Obama To O'Reilly: U.S. Will Defeat Al Qaeda, Taliban Won't Retake Afghanistan

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is confident that the United States will be able to defeat al Qaeda and prevent the Taliban from regaining control of Afghanistan, according to his remarks in an interview set to air Monday night.

"I can say we will defeat Al Qaeda and that the Taliban will not be retaking Afghanistan," Obama said in the second part of his interview with Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. "I can't say anything with 100-percent certainty, but am confident that our troops have done an incredible amount of work. They are on the offensive rather than being on the defensive, and we're starting to transition so that Afghan security forces are taking over."

U.S. troops are set to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July, and the plan is to fully transfer security responsibilities to Afghans by 2014. But, Obama acknowledged, "The Taliban are still going to be an element in Afghanistan."

O'Reilly also asked Obama about the U.S. relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has been widely criticized for the notorious levels of corruption within his government and for occasional comments that paint the United States as his nation's adversary.

"I trust that he cares about his country and he cares about the relationship with the United States," Obama answered, "but I do think that he's got some big changes that he has to make in his government to be legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people over the long term."

Mark Quarterman, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Obama's stated goal lacked the necessary timetable.

"This July is no longer the operative time period for significant withdrawal; it is now 2014," he told The Huffington Post. "As a result, the question becomes: will the Afghan security forces be able by 2014 to keep the Taliban out of power and provide relative security to the Afghan people? In addition, Al Qaeda and the Taliban are, to a large extent, issues that need also to be addressed through Pakistan. The key question here is, will the U.S. and Pakistan work together effectively enough to achieve the stated goal?"

"The real question," said Caroline Wadhams, a senior national security analyst at the administration-friendly Center for American Progress, "is whether we are establishing anything sustainable in Afghanistan, and whether it can survive our withdrawal."

Also in the interview, O'Reilly asked Obama how much "damage" is done to the country when the media participates in political polarization.

"I think what it does is -- over the long term -- it is making it harder and harder for the sensible center to get together to solve problems," said Obama. "And I think that is damaging." When asked by O'Reilly whether he believes he's treated fairly by Fox News, Obama said that the network clearly has a point of view, but there's nothing wrong with it. "There's a strong history in America of all news having some sort of point of view, and Fox News has a point of view, and I think that's part of our democracy," he said.

(Disclosure: Terkel was previously employed by the Center for American Progress as the deputy research director at American Progress and managing editor for ThinkProgress.)

Comments

[SolarArray]

02:03 AM on 02/09/2011

72 interruptions by Bill. I'm sure Obama would not have interrupted if Billo went on about Malmedy.

[gfreshski1]

10:27 PM on 02/08/2011

How dare BillO treat the President that way. He never would've done that to Bush. Billo disgraced himself and the Fox News channel. I wanted to reach into the tv and choke the man in order to get him to let the President finish a thought.

That should be the last Fox News interview that the President grants.

[sdmills27]

01:34 AM on 02/09/2011

Really?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dniDbjKFuBU

How many times does O'Reilly interrupt President Bush? It is quite often.

[sdmills27]

10:13 AM on 02/09/2011

You wanted to choke him? That isn't very civil.

You do realize that the president is accountable to the voters right? Every single American voter is his boss. If I asked one of my employees a direct question and he went off like a politician, Obama included, I would have done the same thing as O'Reilly.

[G-guy]

09:55 PM on 02/08/2011

What was Obama thinking? Validating the likes of O'Reilly was foolish move.

[angelrubes]

02:38 AM on 02/09/2011

I would guess that he's thinking that he's the President of the entire United States, even those people who h@te him because he's African American. I would guess that he believes that they way the media spins and distorts his agenda and accomplishments, it would be best speak on the ONLY media outlet they listen to. And as such, it was a correct move. I may not always agree with President Obama, but there is nothing in his behavior that I would ever consider *foolish*.

[The Commish]

08:38 AM on 02/09/2011

Would you get over yourself please. Calling everybody who doesn't like Obama racist. You can do better than that, can't you?

[G-guy]

12:15 PM on 02/28/2011

The President is a very intelligent, focused individual.
But I'm sorry.....Attempting a sensible conversation with O'Reilly is FOOLISH.

[CT Independent]

08:47 PM on 02/08/2011

O'Reilly to Obama: But I dont want you to succeed.

[despike]

07:27 PM on 02/08/2011

Barack Obama should stop trying to be liked by everyone. You are the president of the United State of America, for God's sake, demand some respect. You've got the Power Mr President.

