NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
WE HAVE ALREADY HEARD FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
NOW DA
NOW CANADA'S PRIME MINISTER
JUSTIN TRUDEAU IS PLANNED TO
GIVE AN UPDATE ON THAT PLANE
CRASH.
GROWING SUSPICION THIS MIGHT
HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENTAL IRANIAN
SHOOT-DOWN WHEN THE MISSILES
WERE BEING LOBBED AT THE
MILITARY BASE IN IRAQ.
TOO SOON TO SAY BUT THIS MUCH
FOR BOEING INVESTORS IS A BIT OF
A RELIEF RALLY FOR THAT STOCK ON
THE NOTION THEY HAVE ENOUGH
HEADACHES, THEY DIDN'T NEED THIS
ONE ADDED.
AGAIN, GROWING QUESTIONS EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED A LITTLE MORE THAN
36 HOURS AGO.
TO RETIRED BRIGADIER GENERAL
ANTHONY TAITA.
ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU.
THE IRANIANS ARE NOT SHARING
THAT BLACK BOX CERTAINLY WITH
BOEING.
THEY COULD STILL GIVE IT TO A
THIRD PARTY COUNTRY, CANADA
COMES TO MIND.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IF THEY NEVER
DO, THOUGH?
>> WELL, I THINK IT'S A PRETTY
CLEAR INDICATION THAT THIS WAS A
SHOOT-DOWN.
IT'S NOT TOO HARD TO VISUALIZE
HOW IT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED.
THEY HAD LAUNCHED 15 BALLISTIC
MISSILES AT THE UNITED STATES
BASES, JOINT BASES IN IRAQ AND
THEIR AIR DEFENSES AND THEY HAVE
SUBSTANTIAL SURFACE-TO-AIR
MISSILE DEFENSES, RUSSIAN-MADE
WEAPONS PRIMARILY, ARE ON HIGH
ALERT AND ALL IT TAKES IS ONE
UNTRAINED OPERATOR AND ONE
SYSTEM THAT PERHAPS IS, YOU
KNOW, READY TO LAUNCH AS OPPOSED
TO ON CHECK FIRE OR HOLD FIRE,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT PICKS UP
AN AIRPLANE COMING IN AND IT
LAUNCHES.
AND IT'S A MISTAKE.
AND IT JUST SHOWS, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS INSULT TO INJURY FOR
IRAN IN THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE --
NEVER SHOULD HAVE LAUNCHED THOSE
MISSILES, NOW THEY HAVE SHOT
DOWN AND KILLED THEIR OWN PEOPLE
AND SEVERAL COUNTRIES THAT ARE
FRIENDLY TO THEM AND IT'S JUST
AN INDICATOR OF HOW MUCH ON THE
WRONG PATH THIS COUNTRY IS AND
THEY NEED TO STEP BACK AND THEY
NEED TO REALLY DO A CRITICAL
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF THEIR FOREIGN
POLICY AND THEY NEED TO STOP
EXPORTING TERROR, THEY NEED TO
STOP BUILDING NUCLEAR WEAPONS,
AND THEY NEED TO JOIN THE LEAGUE
OF NATIONS AND THE WORLD ECONOMY
THAT, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY CAN
ACTUALLY MAKE A CONTRIBUTION.
I THINK THIS COULD BE A GOOD
REMINDER TO THEM, NOT THE
SHOOT-DOWN OF AN AIRPLANE'S
GOOD, BUT THIS COULD BE A
REMINDER TO THEM THEY ARE
TOTALLY ON THE WRONG PATH.
NEIL: IT'S INTERESTING, A LOT OF
FOLKS HOPE COOLER HEADS
PREVAILED AND THAT THE WORST IS
OVER AND I KNOW IT CAN BE JUST
RHETORIC AND PLAYING TO THE
LOCAL AUDIENCE BUT VIRTUALLY ALL
THE TOP IRANIAN LEADERS HAVE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT'S NOT
OVER, IT'S NOT OVER, SO IF THEY
MEAN WHAT THEY SAY, ARE THEY
TALKING CYBERATTACKS, ARE THEY
TALKING MORE TARGETS?
WHAT DO YOU ENVISION HERE?
>> THEY HAVE A VAST TERRORIST
NETWORK.
THE REPUBLICAN GUARD CORPS IS A
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, THAT'S
WHY SULEIMANI WAS A LEGITIMATE
TARGET.
