HEY EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK TO THE LATE SHOW
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST GUEST IS THE ANCHOR OF FOX NEWS
SUNDAY AND AN AUTHOR WHOSE WRITTEN A NEW BOOK COUNTDOWN BIN
LADEN. WELCOME BACK TO THE LATE SHOW
CHRIS WALLACE.
MY MAN HOW ARE YOU?
THINGS GOT A LITTLE CRAZY LAST NIGHT.
NEXT TIME I CAN SIT IN WITH THE BAND?
NOW THEN
SO, JON AND I WERE HANGING OUT LAST NIGHT?
WHY WERE YOU HANGING OUT?
YOU HAD FOUR EXCUSES, WE HAD FIVE EXCUSES.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING?
YOU KNOW WE WERE JAMMING?
REALLY?
WHAT DO YOU PLAY?
ANY - I AM POLY INSTRUMENTAL
THE MUSIC FLOWS THROUGH ME
NOW, THE BOOK IS CALLED COUNTDOWN BIN LADEN
THE BOOK IS ABOUT THE PLANNING TO GET BIN LADEN, ALL THE EVENTS
LEADING UP TO IT
AND THEN THE NIGHT OF. SORT OF THE DARING AND THE RISK
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT WERE COMING UP ON THE 20TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS THIS SATURDAY.
AND WERE WATCHING THE RECENT WITHDRAW FROM AFGHANISTAN
AND THE CHAOS THAT FALLS IN THE WAKE OF THE UNITED STATES
LEAVING AND WE KNOW WHY BIN LADEN IS AN AVATAR OF EVIL FOR
US AND WE KNOW WHY WE WENT INTO
AFGHANISTAN
THE SO-CALLED GOOD WAR BECAUSE THERE WAS A RATIONAL TO GOING,
WHEREAS IRAQ WAS QUESTIONABLE
2001 WE GO IN, THIS BOOK PICKS UP IN 2010
JUST SET THE STAGE, WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THOSE 9 YEARS WHERE
WE WEREN'T GETTING BIN LADEN WHEN THAT WAS OUR MISSION TO
BEGIN WITH
WELL AFTER WE CAME IN 2001 AND OUSTED THE TALIBAN AND THE IDEA
THAT THEY ARE IN CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY THAT THEY WERE IN
CONTROL OF ON 9/11
I THINK TO MOST AMERICANS IS JUST HORRIFYING.
>> IT FEELS STRANGE TO SEE THAT HAPPENING.
IT REALLY IS.
IT'S DISHEARTENING TO SEE THAT HAPPENING.
>> YOU BET.
>> Stephen: I HAVE TO REMIND MYSELF, WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.
WE HAD NO PLANS TO GO IN THERE.
IT WAS ONLY TO GET AL QAEDA, BUT THEN WE WEREN'T GETTING THEM,
AND YET, WE STAYED FOR THOSE NINE YEARS, LEADING UP TO THE
BEGINNING OF YOUR BOOK.
SO WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE U.S.
MISSION IN THERE?
>> SO WE CHASED BIN LADEN AND WE END UP WE BELIEVE CORNERING IN A
MOUNTAINOUS REGION RIGHT ON THE BORDER WITH PAKISTAN, CALLED
TORAH BORA.
AND WE PUT TROOPS IN THERE.
AND WE THINK WE HAVE THEM CORNERED IN THE CAVE, AND HE
DISAPPEARS.
>> Stephen: DID WE TAKE OUR EYE OFF THE BALL, OR--
>> HE JUST GOT OUT.
WE DIDN'T SEND ENOUGH TROOPS IN, IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND THERE
WAS A BIG FIGHT WITH THE PENTAGON AS TO WHETHER WE NEEDED
MORE TROOPS ON THE GROUND.
BUT SOMEHOW HE WAS ABLE TO GET OUT.
HE ESCAPED INTO PAKISTAN AND DID THIS MOUNTAINOUS TRIBAL AREA,
AND BASICALLY, THE TRAIL GOES COLD FOR NINE YEARS.
AND THE GENERAL BELIEF, ABOUT TWO MONTHS BEFORE MY BOOK
STARTS, LEON PANETTA, THEN THE DIRECTOR OF THE C.I.A., IS
INTERVIEWED, AND THEY SAY, "WHERE IS HE?"
AND HE SAID, "WE THINK HE'S IN THIS TRIBAL AREA, WILD, REMOTE,
MOUNTAINOUS, CAVES, BETWEEN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN."
AND IT TURNS OUT EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WAS COMPLETELY WRONG.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK.
BUT STICK AROUND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE CHRIS WALLACE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
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