1 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: The Armstrong and Getting Show. And I think it's fair 2 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: to say that Mr Trump did not create the mess 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: in Afghanistan. But I also think you're gonna end up 4 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: owning its tragic outcome. We got this brilliant ambassador Khalizad, 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: who knows more about Afghanistan and anyone in the US 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: government negotiating and gutter with the Taliban. But Mr Trump 7 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:33,239 Speaker 1: has said publicly essentially we're out politically by so what 8 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: is there to negotiate. The Taliban are also winning, are 9 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: now control more terrain than they have some two thousand 10 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: and one. The Afghan government is fractured and competent, corrupt. 11 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: Their military is semi dysfunctional. No belligerent ever negotiates away 12 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: something that won in the battlefield. The situation looks tragic. 13 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: The outcome will come soon after we withdraw. That's General 14 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: Barry McCafferty. You was on MSNBC last night. Uh, he's 15 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: making the argument and why we gotta stay in Afghanistan. 16 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,919 Speaker 1: Washington Post today, the editorial board pieces Trump risks turning 17 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: a chance for success in Afghanistan into a shameful failure. 18 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: It sounds like it's a failure right now based on 19 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: what General McCafferty just said. Tallyband has more property than 20 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: they had in the last eighteen years. The government is 21 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: completely a mess. So we've spent I don't know how 22 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: many trillion dollars on this project and all these years 23 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: and thousands of lives, and and this is where we are. 24 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: Why would I think it's gonna get any better anyway? 25 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: I need to hear from another expert. Yeah, with all 26 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: due respect to General McCafferty, My clients a military analysts 27 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: for CBS News and others throughout the year, retire major 28 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: as well artilleryman Mike clients, how are you, sir? Hey, guys, 29 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: so great to be back with you. So why don't 30 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: we start with the general's description of the situation, his prescription, 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: which is we have to stay the course your reaction. 32 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: You know, that's a kind of a classic ec Swamp 33 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: frankly description to what's going on there. But you know, 34 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,639 Speaker 1: staying there is the definition of insanity doing the same 35 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: thing over and over and think we're gonna get a 36 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: different result. The president cut the troops in half, the 37 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: Taliban took more uh land while they were there. Um, 38 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: this gets back to we've got to decide as a nation, 39 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: if we want to go to war like this endlessly 40 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: and um and do something about it. This this president 41 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: is at least willing to stick um, you know, a 42 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: stake in the ground, and his heel's gonna take a 43 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: very big political hit. And when when we see this 44 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: turn into what will be Vietnam nineteen seventy five, No question, 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: the Taliban is going to kick out the current government 46 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: there and they're gonna return Sharia lawn, bring the whole 47 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: situation back to But after eighteen years, there's not again. 48 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: We want to spend another dollar, you want to spend 49 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: another life there? I'm not sure that's a good option. Yeah, 50 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: the political hit, the politics of it is is a 51 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: different story. I I don't I don't know how people 52 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: are going to react to that. I would I would 53 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: assume after all this time, the cume doesn't think, oh 54 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: my god, look what's happened. Um, My heart breaks for 55 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: people who live there. God, I think of some little 56 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: girl who's going to have to live in that country. 57 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: That's awful. But we can't fix it unless we really 58 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: dedicated a tremendous amount of manpower, lives and money to it. 59 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: And we're not going to do that establish police state 60 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: because there are people living in those tragic conditions all 61 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: over the world. Right, we had these ebbs and flows 62 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: over the past eighteen years. You know. The Obama administration 63 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: comes in said it was the Good War. Surgis troops 64 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: there to over a hundred and thirty thousand, We gained 65 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: control of most of the outlying provinces, and it went 66 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: well from a military perspective. But then all of a sudden, 67 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: you know, he wants out of there too. He put 68 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: conditions just like this president did. They were based on 69 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: a calendar. He said that that was going to make 70 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: the couple of government more responsive. That that didn't do 71 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: anything that The bottom line is it's still a country 72 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: with a very low rate of education. Um, the literacy 73 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: rates remains very high. We've tried to impart Western values 74 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: which we think we can export, but we can't, and 75 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: we've not exported, um the capitalism that we should have. 76 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: The Chinese have come in. They own a lot of 77 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: the land mass in Afghanistan because they're stripping it out 78 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: for rare earth minerals as well. And um, you know, 79 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: again the Taliban when they when they were in power, 80 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,160 Speaker 1: allowed al Qaeda free reign there. I think the only 81 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: difference now is we'll have this throughout this very thin 82 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: needle that says, um, if you bring al Qaida anybody back, 83 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: then that violates the deal and we're gonna come back 84 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: into Afghanistan. All that means they're gonna use strategic weapons 85 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 1: to go after people. I'm certainly no genius just reading 86 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: these stories in the newspaper and following the news. I've 87 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 1: been saying that now for like fifteen years. We tell 88 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: the Taliban we're leaving, You're you're gonna take the country. 