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The two secretaries supplemented their Capitol Hill testimony with network news interviews. CBS anchor Katie Couric relayed a prediction by Sen John McCain that President Hamid Karzai would go into exile or "find himself probably assassinated" once US troops leave Afghanistan. Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton answered: "Well it is a pretty tough neighborhood they live in." Secretary Robert Gates told ABC anchor Charles Gibson that the decision to start withdrawing troops in 2011 might disappoint some in Kabul: "The Afghans live in a very rough neighborhood and my suspicion is a number of them would like for us to stay indefinitely."
Secretary Gates even speculated that the complete 30,000 reinforcement might be aborted if the Karzai government showed no signs of progress: "If I come to the conclusion that these lives were being put at risk for no good purpose I would not sign those orders any more." Secretary Rodham Clinton put the President's policy this way for NBC anchor Brian Williams: "He very clearly said that he wants to see the transfer of authority begin in July 2011."
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