>>> IT REMINDS ME OF OLDER DAYS,
SOVIET COLD WAR DAYS WHEN WE MET
WITH SOVIET LEADERS BUT WE
DIDNT CHECK OUR VALUES AT THE
DOOR AND WE AGREED TO DISAGREE
ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.
I THINK THATS THE APPROACH
BIDEN NEEDS TO TAKE TOMORROW.
>> FORMER AMBASSADOR MICHAEL
McFAUL, FAMILIAR FACE AT THIS
NETWORK.
HE HAS BEEN HELPING PRESIDENT
BIDEN PREPARE FOR TOMORROWS BIG
MEETING AS McFAUL, HIMSELF, HAS
MET WITH PUTIN AS HAS BIDEN.
AS POLITICO REPORTS, BIDEN PLANS
TO TAKE A TOUGH LINE WITH PUTIN
WHILE MAYBE EVEN ELICITING A
CONCESSION OR TWO FROM THE
RUSSIAN LEADER.
SUCH BENEFITS HIS TEAM HAS
CALCULATED ARE WELL WORTH THE
INCOMING FLACK FROM REPUBLICANS
THEY ARE GETTING FOR AGREEING TO
THE MEETING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WITH US AGAIN TONIGHT ANOTHER
GOOD FRIEND DECORATED COMBAT
VETERAN OF VIETNAM, FORMER
BATTLEFIELD COMMANDER IN THE
PERSIAN GULF, FORMER CABINET
MEMBER, FORMER MEMBER OF THE
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL HE
RETIRED AS A FOUR STAR GENERAL
IN THE U.S. ARMY.
GENERAL, LOOK AT IT THIS WAY.
IF PUTIN REPORTED TO A BOARD OF
DIRECTORS, HED GET STRAIGHT UP
BONUSES EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THINK
OF WHAT THEIR WISH LIST WOULD
HAVE BEEN SIX, SEVEN YEARS AGO.
GET INVOLVED IN BREXIT.
GET INVOLVED IN AN AMERICAN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IF YOU
POSSIBLY CAN.
WEAKEN THE ATLANTIC ALLIANCE
THAT HAS KEPT THE PEACE FOR
DECADES.
IF YOU POSSIBLY CAN FIND AN
AMERICAN PRESIDENT WILLING TO
CRITICIZE NATO.
IF YOURE REALLY LUCKY, GET RID
OF SOME OF THE AMERICAN TROOPS
IN GERMANY BECAUSE THEY BOTHER
US.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
A STRAIGHT FLUSH.
I AM GUESSING YOUR HOPE AND YOUR
EXPECTATION IS THAT ERA ENDS
TOMORROW.
>> WELL, BRIAN, IVE SPENT A LOT
OF TIME DEALING WITH THE
RUSSIANS IN MOSCOW AND
ELSEWHERE.
FIRST OF ALL, I THINK WITHOUT
QUESTION PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HIS
SENIOR TEAM WERE RIGHT TO ENGAGE
WITH THE RUSSIANS AND TO MEET
PUTY AND.
PUTIN.
THERE IS NO QUESTION WE HAVE TO
HAVE AN ONGOING DIALOGUE WITH
PUTIN.
BIDEN ARRIVES TO DEAL WITH MR.
PUTIN WITH THE BACKING OF THE
G7, THE EUROPEAN UNION, THE 30
NATIONS OF NATO.
HE COMES IN AS A HEAD OF STATE
OF THE MOST POWERFUL ECONOMIC,
MILITARY, AND VALUE BASED STATE
IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.
HE IS DEALING WITH A GUY WHO
WHOSE ECONOMY IS SMALLER THAN
THAT OF CALIFORNIA, WHO IS
CORRUPT, WHO IS AN AUTOCRAT, WHO
HAS ENDED DEMOCRACY IN RUSSIA
WITH ENDURING AND GROWING
OPPOSITION TO HIM INTERNALLY.
AND PUTIN HEADS A STATE THAT IS
HOSTILE TO AMERICAN INTERESTS.
WEVE
WEVE ACTUALLY CAUGHT AND KILLED
A COUPLE HUNDRED RUSSIAN
MERCENARIES IN SYRIA.
THEY INTERFERED WITH OUR
ELECTION.
THEYRE USING SURROGATE HACKERS
TO ATTACK OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM.
SO I THINK MR. BIDEN WILL DO
JUST FINE TO SHOW UP, ENGAGE
HIM, AND LEAVE A MARKER ON THE
TABLE BUT THEN WE MUST TAKE
ACTION OR THIS VERY CLEVER PUTIN
WILL NOT CHANGE HIS BEHAVIOR.
>> IT IS SUCH A VAST RETURN ON
INVESTMENT.
SUCH A MINIMAL INVESTMENT ON THE
PART OF THE RUSSIANS.
YOU AND I COULD GO THROUGH
SOCIAL MEDIA TONIGHT AND PICK
OUT THE STORIES THAT HAVE BEEN
HELPED ALONG BY THE SITES WE
KNOW ARE BACKED BY RUSSIAN
INTERESTS.
ANYTHING THAT TEARS US APART.
ANYTHING THAT CASTS OUR COUNTRY
IN A BAD LIGHT.
AND THINK ABOUT IT.
THE SEGMENT BEFORE THIS WERE
TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF
VOTER NULLIFICATION IN OUR
ALREADY TORN UP COUNTRY.
THAT IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT
RETURN ON INVESTMENT IF YOU ASK
ME.
>> OH, SURE.
NO QUESTION.
LOOK, WHEN YOU LOOK AT RUSSIA AS
A MILITARY POWER THEY ARE
ACTUALLY FROM A STRATEGIC
PERSPECTIVE NOT MUCH OF A THREAT
TO EITHER WESTERN EUROPE NOR THE
UNITED STATES.
A LOT OF OIL AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS
AND NEITHER ONE IS A
PARTICULARLY POWERFUL TOOL AT
THIS TIME.
OUR STRATEGIC THREAT LONG TERM
IS CHINA.
SO WHEN WE DEAL WITH PUTIN,
AGAIN, HE IS BATTING WAY ABOVE
HIS AVERAGE.
HE DOESNT HAVE MUCH GOING FOR
HIM.
BUT WHAT HE DOES HAVE IS DARING
AND A LACK OF RESPECT FOR THE
LAW.
SO, YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT THIS
WITH ALMOST AMAZEMENT AT HOW FAR
HE GOT WITH TRUMP.
BY THE WAY, MR. TRUMP TODAY PUT
OUT A STATEMENT, VERY INSULTING
ONE, THE GREAT RELATIONSHIP HE
AND PUTIN HAD IN HELSINKI AND
FOR JOE BIDEN TO NOT FALL ASLEEP
AT THE SUMMIT.
THIS IS SUCH AN ENDURING
QUESTION, IT WILL BE EVENTUALLY
THE RUSSIANS WILL LEAK WHAT THEY
HAD TO CONTROL MR. TRUMP WITH
HIS ANTI-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES.
THOSE DAYS ARE OVER.
BIDEN AND HIS TEAM ARE IN
CHARGE.
WE DONT NEED MILITARY
OPERATIONS AGAINST THE RUSSIANS.
BUT WE DO NEED TO DIRECTLY
CONFRONT THEM ON CYBER HACKING,
INTERFERENCE WITH OUR ELECTION,
ARCTIC OPERATIONS, THEIR
MISCHIEF IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
BIDEN HAS TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON