'Good Enough Governance'

" Now the bloodiest days for the US forces in Afghanistan fourteen Americans killed in a series of helicopter crashes. President Obama -- minutes away right now from speaking about these deaths the president scheduled to address thousands of servicemen and women at the naval air station at Jacksonville Florida. We're monitoring event and we will bring you that information and that part of that speech as it happens but first to the crashes. The military says a chopper went down after. It -- a -- but let left a firefight with insurgents it's not yet clear what the exact location of the crash but. We do know what happened in the western part of the country seven US troops killed along with three Drug Enforcement Administration workers. And there was another crash is well this -- in southern Afghanistan where the map shows it. Two other US choppers collided while in flight for Americans killed there. All told at least 46 US troops have been killed in Afghanistan this month alone. And this comes as the president decides whether to send tens of thousands more troops into the war zone. Major Garrett our senior White House correspondent what happened during the president's meeting with security advisers today major. Tempered with the sixth."

" Meeting here at the White House in the situation room it lasted about an hour money -- of the once before that went three hours or more slightly more than three hours this one much more focused on. The events playing out that you just described also. What is known diplomatically about the preparations on the ground politically in Afghanistan for the November 7 runoff between President Hamid Karzai and his number one rival of -- Those kinds of issues were discussed and because it was a much shorter meeting shepherd it was much more concentrated on sort of the developments of the day. Assessing those putting them together in this tragic the president still formulating. Meanwhile shepherd here in Washington today. John Kerry ran for the presidency the Democrats in 2004 came to the White House defense very staunchly against the allegation leveled last week by Vice President Cheney Dick Cheney vice president. Dick Cheney that the president was dithering quote unquote in his lengthy assessment of how to proceed in Afghanistan here's John Kerry on the former vice president. This."

" From the man who had 2002. Told America quote the Taliban regime is out of business permanently. I think this is one time I wish Dick Cheney had been right. But tragically he wants and he isn't today and that's why we have to make tough choices about Afghanistan now."

" Terry also it said in response to a question -- help the morale of US forces is it being undermined in any way by the lengthy assessment the president's going -- sent to the contrary. It's good now it'll get better once they know what they're fighting for and the president tells them how to proceed. Senator Kerry major also set some goals for Afghanistan today tell us about those. They may sound -- to the ears of many American jeopardy talked about what was needed and what is achievable both politically and militarily in Afghanistan. Let's take a quick listen. Achieving our goals my friends does not require us to build a flawless democracy. It doesn't require us to defeat the Taliban in every corner of the country. Or create a modern economy. What we're talking about is good enough governments. We said Shepperd good enough governance and a country where the Taliban still has some foothold principally in the rural areas not in the urban areas. Some people look at that and say that's not going to be quite good enough and eradication of the Taliban is what's necessary in Afghanistan that's what the president is trying to decide. Major Garrett live the White House major thanks good to see."