From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Shifting focus in the war on terror.

Hello again, I'm Warren Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues, Americans care about most.

Barack Obama plans to

withdraw from Iraq and build up in Afghanistan, but neither project is going to be quick,

easy, or cheap. And the strategies that took so long to develop in Iraq's cities and deserts

may not apply in Afghanistan's mountains and villages. Today, we'll talk about the planning

that's going on for a transition

that's easier to talk about than it will be to accomplish. What are the obstacles? How long will

it take? In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Depression, how much will it cost?

On reporter's notebook later on, George W. Bush talks about his greatest regret as president of the

United States.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio International Program Fund,

whose contributors include the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. Meck Arthur Foundation,

and the Rockefeller Foundation and its campaign for American workers.

More at rockfound.org. Hello again. We're Manalny. Back with To the Point. President Bush has often said

that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. Barack Obama says it's Afghanistan. Even Secretary

of Defense Robert Gates seems to be coming around to that point of view. We'll hear today, though, that no easy transition is possible from one to the other.

On reporter's notebook, George W. Bush talks about his biggest surprise and his greatest regret as

president, both have to do with Iraq. First is news update. The big three automakers want tens of

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