STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
Ari, where are you precisely, as closely as you're allowed to tell?
ARI SHAPIRO: Well, we just landed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. And I should tell you, about an hour before we landed, this trip, which was a very closely held secret, changed dramatically. Originally the president was supposed to be on the ground for six hours. He's going to visit the embassy and the presidential palace in Kabul. Well, weather conditions here are so bad that that was changed. Instead of meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in person, he's going to meet with him via live video conference. He's still going to speak to troops here at Bagram Air Base, which White House officials say was always the main purpose of this trip, to thank troops for their service at this holiday season.
INSKEEP: The cell phone is breaking up a bit, so I'll just repeat: You said Bagram Air Base, which is outside the capital city, Kabul, but not all that close. And you're saying it's difficult for him to get into the capital city. You said the main purpose, or one of the purposes, was to speak to the troops. There must be a major public purpose here as well - simply to restate his commitment to the Afghan war?
SHAPIRO: Well, yes. I mean, you know, we were briefed (technical difficulties) White House officials who said again and again that the president suggested about a month ago that he'd do this sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas to sort of boost morale, visit the troops, thank them for their service. But of course there is a political element to this. It was just about a year ago that President Obama announced his new strategy, which included sending more troops to Afghanistan. And just two weeks ago at NATO he had some harsh words for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. And then there are other spectres hanging over this visit - an annual review of Afghan policy that's expected to be finished in the next couple of weeks. Of course (unintelligible) more revelations from the WikiLeaks website about concerns of corruption in Afghanistan. And so while the primary purpose may be to speak to troops, those spectres are certainly hanging over this visit.
INSKEEP: And Ari, you've been covering the White House day by day over the last several months as they await this review of progress in Afghanistan. Of course the official view is and must be that the strategy is working and succeeding. In private conversations, how optimistic are White House officials right now?
SHAPIRO: You know, they keep pointing to this timeline, that the troop drawdown will start in 2011, based on conditions, they say, with the goal of giving the combat operation over to Afghan forces by 2014. But they will (technical difficulties) that does not mean the end of the American combat mission, and so as a result a lot is still up in the air, and I think even in private White House officials are not expressing much more confidence than you hear them express in public.
INSKEEP: Ari Shapiro, would you just look around and tell us what you see? You've just gotten off Air Force One there at Bagram Air Force Base, is that right?
SHAPIRO: Right. We are at the tarmac at Bagram Air Force Base, and President Obama is just now walking down the stairs wearing a brown leather bomber jacket, disembarking from the airplane with some of his national security staff.
INSKEEP: Ari, we'll be listening for more updates. Thanks very much.
SHAPIRO: All right, good to talk to you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
