ME TOMORROW AT 9:00 A.M. SHARP
WERE TALKING AFGHANISTAN,
9:00 O’CLOCK TOMORROW MORNING
THE PRESIDENT 13 U.S. TROOPS
KILLED IN THE KABUL AIRPORT
BOMBING RETURN HOME AND CASKETS
DRAPED IN AMERICAN FLAGS
CONGRESSMAN JACK BERGMAN
REPUBLICAN FROM MICHIGAN JOINS
ME NOW, YOU SAY THAT TROOPS
DEATHS WERE A FAILURE OF
LEADERSHIP THAT IS VERY STRONG
STUFF.
>> I SPENT LITTLE TIME IN THE
MARINE CORPS AND ANY TIME A
MARINE IS PUT IN HARM’S WAY IT’S
A DIRECT REFLECTION OF THE
LEADERSHIP THAT SOMETHING THERE
FOR WHATEVER REASON LET’S GET
DOWN WITH THE BOTTOM LINE,
SECRETARY BLINKEN NEEDS TO GO
WHEN YOU BECOME A SECRETARY OF
ANYTHING AND LET’S SAY IN THIS
CASE THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
YOUR JOB IS TO LEAD NOT JUST
THEIR POLICY AND SIT IN THE
BUNKER DUE POLICY BUT LEAD BY
EXAMPLE THIS HAS BEEN ABYSMAL
FAILURE BECAUSE OF A LACK OF THE
COORDINATION BETWEEN THE STATE,
THE DOD, WHATEVER IT HAPPENS TO
BE JUST AN ABYSMAL FAILURE OF
EPIC PROPORTIONS AND WILL BE
STUDIED IN UNIVERSITIES IN THE
FUTURE OF HOW NOT TO DO
SOMETHING.
STUART: WHAT ABOUT THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUSTIN
DEFENSE SECRETARY WHAT ABOUT
NATIONAL SECURITY WITH JAKE
SULLIVAN SHOULD HE GO TO.
>> ALL TELL YOU WHAT IN THE
MILITARY WE UNDERSTAND THE
SUPPORT OF COMMAND OR SUPPORTING
COMMAND, IN THIS CASE STATE IS A
SUPPORTING COMMAND AND DEFENSES
SUPPORTING SO ALL RESERVE ANY
COMMENT ON SECRETARY AUSTIN
UNTIL WE FIND OUT WHAT EXACTLY
HAPPENED WITH LEAVING THE
EQUIPMENT THERE AND THE
UNACCOUNTABILITY I AM A VIETNAM
VET AND WHEN WE GOT INTO HARM’S
WAY AND HAD TO LEAVE A
HELICOPTER SOMEWHERE WE
DESTROYED IT IN PLACE SO THE
ENEMY COULD NOT USE IT I WILL
RESERVE JUDGMENT ON HOW DOD HAD
ITS PLANS BEFORE I MAKE ANY
COMMENT ON THAT BUT THIS WAS
AVOIDABLE BECAUSE IT WAS
PREDICTABLE AND THAT’S WHERE THE
FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP COMES IN.
STUART: RELIEVING AS OF 329
EASTERN TIME TOMORROW AFTERNOON
WE ARE GONE OUT OF KABUL WE ARE
LEAVING BEHIND TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE WHO WANT OUT, ARE WE
NOW MOVING INTO A MASS HOSTAGE
SITUATION.
>> I WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU WE MAY
BE LEAVING TECHNICALLY BUT WERE
NOT LEAVING THE AREA AND WERE
NOT GOING TO LEAVE OUR AFGHAN
PARTNERS WHO WORKED FOR THESE
DECADES TO FIGHT THE RADICAL
EXTREMIST THAT WERE THE REASON
THAT WE WENT TO AFGHANISTAN IN
THE FIRST PLACE, IT IS GOING TO
LOOK DIFFERENT BUT WE NEED TO
SHOW HER NATO PARTNERS AND OTHER
ALLIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT THE
UNITED STATES IS NOT JUST CUT
AND RUN.
STUART: WHAT YOU TALK ABOUT
SPECIAL OPERATION FORCES GOING
INTO TAKE PEOPLE OUT.
>> I WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU IT IS
GOING TO BE A HYBRID OPERATION
AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE OVER
THE HORIZON, OVER THE HORIZON IS
TOO FAR AWAY, AN EXAMPLE
DJIBOUTI PART OF AFRICA A BASE
OPERATION THAT WE’VE HAD FOR
DECADES AND OUR MARINES BUILT IT
IN THE EARLY 2000 BECAUSE THE
BAD GUYS TRAIN IN THE MOUNTAINS
OF ETHIOPIA WE NEED TO HAVE
CAPABILITIES LITERALLY ON THE
GROUND AND IN THE AIR ABLE TO
REACH OUT AND TOUCH THESE PEOPLE
ON A MOMENTS NOTICE BUT THAT
INVOLVES GOOD ACTIONABLE INTEL
WHICH YOU ONLY GET BY HAVING
BOOTS ON THE GROUND, AGAIN ANY
GOOD OPERATION IS SUCCESSFUL
BECAUSE IT’S A SURPRISE TO THOSE
WHO WOULD DO US HARM I WILL
RESERVE MY COMMENTS BUT EVEN IN