MY SUPPOSITION IS THAT THE
MISSILE STRIKE WAS SORT OF FIRST
SALVO, THEN THEY ARE HUSBANDING
THEIR RESOURCES, TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT, WHAT
CAN THEY DO IN A SHOCKING AND
SPECTACULAR WAY BUT AT THE SAME
TIME, THEY SAID WE'RE DONE, AND
YOU KNOW, UNLESS WE ATTACK AND
THEN THEY COUNTER-ATTACK SO
PERHAPS THERE'S A DIPLOMATIC
OPENING HERE.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE
PRESIDENT'S REMARKS YESTERDAY
WERE ALL ABOUT.
SO LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GO DOWN
THAT NATIONAL POWER ELEMENT OF
DIPLOMACY AND SEE IF WE CAN'T
PULL A RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT
HERE.
THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
BUT WHAT WE DON'T NEED, NEIL, IS
NANCY PELOSI, YOU KNOW, PULLING
THE OBAMA 6,000 MILE SCREWDRIVER
OUT OF THE TOOLBOX AND TELLING
US WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO IN
IRAN OR IRAQ OR THESE COMBAT
ZONES TO HAMSTRING THE PRESIDENT
WITH THIS RESOLUTION THAT
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT
PREMATURELY WHEN IRAN IS TALKING
IN A BELLICOSE FASHION, ONLY
SENDS A SIGNAL TO IRAN THAT WE
ARE DIVIDED OVER THIS, AND THIS
OLD SAW ABOUT POLITICS STOPPING
AT THE WATER'S EDGE FOR THE
DEMOCRATS, THEY ARE JUST TOTALLY
UNPREPARED TO CONTRIBUTE TO
NATIONAL SECURITY DISCUSSIONS
BECAUSE THEY SO HATE THIS
PRESIDENT AND THEY JUST NEED TO
GET OUT OF THE WAY ON THIS.
NEIL: WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY
REPUBLICANS WERE THAT WAY WITH
PRESIDENT OBAMA WHEN HE HAD THE
RED LINE IN THE SAND ON SYRIA,
YOU KNOW, AND THEY WANTED TO
TEST HIS METTLE AND HAVE
CONGRESS APPROVE IT FIRST, SO I
GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT, IT GOES BACK
AND FORTH.
BUT AWAY WE GO, RIGHT?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW,
THEIR DEFINITION OF IMMINENT
THREAT IS BENGHAZI.
THEY NEED TO SEE BODY BAGS
BEFORE THEY WILL AGREE THAT
SOMETHING IS AN IMMINENT THREAT.
THE PRESIDENT STOPPED AN ATTACK.
I DON'T CARE IF IT WAS MINUTES
BEFORE, HOURS BEFORE OR DAYS
BEFORE, HE STOPPED AN ATTACK ON
U.S. CITIZENS AND U.S. PROPERTY
AND HE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO DO SO.
NEIL: SO MY PRODUCER WILL KILL
ME, BUT YOU ARE ALWAYS A GOOD
GUEST, SENATOR MIKE LEE HAS SAID
THE BRIEFING WAS INSULTING AND
DEMEANING AND THEY DIDN'T DO
THAT.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
>> I DIDN'T SEE THE BRIEFING BUT
I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY IT MIGHT BE
SPARSE IN INFORMATION BECAUSE
THERE ARE SO MANY LEAKERS AND SO
MANY PEOPLE WORKING WITH IRAN
WHERE YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, KERRY
AND FORMER OBAMA OFFICIALS AND
SO IF THERE ARE DEMOCRATS IN ON
THAT BRIEFING, I CAN TOTALLY
UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE AT SUCH A
PLACE IN THIS COUNTRY WHERE WE
CAN'T TRUST EACH OTHER BECAUSE
THERE ARE SO MANY LEAKS AND WITH
SOCIAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY
BEING WHAT IT IS, IT'S FIVE
MINUTES BEFORE IRAN HAS THE
INFORMATION THAT WAS IN THAT
BRIEFING.
NEIL: GENERAL, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
ALWAYS ENJOY OUR CHATS.
I ALWAYS LIKE TO REMIND FOLKS
THAT I APPRECIATE AS WELL YOUR
INCREDIBLE SERVICE TO THIS
COUNTRY.
I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU ARE ON