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>>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. >>> AFGHANISTAN IS FRONT AND
CENTER THIS WEEK AS A NEW
REPORT COMES OUT IN THE
WASHINGTON POST.
WASHINGTON POST. IT CITES DOCUMENTS WHERE THE
PUBLIC HAS BEEN MISLAID ON THE
AFGHAN WAR ALMOST FROM THE
BEGINNING AND WE HAVE OUR FOUR-
STAR ARMY GENERAL, BARRY
McCAFFREY, AND THANK YOU FOR
COMING IN . THIS MADE ME THINK
OF THE PENTAGON PAPERS WHEN I
SAW THE REPORT.
IS IT OF THAT NATURE OR WHAT
SHOULD WE THINK OF THIS?
>> IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE
MEDIA HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB
OF COVERING AFGHANISTAN AND
IRAQ WITH THE MILITARY
INVOLVED, ROUTINELY LOOKING AT
THE INFORMATION ON THE GROUND.
WE HAVE 775,000 TROOPS SERVING
IN AFGHANISTAN THAT CAME HOME
AND TOLD MOM AND DAD WHAT WAS
GOING ON.
GOING ON.
GOING ON. WE WENT IN THERE AS A PUNITIVE
EXPEDITION FOLLOWING 9/11.
I DON'T EVEN THINK IT WAS
MISSION-CRITICAL, MISSION
MISSION-CRITICAL, MISSION FANTASY WHERE WE WOULD CREATE
THIS MODERN, DEMOCRATIC
CAPITALISTIC STATE IN THE HEART
OF THE NORTHWEST FRONTIER.
IT WAS NOT GOING TO WORK FROM
THE START WITH A CORRUPT AND
TRIBAL WARFARE BASED ON ETHNIC
ORIENTATION.
ORIENTATION. NINE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS WISH
THEM WELL, PAKISTANI ENDS OR
IRANIANS OR CENTRAL REPUBLIC.
IT IS ON THE VERGE OF
COLLAPSING IF WE WITHDRAW.
I DON'T THINK THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MISLED BUT IF
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE SOME OF
THE ARMY AND STATE DEPARTMENT
GUYS MISLED EACH OTHER.
>> WITH MAGICAL THINKING.
>> OF COURSE IT IS GETTING
BETTER BECAUSE I'VE BEEN
POURING MY HEART AND SOUL INTO
IT.
IT.
IT. BY
IT. BY THE WAY, THE TECHNICAL
TACTICAL LEVEL HAS DONE AN
AMAZING JOB AND WE HAVE HAD A
FEW THOUSAND WOUNDED AND IT
SHOULD'VE BEEN MUCH WORSE THAN
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. AT
THAT. AT THE STRATEGIC LEVEL EVERY
YEAR OR THREE WE GET A NEW
AMBASSADOR AND FOUR-STAR
GENERAL.
GENERAL.
GENERAL. THEY LOOK AT THE SITUATION AND
SAY IT'S MESSED UP AND WHEN I
LEAVE I WILL LEAVE IT BETTER
OFF WHEN I FOUND IT.
WE HAVE HAD THREE PRESIDENTS
AND THEY HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY.
THEY SAID IF WE PULL OUT THIS
THING WILL COLLAPSE AND IT WILL
BE UTTER MAYHEM.
THE WOMEN WOULD GO BACK TO
SLAVERY, BUT THEY ARE NOT FAR
FROM IT NOW.
MILLIONS WOULD FLEE AGAIN
ACROSS THE BORDERS.
SO NONE OF THE PRESIDENTS HAVE
WANTED TO ENDURE THE
CONSEQUENCES OF PULLING OUT.
>> THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY REAL
DILEMMA, SO WHAT IS YOUR
SUGGESTION IF WE STAY TO KIND
OF HOLD THE FORT, AND TO KEEP
THE DISASTER FROM FURTHER
HAPPENING, IS THAT A BETTER
SOLUTION?
SOLUTION?