[angelrubes]

02:27 AM on 02/09/2011

President Obama is the President of All Americans, even those who didn't vote for him; and since technically since the airways are *supposed* to belong to the people, he's got to get his message out to all of the people. He in good faith puts his message out there, and we watch the h@teful Fox spin doctors do their "thing." President Obama has manners and a great deal of class! He would not lower himself to the same bullying behavior as Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly's behavior was clearly r@cist. It appears that he adheres to the belief brought about in the Dred Scott Decision, "There isn't any rights that a Black person has that a White person is obligated to respect." That Supreme Court decision prevented Dread Scott from purchasing his wife in order to free her from enslavement. More and more I am seeing the blatant confederate type of bigotry, shamelessly exhibited in the behavior of the "so called," conservatives.

[zunklives]

04:01 AM on 02/09/2011

I like your opinion, but at the same time, I agree that Obama should get mean with these fo@ls, much like clinton did, perception of being weak, being classy or not, is still perception. Obama is smart, has the real facts, and could probably take billo to school, I wsh he would, I am tired of all the bowing he has done for these sharks and liars

[cgin]

06:20 PM on 02/08/2011

We as Americans, throughout our proud history, have rightfully demanded and expected from all heads of state and foreign dignitaries to exhibit the outmost respect towards our president. And as a logical extension, we must likewise as patriotic Americans at least demand as much respect from our own fellow citizens. We owe ourselves as much. If we as Americans don’t or won’t demand RESPECT for this transcendent office from all who comes in contact with it, who will? Disrespecting the presidency as O'Reiley did on super bowl night ought to be regarded as an insult to all Americans.

[jokamachi]

05:48 PM on 02/08/2011

The biggest turkey makes the most noise.

[marla29]

04:28 PM on 02/08/2011

You gonna post my comments HP? Hmmm...Since the merger things have changed a little around here.

[informedconsent]

09:36 PM on 02/08/2011

I see no difference - sadly.

[peowlemeow]

02:48 PM on 02/08/2011

The Presidents number one job in wartime is Commander in Chief and I'm glad The President hasn't wavered on that one bit.It sucks because war sucks,but everything takes second place to war.I truly don't want any part of it but I still pay my taxes and despise the MIC at the same time know it's pissing most of that money away.
Still,it helps to think that some troop in some crummy jam isn't lacking for something they need in mans most awful endeavor.

[pa30]

02:46 PM on 02/08/2011

I was surprised that BHO said the worst part of being POTUS was living in a bubble( kind of like the BP CEO wanting his life back). GWB said the wrst part was the M &M report from Iraq and Afghanastan.

[Knowitall]

05:26 PM on 02/08/2011

Funny how the memory gets selection when comparing Pres. Obama to anybody on the right. I guess what Pres. Bush said about Kanye being the worst thing about the job, wasn't a surprise.

BTW, the President DID NOT say he wanted his life back--he went on to say he was enjoying the job.

[Knowitall]

05:57 PM on 02/08/2011

I responded to this earlier by agreeing with a poster who said that George Bush said the worst part of the job was when Kanye West said he was a racist. George Bush DID say that in an interview about his book.

I went on to say that Pres. Obama did not like the bubble, but he said he was enjoying the job.

How does my remark or the one before mine violate HP guidelines? Why were they deleted??

[Donns]

02:06 PM on 02/08/2011

"We will beat A-Qaeda." Ok, I can buy into it if someone will put a time frame to it. Remember we were going to kill Bin Laden, maybe our plan was to kill him by letting him grow old and die of old age. I don't need an exact year in which we will defeat Al-Qaeda, just something like a geological age would suffice.

[knosiswar]

05:08 PM on 02/08/2011

A ridiculous proposition as long as we are allies with Saudi Arabia, the root of the radical brand of Islam that Al Qaeda subscribes to. As well as continuing to do business with them while their rich royals fund Al Qaeda.

[zunklives]

04:05 AM on 02/09/2011

I agree, most of the 911 terrorists were saudi nationals, and we attack Iraq? makes no sense, I still think Bush was involved with it all

[jokamachi]

05:49 PM on 02/08/2011

lol!

[Mark Kraft]

02:03 PM on 02/08/2011

"This July is no longer the operative time period for significant withdrawal; it is now 2014."

Not so. Both are true, really. The troop levels will peak this July, as units start coming home... Troop levels *will* go down as a result. But the mission itself for ground troops will continue through 2014. From what I can tell, there may also be some residual NATO training forces in country after that point, based on secure bases in safe areas.

[oilfield]

06:40 PM on 02/08/2011

it is 2014 until 2013 when it will become 2016

[leslie bates]

01:58 PM on 02/08/2011

So Obama will pontificate about Afghanistan, while giving his support to the renditions torturer and murderer, suleiman, in Egypt, and doesn't see the hypocrisy?

