WITH A BRAND-NEW BABY.
>> I AM TRYING MY BEST.
>> Shannon: ALMOST EXACTLY
SEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY, THE LAST
U.S. TROOPS PULLED OUT OF IRAQ
UNDER DIFFERENT PRESIDENT.
SINCE THEN IN THE WAKE OF THE
EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF ISIS,
THOUSANDS OF TROOPS HAVE
RETURNED.
UNDER THIS PRESIDENT, IRAQ COULD
BE A KEY TO KEEPING A LID ON
VIOLENCE IN THE REGION.
>> WE SEE SOMETHING HAPPEN WITH
ISIS THAT WE DON'T LIKE, WE CAN
END THEM SO FAST AND SO HARD,
THEY REALLY WON'T KNOW WHAT THE
HELL HAPPENED.
WE WILL KNOCK THEM SILLY.
IT'S TIME FOR US TO USE OUR
HEADS.
WE DON'T WANT TO BE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE ANYMORE BY COUNTRIES
THAT USE US.
>> Shannon: LET'S BRING IN
RETIRED LIEUTENANT GENERAL JERRY
BOYKIN, FORMER DEPUTY
UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR
INTELLIGENCE.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
>> Shannon: MERRY CHRISTMAS.
THE PRESIDENT TOOK A
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO OUR TROOPS IN
IRAQ.
WHAT DOES IT DO FOR MORALE?
>> IT CAN'T DO ANYTHING BUT PUMP
THEM UP.
TO HAVE THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES VISIT IS A VERY
BIG DEAL.
THE TIMING COULDN'T BE BETTER IN
TERMS OF THE PRESIDENT BEING
ABLE TO GET HIS MESSAGE OUT ON
WHAT HIS INTENTIONS ARE WITH
REGARDS TO SYRIA.
I THINK THIS IS NOTHING BUT A
POSITIVE FOR THE PRESIDENT, EVEN
THOUGH I DON'T PERSONALLY AGREE
WITH HIS DECISION ON SYRIA.
>> Shannon: LET'S TALK ABOUT
IT.
FORMER NATO COMMANDER WESLEY
CLARK, WHO HAS RUN FOR PRESIDENT
AS A DEMOCRAT, HAD A VERY
INTERESTING THEORY THAT HE'S
FLOATING.
HE SAYS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT
IT.
HERE'S HIS TAKE.
>> SOME OF OUR FRIENDS AND
ALLIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST ARE
ASKING DID ERDOGAN BLACKMAIL THE
PRESIDENT?
>> Shannon: THAT'S AN
INTERESTING CHARGE TO LEVEL.
>> YEAH, I THINK GENERAL CLARK
PROBABLY IS RETHINKING THAT, AND
I HOPE, BECAUSE I'VE KNOWN HIM
FOR A LONG TIME, I HOPE THAT HE
WILL TRY TO SET THE RECORD
STRAIGHT THERE.
FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T TRUST
ERDOGAN EITHER.
AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY THAT'S
BEEN WATCHING WHAT'S GOING ON IN
SYRIA TRUSTS ERDOGAN
COOPERATIVELY WHEN IT COMES TO
GOING INTO AN AREA THAT'S
OCCUPIED PRIMARILY BY KURDS
AFTER DECADES OF THE TURKS
CHASING THE KURDS, EVEN KILLING
MANY, MANY OF THE KURDS IN
TURKEY.
I DON'T TRUST ERDOGAN HERE IN
THIS SITUATION.
>> Shannon: THAT'S CLEARLY ONE
OF THE ISSUES PEOPLE HAVE WHO
ARE OPPOSED TO THE PULLOUT OF
SYRIA, SAYING THAT THE KURDS ARE
GOING TO BE LEFT IN A VULNERABLE
POSITION.
MOLLIE HEMINGWAY HAD AN
INTERESTING PIECE IN "THE
FEDERALIST" CALLED "TRUMP'S
SYRIA POLICY CORRECT BUT
COMMUNICATED HORRIBLY."
SHE SAYS THE REALITY IS THAT
ASSAD HAS WON THE CIVIL WAR AND
THE KURDS HAVE BEGUN NEGOTIATING
WITH HIM.
