Clinton: The President "Stepped Up"

After spending much of this day on Capitol Hill answering questions about the new strategy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answered some questions in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric - including, why start withdrawing U.S. troops just 18 months after the surge begins?

Secretary Clinton said, there's been "considerable misunderstanding about -- what the President said and what he meant."

She added that the goal, "is to begin transferring responsibility for security and hopefully being able to bring some of our troops home starting in July, 211. But this is going to be done in a responsible way and based on the conditions as they are assessed."

"The president had stepped up and taken responsibility, and we're going to -- do all that we can to bring it to a successful conclusion," Clinton said.

Of the war efforts in Afghanistan, Clinton said that the United States is "committed."

Clinton said that the Pakistani government's taken some important steps in the past year. "But the case we've been making to both the civilian and the military leadership of Pakistan is a simple one. There is no good terrorist. There is no terrorist that you can count on not to turn against you. And this syndicate of terror, of which Al Qaeda plays a major role-- is helping with the attacks against the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people."

Clinton said there are "some tough decisions ahead, and we have to step up and do it."

The Secretary of State expressed confidence about the road ahead in Afghanistan, "we are taking on these problems, we're not hiding from them." "We're gonna handle them. We're Americans."

Watch the Full Interview with Secretary of State Clinton

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