SOLUTION? OR DO WE HAVE TO ADMIT WE
CANNOT CREATE WHAT WE HOPED TO
GREAT AND THAT WE HAVE TO GO?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
I THINK THE BEST EXPLANATION,
THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL AND
GRADUATE PROGRAM, IF YOU ARE
THERE AND START THE NATIONAL
SECURITY CASE STUDY, YOU HAVE
TO WRITE DOWN THE POLITICAL
OBJECTIVE.
OBJECTIVE. THE OTHER PLAYERS IN THE
WARGAME WILL SAY AND HOW DO WE
USE THE ELEMENTS OF THE U.S.
NATIONAL POWER TO ACHIEVE
CLINICAL OBJECTIVES.
CLINICAL OBJECTIVES. THEN YOU HAVE TO GO AND TELL
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHAT YOU
ARE TRYING TO DO, BUT THAT
NEVER HAPPENED.
NEVER HAPPENED. WE HAD MODEST RESOURCES ON THE
GROUND.
GROUND.
GROUND. WE POURED BILLIONS INTO THE
ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION AID, A
LOT OF WHICH HAS DISAPPEARED.
PEOPLE DID NOT STEAL 20% BUT
THEY STOLE 90% OF IT.
EACH PRESIDENT LOOKS AT IT AND
SAYS -- AND THEN HE GETS A NEW
GENERAL AND SENDS THEM IN
THEIR.
THEIR.
THEIR. MOST OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
GUIDANCE TENDS TO BE 20 TROOPS
THAT YOU HAVE THERE BUT THAT IS
TACTICAL ADVICE INSTEAD OF WHAT
WE WANT YOU TO ACHIEVE, AND
WHAT WE ARE WILLING TO DO TO
GET THERE.
GET THERE. >> CAN WE DO WHAT IT TAKES TO
GET THERE?
GET THERE? >> WE PROBABLY COULD IF WE TOLD
THE TALIBAN WE WOULD BE THERE
WITH 50 YEARS OF A TINY FORCE,
2000 TROOPS, NOT MUCH COMPARED
TO THE 2.1 MILLION AND ACTIVE
RESERVE.
RESERVE.
RESERVE. WE COULD SIT ON IT OR 50 OR 100
YEARS AND THAT WOULD MAKE IT
BETTER OFF THAN WHEN WE PULLED
OUT BUT IS THERE THE POLITICAL
WILL AMONG THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
TO SUSTAIN THAT, I WOULD SAY
NOT.
NOT.
NOT. >>
NOT. >> AND A SAUDI TRAINEE IS
APPARENTLY THE SHOOTER WHERE
SEVERAL PEOPLE LOST THEIR
LIVES.
LIVES.
LIVES. MANY OF US DISCOVERED WE WERE
DOING LARGE SCALE TRAINING OF
SAUDI TROOPS.
SAUDI TROOPS. TELL US ABOUT THAT TRAINING
PROGRAM, VETTING INVOLVED IN
THIS ACTIVIST TRAINING.
>> THAT MILITARY PROGRAM IS
VITAL TO THE U.S. NATIONAL
SECURITY AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING
THIS SINCE WORLD WAR II AND
PROBABLY 5000 FOREIGNERS ARE
GETTING TRAINED SOMEWHERE IN
THE U.S. THAT RANGES FROM
MECHANICAL SKILLS TO THE NAVY
SMALL BOAT SCHOOL, PILOT
TRAINING UP TO THE DEFENSE
UNIVERSITY.
UNIVERSITY. WHEN I WAS A LIEUTENANT COLONEL
I HAD A GREEK CARNAL AS MY
STUDENT PARTNER AT THE ARMY WAR
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. WE GET A LOT OUT OF IT AND WE
PUT SOME PAKISTANI MAJOR AT
FORT LEAVENWORTH, AND HE WAS
MANNING THE GENERAL STAFF
COLLEGE, AND 20 YEARS LATER HE
IS THE PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN.
WE THINK THE PROGRAM IS VITAL.
NORMALLY THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS
THAT THEY WILL DEFECT AND NOT
GO HOME.
GO HOME.
GO HOME. I HAD A RUSSIAN COLONEL WHEN I
WAS IN THE PENTAGON THAT
DEPICTED FROM THE AIR WAR
COLLEGE WHICH CAUSED A BIG
UPROAR IN AFGHAN AND WE CAN'T
BRING THEM HERE ANYMORE BECAUSE
NONE OF THEM GO BACK.
AND WITH THE SAUDIS, THERE'S
AROUND 1000 STUDENTS HERE AT
ANY GIVEN TIME.
THE ENTIRE ARMED FORCES IS
IMPORTANT TO THE U.S. NATIONAL
SECURITY INTEREST IN THE
PERSIAN GULF ARENA.
ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGY, THE MOST
MODERN ON THE FACE OF THE WORLD,
CAME FROM THE U.S. WE ARE THE
ONES THAT TRAINED THEM.
IF YOU GOING TO THE SAUDI
ARABIA NAVAL BASE, THE U.S.
CIVILIANS ARE MAINTAINING THEIR
EQUIPMENT.
EQUIPMENT. IT IS STILL IMPORTANT BUT I
THINK WE HAVE TO GO AND CHECK
VETTING.
VETTING.
VETTING. >> WE HAVE TO BE SURE BUT LET
ME ASK YOU VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, BUT ONE A
QUESTION ABOUT THE MILITARY
PARDONS.
PARDONS.
PARDONS. IT GOT THE ATTENTION WHEN ONE
PERSON GOT A PARDON AND
SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ON THE
NEWS TALKING ABOUT THIS
SITUATION.
SITUATION. THIS IS PRETTY UNUSUAL, AND CAN
EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE NOT IN OR
AROUND THE MILITARY WHAT THE
DIFFICULTY IS AROUND THIS.
WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE ORDER
AND THIS POINT IS, AND WHAT
IMPACT YOU THINK THIS HAS.
>> THE TRUMP BEHAVIOR WAS
OUTRAGEOUS COMMANDING INFLUENCE
WITH SOME TWO STAR GENERAL, HAD
HE DONE THAT WE WOULD HAVE
FIRED HIM AND CHARGED HIM WITH
INTERFERING WITH THE JUSTICE
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY
JUSTICE IS A LAW THAT WAS
PASSED BY CONGRESS AND DOES NOT
BELONG TO THE PENTAGON OR THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. THAT IS FEDERAL LAW AND A
PRETTY GOOD SYSTEM OF JUSTICE.
THESE THREE PARDONS, EACH ONE
IS QUITE DIFFERENT.
THE NAVY CHIEF WAS ACTUALLY
NEVER CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE
COUNTS OF MURDER.
I WILL NOT SECOND-GUESS THE
JURY BUT I THINK IT IS FAIR TO
SAY THAT THE PRESIDENT TALKED
ABOUT THE DEEP STATE, PEOPLE IN
AIR-CONDITIONED OFFICES, AND IN
ALL THREE CASES, THEY WERE
THEIR OWN TROOPS THAT TURNED IN
SOMEBODY FOR WAR CRIMES.
THEY WENT TO A GRAND JURY
EQUIVALENT.
EQUIVALENT. THEY WENT TO COURT-MARTIAL,
BECAUSE IT IS A FEDERAL COURT-
MARTIAL.
MARTIAL.
MARTIAL. THEY WERE CONVICTED.
HAVING THE PRESIDENT OF UNITED
STATES HOLDING THEM UP ON
STAGE, AND SANG THAT WE TRAINED
THEM TO BE KILLERS, AND NOW WE
DON'T HAVE THEIR BACK IS AN
OUTRAGEOUS OFFENSE TO THE MEN
AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES.
>> WE HAVE TO DECIDE OUR MORALS
DESPITE THE WORST OF THE OTHER
SIDE.
SIDE.
SIDE. >>
SIDE. >> IT IS HUMILIATION.
>> I WILL SAY THAT AS A
MILITARY KID, AND THANK YOU
VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US