89 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: But if you let al Qaida set up shop again, 90 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: we're gonna bomb the crap audio and I think they would, 91 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 1: they would. We're gonna end up in the same spot 92 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: a decade and a half later. Right now, You're you're 93 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,479 Speaker 1: seeing also reports that al Qaeda has increased its ranks 94 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 1: by four or five hundred in Afghanistan. Um, you're also 95 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: seeing the same resurge and of isis in in Um 96 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: in Syria and and a rock. I can't tell if 97 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: it's just the media just concerning to troll the president 98 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: because he obviously says that we've defeated them. We have, 99 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: and it's not possible to defeat the ideologies. Um, it's 100 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: going to take a lot longer than that. But the 101 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: bottom line is, Um, whether the Taliban goes after al 102 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:19,479 Speaker 1: Qaeda inside Afghanistan when they finally take over, remains to 103 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 1: be seen. My clients CBS military analysts on the line. 104 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: You know, in the spirit of fairness, I criticized Barack 105 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: Obama fairly harshly for setting time because it's just in 106 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: this situation, you can't have that umbrella over a negotiation, or, 107 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,280 Speaker 1: as General McCafferty pointed out, why would you negotiate if 108 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: you if you have the upper hands. So I don't 109 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: like that. I get it politically speaking, Uh, it's always 110 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: an election cycle, but I just don't think it's very smart. 111 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: But no, we're gonna have to call it something. Um, 112 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:50,599 Speaker 1: it's going to be victory or defeat. Um. We go 113 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: into this with our eyes wide open. We were taking 114 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: down the Taliban government and taking out Alqaida after nine eleven. 115 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,080 Speaker 1: It was great intentions. The Bush administration was all in, 116 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: everything was good, and then our focus shifted to Iraq 117 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 1: and frankly, we've been you know, kind of wandering since then. 118 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: And the military is not going to stand up and 119 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: say we're not doing this anymore. That's just not what 120 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: they're that's in their in their DNA. Interesting. So there's 121 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: this horrifying attack at a wedding in Kable, Afghanistan, over 122 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,119 Speaker 1: the weekend, and it was isis killed seasty five people 123 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: or something like that, and the Tally band said, oh, 124 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,479 Speaker 1: that's beyond the pale. So we're we're we're are the Taliban, 125 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: and iis, how do they fit into Afghanistan? So they 126 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 1: perceived them to be a threat to the Taliban. That's 127 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: how've been perceived isis to be a threat to what 128 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: they're trying to do. And let's let the Taliban. Yeah again, 129 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: you'll see what they'll They'll be more focused on getting 130 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 1: control of couple. And then the civil war takes breens, 131 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: which is really what's happening. That we're in the brink 132 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: of a civil war there in inside of Afghanistan. I mean, 133 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: it's only been going on for what nine thousand years anyway, um, 134 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: and so it's all kind of it's just as a 135 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: matter of who is going to take control and who 136 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: out the power and what they're gonna do when they 137 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,039 Speaker 1: get it. Um. You know, whether maybe this is why 138 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: the president wants he does. He definitely wants to pick 139 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: it up as an election accomplishment and which is why 140 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: he wants out both for election. You know, if I 141 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: were the president, Mike, I have a number of access 142 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: to grind and causes that I would babble about, but 143 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: one of them would be helping Americans understand we can't 144 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: solve everything. There are some problems that just have to 145 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: be managed. It's like a chronic health condition. You just 146 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: do your best. And I think we we as a country, 147 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: feel like we can fix everything, and we just can't. 148 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: And and and we've we've we need to pivot back 149 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: to that Cold War mentality where we contain Russia. That 150 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: was the big thing to contain, and now we've got 151 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: to do the same kind of containment in the Middle 152 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: East and in Afghanistan in a smaller scale. And the 153 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: problem is where we you don't have the military design 154 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: to do that. We were into the strategic weapons, We're 155 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: gonna hit you from five miles away, and you'll ever 156 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: see that, you ever see it coming. All those kinds 157 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: of things. We still built a military around occupying and 158 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: working with our allies on the ground, knowing full well 159 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: that we're not going to change anything. We're not going 160 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: to change in lines no matter what we bring to 161 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: the table. Next time we talk buying Greenland with my clients, 162 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: military analyst, Giant airfielder, Mike, it's always enlightening. Thanks a million, 163 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: got it. My only final note on this is the 164 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: annoyance of the media. I just do not believe that 165 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: NBC in the Washington Post would be arguing against leaving 166 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: Afghanistan if Barack Obama were doing exactly the same thing. 167 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: I just don't believe it. People, smart, people of good 168 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,599 Speaker 1: conscience can be on both sides of this argument, no doubt, absolutely, 169 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: but I don't believe that's what's happening with the Washington Post. 170 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: And Barack Obama was saying it's been long enough, we're 171 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: gonna get out, they'd be cheering it, guarantee. That's really maddening. Yep, 172 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: what's coming up? For the record, we're saying the same 173 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 1: stuff when old Barry was the president. Yeah, I was, 174 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: we are now I've been forgetting out the whole time. 175 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: What's coming up your news? Marshall, California's new deadly use 176 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: of forest law stirring up a national debate Jill Biden's 177 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:04,199 Speaker 1: rather odd endorsement of husband Joe and turning hostility into inspiration. 178 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 1: Wait a minute, I could use that. I'd be a 179 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: cool pivot. What if I can do that? Stay tuned, 180 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: are Strong and Getty