WE CAN PLAY A ROLE BUT WE DON'T
END THEM AND LESS PROTECTION.
THEY HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT ALLY
FOR US.
WHAT DO WE OWE THE KURDS?
>> WE OWE THE KURDS CERTAINLY
SOME KIND OF GUARANTEE OF THEIR
SECURITY AND SUPPORT IN THE
FUTURE.
GO BACK TO IRAQ.
FIRST OF ALL, WE LEFT THE KURDS
AFTER THE FIRST GULF WAR.
WE WALKED OFF AND ABANDON THEM
IN OVER 30,000 OF THEM WERE
KILLED BY SADDAM HUSSEIN.
THEN YOU LOOK AT WHEN WE PULLED
OUT OF IRAQ SEVEN YEARS AGO, WE
SORT OF LEFT THE KURDS TO THEIR
OWN DEVICES.
THEY HAVE BEEN FIGHTING AGAINST
REALLY THE SHIA MILITIAS AS WELL
AS THE SUNNIES.
WE HAVE PROVIDED THEM ALMOST
NOTHING.
ANYTHING WE HAVE TRIED TO SEND
THEM, WE HAVE SENT THROUGH
BAGHDAD AND IT GETS SIPHONED OFF
TO EITHER THE IRANIANS OR IT
GETS SIPHONED OFF TO SOME OF THE
MILITIAS THERE IN IRAQ.
WE HAVE NOT DONE RIGHT BY THE
KURDS.
THIS WOULD BE THE THIRD TIME WE
HAVE ABANDONED THEM.
THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING FOR US
TO DO BECAUSE, ESPECIALLY WITH
OUR SPECIAL OPERATIONS PEOPLE,
THE KURDS HAVE BEEN VERY KEY TO
THEM BEING ABLE TO OPERATE.
>> Shannon: LET'S LOOK TO THE
PRESIDENT AND THE SELECTION OF A
NEW DEFENSE SECRETARY.
CHRISTIAN WHITTEN WAS AN ADVISOR
TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AND
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH.
HERE'S WHAT HE WROTE ABOUT.
HE SAID WITH DEMOCRATS GAINING
CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES ON JANUARY 3, IT
WILL BECOME FAR MORE IMPORTANT
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO HAVE A
DEFENSE SECRETARY WHO CAN BE AN
EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE FOR
PRESIDENTIAL POLICIES.
THE NEXT PENTAGON CHIEF NEEDS TO
BE BOTH AN ADVOCATE FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S VISION OF
AMERICA'S MILITARY ROLE IN THE
WORLD AND THE POLITICAL PRO WHO
CAN INSTALL APRIL TRUMP THAT
WORK AT THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT.
THERE WERE SOME CRITIQUES THAT
THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF PRO
TRUMPERS THERE.
>> I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE
CASE.
I'M NOT SURE GENERAL MATTIS WAS
ALIGNED WITH THE PRESIDENT ON A
LOT OF ISSUES THAT THE PRESIDENT
FELT STRONGLY ABOUT.
I THINK GENERAL MATTIS WAS
PROBABLY LEFT OF CENTER.
THAT SAID, DOESN'T MEAN HE
WASN'T AN EFFECTIVE DEFENSE
SECRETARY.
BUT I WILL SAY THIS.
I THINK HE DID EXACTLY THE RIGHT
THING, UNLIKE LEON PANETTA AND
BOB GATES WHEN HE COULD NO
LONGER SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT'S
POLICIES, HE
RESIGNED.
THAT'S THE HONORABLE THING TO
DO, RATHER THAN STAY WITH IT,
SUPPORT BAD POLICIES, AND THEN
GET OUT AND WRITE A BOOK AND TRY
TO SALVAGE HER OWN REPUTATION.
>> Shannon: OR WRITE ANONYMOUS
PIECES FOR "THE NEW YORK TIMES."
11 PEOPLE RESPECT HIM FOR
STEPPING UP AND SAY WHAT HE FELT
HE NEEDED TO SAY.
GENERAL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING