GENERAL'S DEATH.
LET'S BRING IN DAN CRENSHAW NOW,
MEMBER OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON
HOMELAND SECURITY, FORMER NAVY
SEAL, SERVED IN IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN, NOW SERVING IN REAL
COMBAT IN WASHINGTON AS WELL
WHICH IS ALSO PHYSICAL AND ALSO
VERY, I GUESS YOU COULD CALL IT,
TRENCH WARFARE.
FIRST OFF, CONGRESSMAN, ARE WE
SAFER WITH THE GENERAL DEAD?
>> FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME.
AND THE ANSWER IS, ABSOLUTELY
YES.
SULEMANI WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
DEATH OF HUNDREDS OF AMERICANS.
HE PLANNED EXECUTED ATTACKS ON
AMERICANS, GAVE IEDs TO SHIA
MILITIAS IN IRAQ THAT ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 600
AMERICAN DEATHS NOT TO MENTION
ALL THE DEATHS AROUND THE
REGION, SYRIA, LEBANON, IRAQ AND
ELSEWHERE, HOUTHI REBELS IN
YEMEN.
SO THIS GUY'S BEEN A FORCE OF
DESTRUCTION AND DEATH IN THE
REGION FOR A LONG TIME.
THE HE'S THE HEAD OF ONE OF THE
LARGEST TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
IN THE WORLD, THE IRANIAN QUDS
FORCE, SO, YES, WE ARE SAFER.
ARE THERE GOING TO BE
CONSEQUENCES?
OF COURSE THERE WOULD BE.
I WOULD FULLY EXPECT THE
IRANIANS TO PLAN SOME KIND OF
RETRIBUTION.
BUT HERE'S THE THING, WE HAVE TO
DISABUSE OURSELVES OF THIS
NOTION THAT WE SHOULD SIMPLY
CONTINUE TO TAKE PUNCHES, OKAY?
IRAN ATTACKED OUR BASE RECENTLY,
THEN THEY ATTACKED OUR EMBASSY
WHERE THEY FULLY SUPPORTED THE
SHIA MILITIAS THAT DID IT.
ARE WE SUPPOSED TO JUST LET THAT
HAPPEN?
AND TO SAY YES WOULD BE ABSURD,
AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHEN
AMERICANS BECOME SO FEARFUL.
YOU KNOW, WE -- THE COUNTLESS
PEOPLE ON THE LEFT TWEETING OUT
APOLOGIES AND BLAMING OUR OWN
GOVERNMENT FOR TAKING ACTION TO
KILL A MAN WHO HAS KILLED
AMERICANS.
AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE
THIS AMERICAN SELF-LOATHING CAME
FROM AND, FRANKLY, THANK GOD
THEY'RE NOT IN CHARGE.
STEVE: ACROSS THE AISLE FROM YOU
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS,
WE'VE GOT A TWEET FROM ILHAN
OMAR, THEY WANT THE PRESIDENT TO
EXPLAIN WHAT LEGAL AUTHORITY HE
USED TO CARRY OUT THIS ATTACK.
WE HAD SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE
POMPEO ON WITH US A LITTLE WHILE
AGO, AND HE SAID IT WASN'T FOR
WHAT SULEMANI HAS ORCHESTRATED
SO FAR, IT WAS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE THEY WERE
PLOTTING MORE ATTACKS.
>> YEAH.
WELL, I CAN CERTAINLY --
[INAUDIBLE]
I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, YEAH, THIS
WAS A, THIS WAS A STRIKE THAT
WAS IN RESPONSE TO ARE RECENT
STRIKES -- TO VERY RECENT
STRIKES AGAINST US.
SO THERE WAS A SELF-DEFENSE
MECHANISM TO THIS.
FURTHERMORE, THE PREVENTIVE
MEASURES.
BUT BEYOND THAT, THIS HAPPENED
IN IRAQ AGAINST AN ENEMY THAT
ATTACKS US IN IRAQ IN WHICH WE
HAVE PLENTY OF AUTHORIZATION TO
BE OPERATING IN.
THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON THE
IRANIANS.
IT'S LIKE SAYING WHEN THERE WAS
FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN IRAQ
THROUGHOUT THE IRAQ WAR, THAT WE
SHOULD NOT HAVE LET OUR SOLDIERS
ENGAGE WITH THEM BECAUSE WE
HADN'T DECLARED WAR UPON THAT
PARTICULAR COUNTRY.
THAT'S AN ABSURD THING TO SAY.
AND THESE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
KNOW THAT, OR MAYBE THEY DON'T
KNOW THAT.
I'M HERE TO TELL THEM THAT.
AND ALL THIS HAND-WRINGING THAT
THEY'RE DOING CERTAINLY DIDN'T
OCCUR DURING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION, AND I WISH THEY
WOULD JUST LEE THE HYPOCRISY
ASIDE, THE PARTISANSHIP ASIDE.
WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER.
WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT AS A
CONGRESS WHAT AUTHORIZATIONS WE
SHOULD GIVE TO THE PRESIDENT
JUST IN CASE THESE DISTURBANCES
AROUND THE REGION CONTINUE TO
ESCALATE.
THE LAST THING WE SHOULD BE
DOING IS LOOKING TO OUR PAST,
AND I'M FRIENDS WITH TULSI
GABBARD, BUT TO SAY THAT WHAT WE
SHOULD BE DOING IS LOOKING TO
OUR PAST AND TRYING TO ANALYZE
WHY THIS HAPPENS, THAT'S ABSURD.
THAT'S A GREAT ACADEMIC
ARGUMENT, BUT IT DOESN'T HELP US
IN OUR CURRENT REALITY.
WE HAVE AN ENEMY THAT DOES WANT
TO DESTROY US.
AND WE DO HAVE TO DEAL WITH
THAT.
WE DIDN'T LOOK AT HISTORICAL
TEXTBOOKS TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM.
WE HAVE A CHOICE BETWEEN PEACE
AND WAR, AND IF WE WANT PEACE,
WE CAN SURRENDER TO THEM RIGHT
NOW.
OF COURSE, STEALING THAT QUOTE
FROM REAGAN.
BUT THAT'S NOT A GOOD STRATEGY.
ALL RIGHT?
IT'S A FEARFUL STRATEGY.
IT'S CERTAINLY NOT A STRATEGY
FOR A COUNTRY LIKE THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
AINSLEY: DAN --
BRIAN: THE ONE THING WE'VE GOT
TO WORRY ABOUT IS THE NEXT TEN.
BE PREPARED FOR THE NEXT STEP.
IF YOU WERE IN COMMAND CONTROL
NOW KNOW WE JUST TOOK OUT THE
NUMBER TWO MOST IMPORTANT PERSON
IN IRAQ, WHAT WOULD YOU BE MOST
FOCUSED ON AT THIS HOUR?
>> WHAT WE KNOW THE IRANIANS ARE
VERY GOOD AT IS SURROGATE
WARFARE.
THIS WAS WHAT SULEMANI DID,
OKAY?
HE BUILT SURROGATES TROUT THE
REGION -- THROUGHOUT THE REGION
THAT COULD ATTACK US ON OWL
FRONTS.
WE SHOULD BE BOLSTERING DEFENSES
IN OUR BASES IN IRAQ, IN BAHRAIN
AND ELSEWHERE.
AND HELPING OUR ALLIES IN
ISRAEL.
THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING
IN THE SHORT MATERIAL.