![]() he always says that whether we're winning or losing. i think he's clear eyes there's a results problem here. > before you go, does he acknowledge things are not going as well as he had hoped in afghanistan, or does he say he seems some light at the end of the tunnel now that he's there? > reporter: you know, i think both. for them to be losing those intelligence assets is a real blow. and coalition forces are about to launch a major operation in the toughest part of the kcounty which is down south in kandahar in the fall. Important right now when you have such a lack of faith in the central government and the u.s. > reporter: well, what he will acknowledge is just that, that there is so much negativity and that he simply needs the space > i was going to say, i wonder how his comments will play here when 58% of the people in our poll are very negative about the war. he appears to be trying to do what dein iraq which is try to slow that washington clock down. but what's important here, meredith, conditions based, not a firm deadline in general petraeus' mind, and this is going to be very interesting in terms of how this plays out over time. > reporter: the president had to deal with the politics of the war which are increasingly sour back home. and, again, that was the process that we worked through last fall. and as there are changes in any of that, that's obviously how we communicate that to him, recognizing that he has some h issues with which he has to deal that we don't have to worry about, but that's real life. we have recommended the strategy and the resources that are required for that strategy. Where i understand the mission that's been assigned. again, the president and i sat down in the oval office and he expressed very clearly that what he wants from me is my best professional military advice could you reach that point and say i know that the process is supposed to begin, but my assessment as the commander here is that it can cannot begin now? > certainly, yeah. well, is that the beginning of the exit strategy? my time with general petraeus leads me to believe there will be some push back on that and in our interview general petraeus made clear he doesn't know what will happen next july. troops are supposed to begin to transition out of the country. what is that withdrawal time line? july of next year is when u.s. he knows that they have to demonstrate some progress here if the public is to be brought around, if he is to deal with this deadline question in a meaningful way. and the public's frustration with the war is really principally on the mind of general petraeus as he works this strategy.
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