of months and after that 30,000 troops over 9-18 months. keep in mind, even after that, there will still be 70,000 troops here. that's twice as many as were in afghanistan when president obama came into office. so the president will argue pretty vigorously tomorrow he is not abandoning afghanistan. >> pelley: chip mentioned the war costs about $2 billion a week. we wondered what the bill comes to with all defense and development money together. so we checked with the congressional receive service and they told us taxpayers have spent so far more than $443 billion dollars. we also have this program note. cbs news will bring you live coverage of the president's address to the nation tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern time. there is important news in europe tonight that could reach all the way to wall street. the prime minister of greece has survived a no-confidence vote, which means despy the riots in the streets, the greek government will continue to drastically cut its budget in order to get a bailout loan. elizabeth palmer is in athens. >> reporter: it was a narrow victory for the government. but a defeat for thousands of protesters outside, who are devastated with the state's plan for punishing austerity measures that are going to hurt. but that's the price of avoiding a financial meltdown that could go global. european banks and governments are willing to lend greece the emergency billions it needs to pay its creditors but only if the greek government moves first with deep cuts. it's a risky move. a year ago, riots broke out when lenders forced greece to introduce tax hikes on income and fuel and pension cuts of 20%. this time, the government is set to sell inefficient state companies into private hands, cutting thousands of jobs in an economy that's lawyer shrinking. unemployment is a stubborn 20%. pericles danopoulo lost his job a year ago. he was an accountable oant. now he's an activist, raising two kids on a social security payment of less than $700 a month. what do you tell them about why you haven't got a job and you can't find a job? >> the truth. the truth. they understand. >> reporter: but what greeks don't understand is how they ran up $400 billion in debt. partly, it was generous social benefits that let them retire, on average, at 53 years old. but they prefer to blame official corruption. it's already shaping up to be quite the fight. now, greek unions have already organized a series of rolling blackouts and there are already calls also for a general strike. scott. >> pelley: liz, help us understand, how do troubles there relate to investors here at home? >> reporter: well, massive debt here owned by european and is u.s. banks. now, if they were to lose the billions of dollars they've already let to greece, then that could freeze up the world's credit markets, similar to the crisis that followed the lehmann brothers collapse back in 2008. >> pelley: thanks, liz. well, you knew that the housing market here at home was weak. today, realtors reported that it has slowed even more. last month, sales fell 3 opinion 8%, and it appears there's going to be a lo lot of pressure on home sales going forward because of new federal rules. they're designed to keep banks from making the same kind of risky loans behind the great recession. we asked jim axelrod to find out what this means for home buyers and sellers. >> reporter: having just upgraded to a new house, michael sellers is worried two new proposed federal regulations will make it tougher to unload the starter home he and his partner still own. >> the new rules are unfair to first-time homebuyers. >> reporter: still a year away from going into effect, the proposed regulations would tighten standards for borrowers to qualify for the best mortgage rates. need need to have a 20% double play payment and a debt-to ratio of 36%, meaning the monthly mortgage payment and all other debt-- car loans, student loans, credit cards-- could total no more than 36% of gross monthly income. >> seems to me it's going to limit people's choice of where they can live and it's going to be very difficult for me as someone who is selling a house to actually get it sold. >> we lost the basic premise of the ability to repay. >> reporter: mortgage broker wendy nastasi says it's an overdue correction to the dangerously loose standards that helped create the housing bubble. >> at the height of those loosening up of those guidelines we were able to approve somebody at a 64% debt ratio. >> reporter: who could have thought that was a good idea? >> i honestly don't know who thought it was a good idea, but, ultimately, it turned into a lot of defaulted loans loans. >> reporter: what would all this mean for the mortgage business? consider this-- neerlz three out of five borrowers who bought homes last year would not meet the new debt restrictions. >> yes, there are going to be people screaming from the rooftops that it's going to make it harder for people to buy homes. >> reporter: count michael sellers in that group. >> five years ago it was more or less we walked in and signed the papers and had a morm. >> reporter: a culture that led to a sdinkuency rate of 10% at its height. >> pelley: speaking of the housing collapse, the nation's second largest bank settled fraud charges today. the government says j.p.s this morgue an chase sold unwary investors mortgage-backed securities that were expected to fail, and fail they did. j.p. morgue an chase will pay $154 million. the president sent him to the other side planet. now he's come back to challenge mr. obama for reelection. would a picture of a corpse on a pack of cigarettes make you think twice about smoking? and a historic meeting and a remarkable picture from south africa when the cbs evening news continues. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. morning starts with arthritis pain... that's two pills before the first bell. