SURE YOU HAVE TRIED ON YOUR
SHOES.
THANK YOU.
>> Bill: WE ARE WAITING FOR
THE PRESIDENT’S REMARKS FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WE WILL BRING THAT YOU WHEN THEY
BEGIN.
THE U.S. SPECIAL FORCES RAID
TOOK PLACE IN NORTHWESTERN SYRIA
KILLING THE TOP LEADER OF ISIS.
WE ARE TOLD NO AMERICANS WERE
INJURED AND THEY ARE RETURNED
SAFELY.
AS WE AWAIT THE
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, TO BRING IN
MIKE GALLAGHER.
SIR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE YET
AGAIN.
YOUR INITIAL REACTION TO THIS,
SIR?
>> IT’S A GOOD THING.
I COMMEND THE ADMINISTRATION AND
OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM FOR
SUCCESSFULLY CARRYING OUT THIS
OPERATION.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT REMINDER
THAT AS WE START TO FOCUS ON
CHINA, OUR BIGGEST LONG-TERM
THREAT WE CANNOT TAKE OUR EYE
OFF THE BALL IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
WE STILL OF TERRORIST GROUPS
THAT POSE A THREAT TO THE U.S.
HOMELAND AND THE THREAT FROM G
AUTISM IS GOING TO GROW WORSE IN
THE WAKE OF OUR SURE AND ENDING
SURRENDER IN AFGHANISTAN.
THIS WILL GET BACK INTO THE IRAN
DEAL.
THE MIDDLE EAST IS SOMETHING YOU
IGNORE AT YOUR OWN PERIL EVEN AS
WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE PACIFIC IS
THE MORE IMPORTANT REGION.
IT’S A GOOD OPERATION AND I’M
GLAD NO ONE IS CERTAIN WE GOT
THE GUY.
>> Dana: COULD YOU EXPAND ON
SOMETHING PUSH MARK WHEN YOU
SAID YOU WERE CONCERNED ABOUT
OUR WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN
AND THE WAY IT WENT EXPANDING
OUR PROBLEMS WITH ISIS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
REMEMBER, PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS
ALIVE WHEN HE SAID AL QAEDA WAS
NOT PRESENT IN AFGHANISTAN AND
THEY TRIED TO JUSTIFY PULLING
OUT.
WHILE THEY COMPETE IN VARIOUS
DOMAINS AND VARIOUS GEOGRAPHY,
SOMETIMES THEY COOPERATE AND
SOMETIMES THEY DON’T.
THE SUCCESS OF THE MOVEMENT
DROPS RECOUPED GLOBALLY INTO THE
REGION.
AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT WE KNOW
OVER THE COUNTER TERRORISM.
IT’S GOING TO LIMIT OUR ABILITY
TO GET AFTER THEM.
>> Bill: ONE MORE QUESTION ON
THIS AND I KNOW YOU’RE IN THE
HOUSE I’D, BUT YOUR SENATE
COLLEAGUES CAME UP WITH A REPORT
THAT SAID THE BITE
ADMINISTRATION FAILED IN THE
PROCESS.
HERE’S WHAT IT SAYS IN PART.
FAILURE OF SENIOR BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION LEADERSHIP TO
PLAN FOR THE FATEFUL DAY
RESULTED IN A RUSH EVACUATION OF
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
AMERICANS, THIRD COUNTRY
NATIONALS, AND AFGHANS.
THEY SAID IT WAS A FAILURE.
I WAS PAINFULLY OBVIOUS TO US
WHEN WE WERE ASKING THE
QUESTIONS OF MANY MEMBERS OF A D
ADMINISTRATION HOW THEY TRIED TO
TWIST THEIR ANSWERS IN A WAY
THAT IT WAS ACCEPTABLE.
THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF SAID WE
ARE OUT, WE ARE GOING, FIGURE IT
OUT.
THEY WERE LEFT TO DEAL AS BEST
AS THEY COULD ON THE GROUND IN
AFGHANISTAN.
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF IT?
>> WE KNOW THEY HAD ONE MEETING
PREPARING FOR THE WITHDRAWAL.
THAT IS COMPLETELY
UNSATISFACTORY.
THEY WERE ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL.
OUR SECRETARY OF STATE WAS ON
VACATION IN THE HAMPTONS.
THIS IS EMBARRASSING.
THE BUCK ULTIMATELY STOPS WITH
BIDEN.
THE PRESIDENT IS UNREPENTANT
ABOUT HIS ACTIONS AND
AFGHANISTAN PAIRED HE SAYS HE
DOES NOT APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING
IN AFGHANISTAN AND THAT IS WHAT
SHOCKS HAPPENED EVERY
ADMINISTRATION.
MISTAKES ARE MADE AND YOU HAVE
TO LEARN FROM THOSE MISTAKES.
THIS ADMINISTRATION SEEMS INTENT
ON PUSHING FULL STREAM I HAD
WITH THIS APPROACH.
OUR WEAKNESS WITH AFGHANISTAN IS
UNDERMINING OUR POSTURE AND
OTHER AREAS OF THE WORLD.
RIGHT NOW IN UKRAINE AND I FEAR
OVER THE LONG TERM WITH CHINA.
THIS OF ADMINISTRATION NEED TO
CHANGE COURSE BEFORE IT’S TOO
LATE.
>> Dana: THIS OPERATION THAT
THE PRESIDENT IS ABOUT TO
ADDRESS THE NATION ON, IT WAS
SUCCESSFUL.
SOMEWHERE, THE INTELLIGENCE IS
WORKING WELL.
IT MIGHT NOT BE OVER THE HORIZON
CAPABILITIES, BUT THIS WAS
SUCCESSFUL AND WE ARE GOING TO
LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
THAT.
>> WE SPENT TWO DECADES GETTING
GOOD AT COUNTERTERRORISM
OPERATIONS.
WE HAVE AN ENORMOUS WEALTH OF
EXPERTISE.
SPECIAL OPERATORS IN PARTICULAR
KNOW HOW TO DO THIS BY, WITH,
AND THROUGH LOCAL PARTNERS ON
THE GROUND.
THE CONCERN IS IF YOU DO NOT
HAVE THAT NESTED WITH A BROADER
REGIONAL STRATEGY AS WELL AS AN
OVERALL GRAND STRATEGY, AND WE
STILL DON’T HAVE A NATIONAL
SECURITY STRATEGY FROM THIS
ADMINISTRATION, ALL YOU’RE GOING
TO BE DOING IS PLAYING
WHACK-A-MOLE.
PARTICULARLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
IT WILL NOT ADD UP TO ACTUALLY
IMPROVING STABILITY IN THE
REGION AND, AS I MENTIONED
BEFORE, IF YOU LAY INTO THAT
GETTING BACK INTO THE IRAN DEAL,
YOU’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE G.I.
TERRORIST SPONSORED BY THE
IRANIAN REGIME GOING AFTER THE
SUNNI TERRORISTS AND OUR ALLIES
IN THE MIDDLE ARE GOING TO
SUFFER.
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE CARROTS IN
THE REGION.
>> Bill: THANK YOU.