xfdcb CBS-MORNING-NEWS-01

<Show: CBS MORNING NEWS>

<Date: December 2, 2009>

<Time: 04:30>

<Tran: 120201cb.400>

<Type: Show>

<Head: For December 2, 2009, CBS>

<Sect: News; International>

<Byline: Michelle Gielan, Jeff Greenfield>

<High: Obama unveils Afghan surge. Tiger Woods is fined.>

<Spec: War; Afghanistan; Military; Barack Obama; Tiger Woods; Accidnets>

MICHELLE GIELAN: The Obama strategy: Another thirty thousand troops to Afghanistan.PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I do not make this decision lightly. I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

MICHELLE GIELAN: Out of the Woods: A small fine and no criminal charges for Tiger, but more allegations of an extramarital affair.

And, On the Other Foot, that Iraqi shoe thrower gets a taste of his own medicine.

This is the CBS MORNING NEWS for Wednesday, December 2, 2009.

Good morning. And thanks for joining us. I'm Michelle Gielan.

This morning Congress opens hearings on President Obama's plans to expand the war in Afghanistan. Last night, the President announced he is sending thirty thousand more troops to Afghanistan, because he's convinced America's security is at stake. He set a timetable for their withdrawal, which is drawing sharp criticism in some quarters. Whit Johnson is in Washington with more. Whit, good morning.

WHIT JOHNSON: Michelle, good morning.

In his speech, President Obama highlighted key differences between the war in Afghanistan and the wars in Iraq and even Vietnam. He argued success in Afghanistan is critical to the safety of people here in the U.S. and around the world.

(Begin VT)

WHIT JOHNSON: President Obama is raising the stakes in Afghanistan, sending in another thirty thousand American troops.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I do not make this decision lightly. I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

WHIT JOHNSON: At the West Point Military Academy last night, the President said the first batch of U.S. forces will join the fight by Christmas with the rest arriving by summer.

MIKE PRYSNER (Iraq War Veteran): Obama essentially gave a death sentence to hundreds, possibly thousands more U.S. troops.

WHIT JOHNSON: Across the country, members of the military had mixed reaction.

SERGEANT PATRICK MAIN (Camp Lejeune): I mean it's good, because the more of us over there, the safer each one of us are.

WHIT JOHNSON: With the latest troop increase, the U.S. will have nearly one hundred thousand forces in Afghanistan. Their mission: stepping up the fight against the Taliban, securing key areas, and training Afghan forces. The commander-in-chief vowed to start bringing U.S. troops home in July 2011.

Now that the President has pitched his plan, his administration will have to sell it to Congress. Members of his national security team will head to Capitol Hill this morning to try to convince skeptical lawmakers.

Democrats are concerned with the growing cost of the war effort. And while Republicans support the troop surge, some argue a timeline for withdrawal only gives enemies a reason to wait before they act.

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-Arizona): The fact is if you set an arbitrary date, then regardless of conditions on the ground, you are sending the wrong message.

WHIT JOHNSON: But President Obama insists that while it may take time, his strategy will bring the war to a successful end and the Afghan people will ultimately be responsible for their own country.

(End VT)

WHIT JOHNSON: NATO allies are also expected to add several thousand more forces in Afghanistan. And the support is certainly needed. More than a hundred thousand U.S. troops are still fighting in Iraq. Michelle.

MICHELLE GIELAN: All right. Whit Johnson in Washington. Whit, thanks.

The President says Afghanistan is not lost, but that the Taliban have gained momentum. They control large portions of the country with strongholds in the south and east where most of the additional U.S. troops will be headed. David Martin reports.

(Begin VT)

DAVID MARTIN (CBS News National Security Correspondent): Seventeen Americans were killed in Afghanistan in November, less than a third the number killed the previous month. It's only one measure, but it suggests things are no longer getting worse. As long ago as August, that's what General Stanley McChrystal, the commander there, told his staff.

GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL (Commander, U.S. Forces, Afghanistan ISAF) (60 MINUTES) (August 26): I do think that we probably have bottomed out in terms of that.

DAVID MARTIN: That's because earlier this year President Obama ordered twenty-one thousand more troops to Afghanistan. Ask Captain Paul Sheppard what a difference that made in one violent town south of Kabul.

CAPTAIN PAUL SHEPPARD (August 31): We've seen a complete 180, and we've seen that because I think we've-- one, we've flooded the area with soldiers. We've gone from five hundred to five thousand.

DAVID MARTIN: Despite pockets of success, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen still thinks overall, conditions are deteriorating. It's a fine line, but as Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution points out, if after eight years you can't tell who's winning and who's losing, something's wrong.

MICHAEL O'HANLON (Brookings Institution): You could also simply say right now it's too close to call, and that's not a very good place to be in.

DAVID MARTIN: Some of the most successful operations have been commando raids against insurgent leaders, like this firebrand in western Afghanistan. But this is a war the U.S. cannot kill its way out of. American soldiers and Marines must clear out enemy strong points, hold that territory, and build a better life for the Afghan people.

MICHAEL O'HANLON: We're doing pretty well on clear and hold, pretty lousy on build.

DAVID MARTIN: As a result, much of the population is sitting on the fence to see which side can offer them the better deal. Call it a stalemate at best. But with thirty thousand more troops an aid to McChrystal says we're going to turn this quickly and seize the initiative.

David Martin, CBS News, the Pentagon)

MICHELLE GIELAN: This morning, Iran released those five British sailiars-- sailors who had been-- who it had detained for a week. They're racing out drifted into Iranian waters as it was traveling from Bahrain to Dubai last Wednesday. But Iran says it determined that the sailors had made a mistake and there had been no malicious intent.

On the CBS MoneyWatch stocks in Asia continued a winning streak this morning. And Emily Smith is here in New York with that and more. Emily, good morning.

EMILY SMITH: Well, good morning Michelle. Yes, Asia markets made modest gains today. Japan's Nikkei index rose half a percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up almost one percent.

On Wall Street Tuesday, the blue chips hit a new high for the year with the Dow surging ahead a hundred and twenty-six points, the NASDAQ added thirty- one.

The head of General Motors is stepping down. Fritz Henderson was--has resigned as CEO after less than a year on the job. He and GM's board were reportedly at odds over the automaker's future with the board reportedly deciding Henderson wasn't moving fast enough to change things.

Meanwhile auto sales figures for November show the industry is still struggling to recover despite higher incentives. The top three U.S. sellers, GM, Ford, and Toyota were basically flat. Chryslers saw a sales decline of eleven percent from October.

Jobs and employment reports are due later today leading up to the big labor department report on Friday which is expected to show unemployment remains steady at 10.2 percent.

There are there are some big changes in store for all of the Google news users out there. The company is setting a daily limit on the number of articles readers can view for free. This after taking some heat from some top news executives who claim the search engine is pocketing advertising profits on the back of their free content. It's Google's first click-free program that allows people to find and read articles on the internet, even if they're behind a subscription pay wall. Well, now that would be limited to five articles a day.

And a rock in the league of its own was sold off in Hong Kong. This rare five carat pink diamond sold out in auction for a record 10.8 million dollars. The stone's vivid pink color's considered nearly perfect.

Michelle, is that on the top of your wish list this year?

MICHELLE GIELAN: Very beautiful. I wonder how much it would be if it were actually perfect, because it look pretty perfect to me.

EMILY SMITH: Yes, exactly.

MICHELLE GIELAN: All right. Emily Smith here in New York. Emily, thanks.

EMILY SMITH: Sure.

MICHELLE GIELAN: And just ahead on the MORNING NEWS, a ticket for Tiger Woods. But will the controversy over his car accident blow over?

Plus, High Times: The new home video of Marilyn Monroe surfaces.

First, Katie Couric has a preview of tonight's CBS EVENING NEWS.