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. helping strengthen our bones. caltrate delivers 1200 milligrams of calcium and 800 iu of vitamin d plus minerals. women need caltrate. caltrate helps women keep moving because women move the world. is non-stop to seattle? just carry new preparation h totables. discreet, little tubes packed with big relief. from the brand doctors recommend most by name. new preparation h totables. the anywhere preparation h. >> pelley: does the name jon huntsman ring a bell? that's the first problem huntss man will have to overcome after he joined the race for the republican national-- the republican presidential nomination today. but even you never heard of him, president obama knows him very well, and nancy cordes tells us, he'd prefer not to run against him. >> i'm john huntsman and i'm running for president of the united states. thank you, all. >> reporter: he may not be the best-known candidate but former utah governor john huntsman still makes the white house nervous. so nervous, they named him ambassador to china two years ago, hoping he might drop any plans to run for president. >> i know that john is the kind of leader who always puts country ahead of party. >> reporter: no such luck. today, huns man announced his bid, standing before the statue of liberty. >> we will conduct this campaign on the high road. >> reporter: then changed into a checkered shirt and headed to new hampshire. >> when i was governor, we cut taxes. we flattened rates. we balanced the budget. >> reporter: it's that pedigree, combined with his deep pockets as the son of a billionaire, that has democrats worried about a general election match-up. but first, the mormon father of seven would have to win over republicans, and in a recent cbs news poll, 87% of them either didn't know who huntsman was or had no opinion of him. here's what his campaign wants them to know-- that he dropped out of high school to play in a band. that he's obsessed with motorcycles. and that he intends to tread lightly when it comes to his former boss, the president. >> i don't think you need to run down someone's reputation in order to run for the office of president. >> reporter: but that might make it harder for huntsman to get his voice heard. when mitt romney and the rest of the republican field are attacking president at every opportunity. >> he doesn't know how jobs are created. >> reporter: huntsman's decision to get into the race complicates things for romney. they're both relatively moderate mormon former governors who in some cases appeal to the same pool of big-time campaign donors. >> pelley: nancy, also "usa today," a couple of top finance people left the gingrich campaign. newt gingrich has lost most of his top campaign staff. i wonder who benefits if gingrich drops out. >> reporter: most likely texas governorerish perry, scott, not so much because their politics line up, but because perry who has been flirting with a race for the presidency had two top advisors working for gingrich. they've now been freed up to work for him if he decides to run and aids say the chance he will get into the race stands at feist-50. >> pelley: history was made today in south africa when its first black president met the wife of america's first black president. michelle obama and her daughters visited nel in johannses bergman della is 92, in failing health, and is rarely seen in public these days. he gave the first lady a copy of his new book. the new warning labels for cigarettes-- they're hard to impressive resume. i see you're flatulent in three languages. graduated top of your gas. [ male announcer ] got gas on your mind? your son rip is on line toot. [ male announcer ] try gas-x. powerful relief from pressure and bloating in a fast-acting chewable. gas-x. pressure's off. for the last two years? well, it toured around europe, getting handling and steering lessons on those sporty european roads. it went back to school, got an advanced degree in technology. it's been working out -- more muscle and less fat. it's only been two years, but it's done more in two years than most cars do in a lifetime. just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies. more passion for the one ya love. more fun with your family and friends. it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. come on, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. [ male announcer ] so don't blame it on aging. talk to your doctor and go to isitlowt.com to find out more. ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. precise. sometimes life can be, well, a little uncomfortable, but when it's hard or hurts to go to the bathroom, there's dulcolax stool softener. dulcolax stool softener doesn't make you go... it just makes it easier to go. dulcolax stool softener. make yourself comfortable. >> pelley: for years, number of american adults who smoke had been declining, but recently it's been holding steady at about one in five. today, elaine quijano tells us that the government gave us a look at new warning labels that it hopes will get smokers to quit. >> reporter: the graphic images of rotting teeth, damaged lungs, and even a smoker's corpse, shocked the longtime smokers we showed them to, like michael magistro. >> you're killing yourself. i mean, look at that. staples in them. that's nasty. >> reporter: by fall 2012, the new warning labels will have to appear on the top, front, and back halves of cigarette packs, as well as 20% of cigarette print ads. tobacco companies are suing the government, arguing the new large label makes their logos unreadable. new york city's aggressive tv ad campaign, along with higher cigarette taxes and smoking bans in many places have led to a decline in smoking in new york, a 26% drop since 2002. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: while smoker nikki hulley is disturbed by the images she's not convinced it will help people beat such a powerful addiction. >> i want to say yes but it's so easy to look away. >> reporter: do you think you'll stop because of this? >> i should stop because of this. >> reporter: the labels will include a national hot line number to encourage smokers to take the first step towards quitting. elaine quijano, cbs news, new york. >> pelley: astronaut mark kelly, who commanded the next-to-last shuttle flight, said today that she's retiring from nasa and the navy so he can help his wife, congresswoman gabrielle giffords in her recovery from an assassination attempt. for some combat veterans, putting on a new helmet is helping them cope with the nightmares of war. their story is next. [ male announcer ] you sprayed them. thought they were dead. [ laughter ] [ grunting ] huh? [ male announcer ] should've used roundup. america's number one weed killer. it kills weeds to the root, so they don't come back. guaranteed. weeds won't play dead, they'll stay dead. roundup. no root. no weed. no problem. is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. new citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. a fiber that dissolves completely, is clearly different. benefiber. it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. that's the beauty of benefiber. >> pelley: finally tonight, it's a provocative idea-- take a combat veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and force him back into battle. that's essentially what's happening through virtual reality in a remarkable new treat. strauls strauss tells us that it's saving soldiers and families. >> we're taking rounds from this