The US military has said more than once that Afghanistan is a waste of resources and worse, lives. Which part of "this war is unwinnable" does obama not understand? The longer this criminal adventure continues, the more clearly than ever before, does the world see the colossal failure that is the US: at home and abroad.

The world's once almost unanimous support for obama has now devolved into embarassing contempt. If the Democrats have any hopes for 2012, they had better start looking for someone with a real-life achievements and an interest in the job. The presidency of the USA is not a vanity gig for otherwise unemployable amateurs with misplaced ambitions.

[Gray Mouser]

02:36 PM on 02/08/2011

You don't have a clue how Egypt will play out, so your opinion is strictly that. No hypocrisy committed until we know one way or the other, eh?

The US Military has said many things about Afghanistan, many times conflicting with what they have previously said. You have taken one point of view. There are others.

Where can you cite the world now holds Obama in contempt, other than from GOP or TP source with no credibility?

You are right in your last sentence. Thus, Palin should fade away into retirement, now, right?

[hoagie76]

03:35 PM on 02/08/2011

The MIC controls Afghanistan, not the CNC, unfortunately

[knosiswar]

01:49 PM on 02/08/2011

I've been thinking on it, and I agree with Ed Shultz, BO's response to O'Reilly was lame. The president should have said, 'Well Bill, I do believe in a minimum living wage for those who are willing to get trained in a job skill and then commit themselves to making an honest living, I don't support economic policies that cannibilize the middle class and shift the wealth of American production disproportionately to the top 2%. I instead favor policies that foster a strong and stable middle class which is the strength of the last 80 years thanks to the efforts of FDR's New Deal. I have no problem with rich people, but I do have a problem with average hardworking americas living paycheck to paycheck in fear of a crisis that will see them lose their houses, their lives, and their self respect. How do you feel about that Bill? Do you think we should be in favor of a further divide between the haves and the have nots. That's not America Bill, that's exactly what our forefathers were leaving behind when they came to America, an opportunity to work for themselves and not for the King and his merry band of land owning 'nobles'. It's not redistributing wealth unless you mean undoing the wrongs of the plutocracy in designing a financial system that rewards money brokers richly without adding anything to the production or wealth of the country. I think my America is very different from your's Bill!"

[Marktheliberal]

03:25 PM on 02/08/2011

Thank you for that! fanned and faved

[concernedinKansas]

04:34 PM on 02/08/2011

Please...as anyone who as watched Ed Schultz for twenty minutes knows the hyperbole runs "rich" whenever discussing the disadvantaged (and I usually agree with him). Calling President Obama's responses lame does not recognize the reality that he dealt with in this interview. The President would not win many points by berating O'Reilly with the truth-let's face it the majority of his following have no interest in that, they want Obama to act ticked off.He was addressing a general audience for the interview and the President was wise to answer broadly and with a smile.Surely you noticed with O'Reilly's pompous schtick on full display, and that Obama would have been interrupted even more.

The President does recognize the maladies that our unfair financial,big business and Wall Street despots have brought down on the American poor, lower and middle class for the past 30+ years.Unfortunately, he must still address the middle class independent "nobles" who don't realize that they are getting jobbed to get re-elected and accomplish more in a second term.

[knosiswar]

05:00 PM on 02/08/2011

I agree to a point, and maybe there's a better way to word it, but he should have made some defense for Democratic values instead of answering the question as passively as he did. I still think that if he didn't want to give an honest interview, then why do it at all, because those answers make him look weak to his base and they undermine the party. And unfortunately, this wasn't his only missed opportunity. He has failed thus far to frame the Democratic argument effectively. And his answer to Bill, in my mind, undermines his credibility. But given the choice between my statement and his answer, I choose mine. The Chamber of Commerce, while wrapping themselves in the flag of Capitalism, say that outsourcing works for them, and those who would complain are just whining, well that is as UnAmerican as it can be, and they should be called on it. This Democratic President has been tone deaf in his arguments supporting Democratic philosophy. Something he could learn from Bill Clinton about.

[Rational Voice]

01:47 PM on 02/08/2011

"Obama To O'Reilly: U.S. Will Defeat Al Qaeda, Taliban Won't Retake Afghanistan" ... No -- no, we won't Mr. President. You are completely delusional if you think we are making any lasting impact over there. Assuming it was even possible to defeat them -- what do we win if we do? What's the point? This whole "war on terror" is nothing but an exercise in mass distraction while the military contractors rob us all blind. You want people to stop attacking us? Stop screwing them over, and stick to the commitments we make.