KATIE COURIC: Following the uproar over those new mammogram guidelines, the panel that laid them heads to Capitol Hill. Will their testimony put an end to the controversy? That's tonight only on the CBS EVENING NEWS.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MICHELLE GIELAN: A fifty-year-old home movie of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe allegedly smoking marijuana has been found and will be auctioned on eBay this week. The silent color film was found in an attic. The photographer says she was smoking marijuana at a private gathering in 1958 or '59. Monroe died in 1962.

The death of Maurice Clemmons, shot by a Seattle police officer yesterday, ended one of the biggest manhunts ever seen in the Pacific Northwest. Three friends of Clemmons were in court yesterday in Tacoma, Washington, accused of helping him escape after he allegedly killed four police officers on Sunday. Police say that others are also likely to face charges. The families of the murdered police officers reacted.

MELANIE BURWELL (Slain Officer's Sister-in-Law): No amount of justice is going to be enough in this world. They're going to have to serve their justice in the next. And it's still not going to bring back our heroes.

MICHELLE GIELAN: A memorial service for the officers is scheduled for next week. And thousands of police officers from around the country are expected to attend.

The mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon, has been convicted on a charge of taking six hundred and thirty dollars in gift cards intended for the city's poor. Mayor Dixon said yesterday she will fight the misdemeanor conviction that led to her removal from office. Dixon was acquitted of three other charges.

John Jr. Gotti is off the hook again. Another mistrial for the son of the famous Gambino crime boss, the fourth in five years. Gotti is free on two million dollars bail. Jurors were deadlocked after deliberating for eleven days and said prosecution witnesses were not credible. Gotti was charged with ordering gangland murders and pocketing drug money.

Tiger Woods got a ticket from Flo-- Florida police following his car crash last week and had to pay a fine of one hundred and sixty-four dollars. He will not face criminal charges. But there may be-- bit maybe still more trouble ahead. Terrell Brown reports.

(Begin VT)

TERRELL BROWN: As far as Florida highway patrol is concerned, the case is closed.

MAJOR CINDY WILLIAMS (Florida Highway Patrol): FHP is in the process of issuing a uniform traffic citation for careless driving to Mister Woods.

TERRELL BROWN: Woods continued to lay low behind the walls of his gated community in Florida. But his neighbors had something to say. They were the ones who called 911 after Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant Friday morning.

BILL SHARPE (Neighbors' Attorney): Scratches on his face were consistent with somebody with maybe-- who was in a minor car accident--hit his head on the windshield or something like that. None of his injuries were-- looked like he'd been beat up by his wife.

TERRELL BROWN: Neither the golfer or his wife have spoken to police about the incident.

ROY BLACK (Defense Attorney): And I think they're handling it exactly right--don't talk to anybody, keep it quiet, hope it blows over.

TERRELL BROWN: Questions about a marital dispute have been fueled by a tabloid report. Us weekly will report a cocktail waitress has come forward claiming a long-running affair with Woods. And she tells the magazine she has text messages and voice mails to prove it.

Terrell Brown, CBS News, Orlando, Florida.

(End VT)

MICHELLE GIELAN: And the woman at the center of these new allegations is twenty-four-year-old Jaimee Grubbs. The Los Angeles cocktail waitress and TV reality show veteran claims her affair with Woods lasted more than two and a half years. In a voice mail, she allegedly got from the megastar just last week, Woods asked her to take her name off her phone's greetings saying, quote, I need you to do me a huge favor. My wife went through my phone and may be calling you. So if you can, please take your name off that.

Straight ahead, your Wednesday morning weather.

And in sports, the defending NBA champs now have the best record in the league.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MICHELLE GIELAN: And time now for a check on the national forecast. The latest satellite picture shows clouds scattered over much of the Northern Plains and Midwest. While the Northeast is mainly clear. Later today, the Northern Plains and Midwest will see scattered snow showers. Much of the West will see another warm and sunny day. And showers and thunderstorms will be developing across the Mississippi Valley and Southeast.

