BRIAN: THERE IS NOTHING MORE
DAMAGING TO A PRESIDENT’S LEGACY
THAN A MILITARY FAILURE.
JFK COULD NEVER OUTRUN THE BAY
OF PIGS AND GERALD FORD THE FALL
OF SAIGON.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE FALL OF
AFGHANISTAN IT’S CLEAR TO SEE IT
AS AN UNMITIGATED DISASTER.
PEOPLE ARE STARVING TO DEATH AND
PEOPLE ARE STILL LEFT BEHIND.
EVEN WORSE, PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
WITHDRAWAL CAME AFTER HIS
ADVISERS TOLD HIM IT WAS A BAD
IDEA.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R.
MCMASTER. WE ARE A YEAR REMOVED.
WE ARE A YEAR REMOVED.
WE HAD AN EXPLOSION WHERE 13
MILITARY MEMBERS LOST THEIR
LIVES. >> WHAT’S EVEN WORSE IS THIS WAS
>> WHAT’S EVEN WORSE IS THIS WAS
A SELF-DEFEAT BASED ON
SELF-ILLUSION.
WE WERE TOLD THE TALIBAN WOULD
SHARE POWER AND PUT IN A MORE
BENIGN VERSION OF SHARIA.
GUESS WHO JUST GOT KILLED IN
AIRSTRIKES A COUPLE WEEKS AGO IS
THE LEADER OF AL~QAEDA.
THESE LEADERS ARE COMPLETELY
INTERTWINED.
YOU SEE THE HELL THEY ARE
PUTTING ALL AFTER BEGANS
THROUGH, ESPECIALLY WOMEN.
IT’S TIME TO RECOGNIZE WE DEFEATED OURSELVES BASED ON A
DEFEATED OURSELVES BASED ON A
FANTASY ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE
TALIBAN.
BRIAN: WE ARE TOLD THE BOMBER AT
ABBY GATE.
HE WAS SPOTTED BY MARINES.
THE CIA IDENTIFIED HIM.
BUT THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT DID
NOT IMPRESS THE STATE DEPARTMENT
ENOUGH TO KILL HIM.
IT LOOKS LIKE HE WAS THE KILLER.
YOUR REACTION TO THAT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU
REMEMBER THE FAMILIES THAT LOST
A LOVED ONE THERE.
>> WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS WE HAVE
SEEN LEADERS ACROSS MULTIPLE
ADMINISTRATIONS WHO DON’T FIGHT
AS HARD AS THEY EXPECT OUR
SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN TO FIGHT
ABROAD.
THEY -- THEY DELUDED THEMSELVES
INTO THAT THINKING.
WE HAVE POLITICAL LEADERS WHO
TRY TO ACCOMMODATE WITH THE MYTH
OF THE TALIBAN.
WHAT’S CRAZY, NOT ONLY DID THIS
PERSON PROBABLY GET RELEASED FROM BAGRAM BY THE TALIBAN.
FROM BAGRAM BY THE TALIBAN.
BUT WE PRESSURED THE AFGHAN
GOVERNMENT, WE MADE THEM RELEASE
5,000 OF THE MOST HEINOUS
TERRORISTS ON EARTH.
REMEMBER THE BERGDAHL DEAL AND
THE RELEASE OF THE GUANTANAMO
BAY PRISONERS.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO BECAME
THE MILITARY LEADERS AT THE
PREVENTION LEVEL.
THE SHADOW GOVERNORS.
WE KEPT RELEASING THE ENEMY.
THAT’S A SIGN OF A LACK OF
DETERMINATION.
BRIAN: THE LIST OF PEOPLE FIRED,
NONE.
NO STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL
RESIGNED.
NO GENERAL SAID THAT’S IT.
NOBODY PUT THEIR STARS ON THE
GROUND RATHER THAN LEAVE THE WAY
WE DID.
I AM SURE YOU HAVE YOUR OWN
OPINION ABOUT UKRAINE.
VLADIMIR PUTIN IS 6 MONTHS IN.
HE’S DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET
MORE MEN AND WOMEN TO ENLIST IN
THE ARMY.
WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON THERE.
>> HE CAN’T DO IT.
HE CAN’T GENERATE THE MANPOWER.
WHAT HE’S AFRAID OF WHAT HE
TRIES TO MOBILIZE, WHAT HAPPENS
TO THE NARRATIVE THIS ISN’T A
WAR BUT A SPECIAL MILITARY
OPERATION.
HE CAN’T MOBILIZE BECAUSE IT
WOULD BE AN EMBARRASSMENT.
LOOK HOW POOR THE EQUIPMENT IS
FOR THE ACTIVE ARE.
HE DOESN’T HAVE THE EQUIPMENT
FOR A LARGE SCALE MOBILIZATION.
SO HE’S GOING TO VOLUNTEER
BATTALIONS.
THEN THEY ARE BEING THROWN INTO
COMBAT WITHOUT SUFFICIENT
TRAINING AND THE ABILITY TO
BUILD COHESIVE TEAMS WHO CAN
FIGHT TOGETHER.
I THINK HE HAS LOST MUCH MORE
THAN WE KNOW AT THIS POINT.
WE ARE SAYING 60,000 CASUALTIES,
BUT IT COULD BE MUCH MORE THAN
THAT.
HE LOST 6 YEARS OF TANK
PRODUCTION.
SO HE CAN’T MOBILIZE WITHOUT
JEOPARDIZING HIS REGIME.
THESE AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES LOOK
STRONG FROM THE OUTSIDE, BUT
THEY ARE BRITTLE.
BRIAN: WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, ABOUT WE
WRITE A CHECK FOR EQUIPMENT THAT
THAT EQUIPMENT GETS TO THE FRONT
LINES.
I DON’T SEE ANYONE IN COUNTRY
MAKING SURE THAT’S DONE.
AND I HOPE THE ADMINISTRATION