LOU: JOINING US NOW, CHRISTIAN
WHITEN.
CHRISTIAN, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
LET'S START WITH FIRST, YOUR
REACTION TO THE PRESIDENT
ORDERING AN IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL
WITHOUT MUCH OF A RUNUP TO
PREPARE ANYONE, DECLARING
STRAIGHTFORWARDLY ISIS IS DONE
AND SO IS OUR PRESENCE IN NORTH
EASTERN SYRIA
>> WELL PRESIDENT TRUMP DID
ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT THING.
HE'S COMPLETELY CORRECT.
ISIS IS DEFEATED AS AN ORGANIZED
MILITARY POLITICAL FORCE.
REMEMBER THERE WITH JAPANESE
HOLDOUTS 0 COMING OUT OF THE
JUNGLE TWO DECADES AFTER THAT
WAR ENDED.
AS AN ORGANIZED FORCE, A
MILITARY FORCE ABLE TO HOLD
TERRITORY IN FEAR
TERRITORY IN SEAR
TERRITORY IN SYRR
TERRITORY IN SYRIA AND IRAQ,
THEY ARE CAPUT.
WHY GIVE YOU OPPONENTS A CHANCE
TO FRANKLY CREATE A LOT OF
UNJUST FEAR BY
PULLING OUT THE PRESIDENT HAS
THE AINLT TO FOCUS ON WHERE THE
REAL THREATS ARE IN THE WORLD
THAT WE FACE, LIKE CHINA
LOU: AND CERTAINLY CONCERNS IN
THE HEMISPHERE THAT THIS
PRESIDENT WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH
OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SIX
YEARS.
CRIES
CHIES
CHRISTIAN, LET'S TURN TO THE
PREPARATION THAT THE PRESIDENT
MADE FOR EVERYONE.
HE STARTED WITH HIS CAMPAIGN FOR
PRESIDENT IN WHICH HE SAID IT'S
GOING TOSH SMART GOVERNMENT,
SMART FOREIGN POLICY.
HE IS NOT GOING TO FOLLOW THE
MISADVENTURES OF PREVIOUS
PRESIDENTS AND HE'S NOT GOING TO
NATION BUILD OR SIMPLY DEPLOY
FOR PERMANENT STATION OUR
FORCES.
EVERYONE HAD PLENTY OF NOTICE
AND SHOULD THEY HAVE BOTHERED
FULL UNDERSTANDING OF HIS INTENT
IN FOREIGN POLICY AND IN THE USE
OF THE U.S. MILITARY.
>> YEAH.
IT STILL SHOCKS ME THAT PEOPLE
ARE SHOCKED THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
DOES WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO,
WHICH AGAIN, IN THIS CASE, WITH
NATION BUILDING AND PRESIDENT
TRUMP WENT THROUGH A LIST OF
NEARLY COMPLETE FAILURE.
YOU KNOW OUR MILITARY HAS DONE
VERY WELL AT THE TASKS ASSIGNED
TO IT, REMOVING THE TALIBAN FROM
POWER IN KABUL, REMOVING SADDAM
HUSSEIN.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO NATION
BUILDING WE'VE BEEN A FAILURE AT
THAT.
AND HE'LL FULFILLING A PLEDGE.
YOU CAN FOCUS THE MILITARY ON
WHAT IT DOES BEST AND WHERE IT
NEEDS TO BE.
LOU: ARE YOU STRUCK THOUGH EVEN
KNOWING THAT THE PROTOCOLS OF
THE WASHINGTON SWAMP THAT WE
WOULD SEE RINOS AND NEOCONS
SUDDENLY REFLEXIVELY CRITICIZING
THE REMOVAL OF 2,000 TROOPS AS
THOUGH THEY WOULD ALTER THE
FUTURE OF THE ENTIRE MIDDLE
EAST.
IT'S STUNNING EVEN BY THE
RELATIVELY LOW STANDARDS AND
EXPECTATIONS WE ATTACH TO THEM.
>> YEAH.
IT'S JUST OUTRAGEOUS.
YOU KNOW SAYING ALSO, IF YOU
WANT TO KEEP U.S. FORCES IN
SYRIA AFTER WOE EVE ACCOMPLISHED
OUR DEFEATING ISIS.
ALL THAT WOULD DO IS PROLONG THE
SYRIAN CIVIL WAR THAT'S BEEN
GOING ON.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
DEAD.
SADDAM IS A TYRANT, EVIL, A BAD
GUY.
BUT UNLIKE THE PEOPLE THE
NEOCONS WOULD HAVE US FIGHTING
FOR, ASSAD CAN CONTROL HIS DOWN
COUNTRY AND THERE ARE MUCH WORSE
THINGS THAN ASSAD LADD AS
THINGS THAN ASSAD.LADD AS
LOU: AND AS WE FOCUS ON THE
POWERS THAT REPRESENT THE
GREATEST GEOMILITARY THREAT TO
THIS COUNTRY, CERTAINLY CHINA,
CERTAINLY RUSSIA, TO CONTINUE IN
THE MIDDLE EAST -- WHAT DO YOU
THINK ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S
SUGGESTION, INTIMATION REALLY,
PERHAPS AN INFERENCE ON MY PART,
THAT WE NEED TO BRING OUR FORCES
HOME, WHETHER IT BE GERMANY,
WHETHER IT BE THE UNITED
KINGDOM, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, WE
NEED TO BRING -- TO STAND DOWN
IN A LOT OF PLACES WHERE THIS
COUNTRY IS HEFTING THE BILL AND
RUNNING GREAT RISK.
>> I DIDN'T INFER A SORT OF
WHOLESALE WITHDRAWAL BUT YOU'RE
SEEING AN ONGOING PROCESS OF
REALIGNMENT.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE
9/11.
WHAT MADE SENSE IN THE YEAR TWO
OR THREE OR FOUR AFTER THAT NO
LONGER MAY MAKE SENSE A DECADE
AND A HALF LATER.
AND NATO REALLY IS OBSOLETE IF
YOU LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL
MISSION.
THE IDEA OF REPOSITIONING THE
FORCES AND CUTTING BACK ON THE
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE TRYING
TO ACCOMPLISH IN IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN AND WHAT WE'RE GOING
TO ACCOMPLISH IN A YEAR OR TWO
THAT WE HAVEN'T IN 17 YEARS.
BUT REALIGNING FORCES, PUSHING
OR ALLIES, WHETHER THEY BE
EUROPEAN, GETTING JAPAN AS IT'S
AGREED TO SPEND MORE ON ITS
MILITARY, CONVERT ITS MILITARY
TO AN OFFENSIVE POSTURE.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT DONALD
TRUMP HAS ACCOMPLISHED.
LOU: AND YOU CAN SENSE HIS
FRUSTRATION AS HE HAS TO CAJOLE
THE EUROPEAN MEMBERS OF NATO TO
PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE AS WE SPEND
OUR TREASURE PROTECTING THEM.