In sports, the Lakers make it seventh straight. In Los Angeles, Andrew Bynum scored twenty-one points. Kobe Bryant added eighteen against New Orleans. The 110-99 victory puts them ahead of Phoenix at the top of the NBA's Western Conference.

In New York, Phoenix was a surprise loser. The Knicks got some great shooting and even played some defense to easily beat the Suns 126 to 99.

In college basketball, fourth-ranked Purdue was persistent on offense against Wake Forest, and forced twenty-five turnovers on defense. The Boilermakers beat the Demon Deacons 69 to 58.

Tenth ranked North Carolina got twenty-two points from Ed Davis against Michigan State. And the Tar Heels beat the Spartans 89 to 82.

And in college football, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden has decided to retire. He will end his forty-four-year coaching career with three hundred and eighty-eight victories; the second-winningest coach in major-college football, behind Penn State's Joe Paterno.

When we return, another look at this morning's top stories.

And reality check, why President Obama's high-approval ratings are coming down to earth.

(Announcements)

MICHELLE GIELAN: Here's another look at this morning's top stories: President Obama is sending another thirty thousand troops to Afghanistan. He plans to begin withdrawing them in eighteen months. The President says U.S. secretary is at-- U.S. security is at stake. The first wave arrives this month.

And Tiger Woods has been fined one hundred and sixty-four dollars for last Friday's traffic accident and Florida officials say the case is closed. Meanwhile, another woman says she had an affair with Woods.

The war in Afghanistan is just one of the pressing issues on the President's plate. There's the economy and health care to tackle as well and will have to do it as his cash of public goodwill and approval ratings are shrinking. Jeff Greenfield reports.

(Begin VT)

CROWD (in unison): Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.

JEFF GREENFIELD: How did he get from this to this?

FRED ARMISEN (Saturday Night Live): Because when you look at my record, it's very clear what I've done so far, and that is--nothing.

JEFF GREENFIELD: The problem for the White House is that this satirical view is being offered from voices that should be in his corner, voices that could both reflect and reinforce a politically damaging narrative.

FRED ARMISEN: Nope.

JEFF GREENFIELD: Recent weeks have seen a barrage of friendly fire--Les Gelb, a Democratic foreign-policy expert, calls Obama's Asian trip amateur hour ; The New York Times's Maureen Dowd compares him to Mister Spock; a New York magazine cover story detects ...the air hissing out of the Obama balloon ; and long-time liberal writer Elizabeth Drew reports of growing disillusion.

ELIZABETH DREW (Political Journalist and Author): There is a critical mass of people who really wish him well, think it's terribly important that he succeed, were becoming disappointed, even disillusioned.

JOHN HARRIS (Politico): There are definitely people who feel that there-- it is too detached, too cool, too cerebral, and-- and not visceral enough.

JEFF GREENFIELD: Presidents can fall or rise on such impressions. Gerald Ford was a skilled athlete, whose occasional stumbles became a metaphor for incompetence.

Bill Clinton survived a sex scandal, because, while people wouldn't trust him with their daughters, they did trust him with the economy. Ronald Reagan's clarity on his core beliefs sustained him. After less than a year in office, it's far too early to conclude that Obama's narrative is etched in stone.

ELIZABETH DREW: It's very, very risky and even silly to say, Well, here's how it is now; and here is how it's always going to look and be.

JEFF GREENFIELD: Jeff Greenfield, CBS News, New York.

(End VT)

MICHELLE GIELAN: And the Iraqi man who went to jail for throwing his shoes at President George W. bush got a taste of his own medicine. Muntada al- Zaidi was holding a news conference in Paris yesterday when a man in the audience threw a shoe at him. It missed, then al-Zaidi's brother chased the man and threw his shoe at him, as he left the room. It's not clear why the man threw a shoe at al-Zaidi. Al-Zaidi later joked that he stole his technique.

This morning on THE EARLY SHOW we'll have Vice President Joe Biden. I'm Michelle Gielan and this is the CBS MORNING NEWS.

END

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