You're watching...

Obama’s Afghanistan Stop: Campaign Victory Lap?

Details

  • Description

    Jonathan Schanzer, Foundation for Defense of Democracies VP of research, and Frank Gaffney, founder and president of the Center for Security Policy, o...

  • Duration 6:14
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Government

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

-- less than two hours after the president signed that agreement with Afghan President Karzai.

Taliban militants attacked -- -- compact killing seven people.

Joining us now Frank Gaffney president and founder of the Center for Security Policy Jonathan -- -- Vice president of research for the foundation for defense of democracies gentlemen thank you for being here.

Frank -- -- -- your assessment of the president's speech last night.

This really was a whistle stop campaign appearance I think Lou as much as anything he was saying to.

Our enemies -- -- out of here.

And two -- his democratic base he was saying to the Afghans will no actually will maintain a relationship with view.

Really no matter what comes next and given as you say what happened immediately after he left and what has been happening.

That's almost certainly going to be the return of the Taliban.

And he's signaling that you -- we're basically now.

Locked in to losing this war an important -- -- and our battle front tell -- we should.

After ten years we should be certainly used to that.

And we'll have to but it's getting as you tell more so -- or excuse me frank.

The -- -- -- -- may turn to Euro than the issue.

Of victory was and was not even brought up by the president.

As frank says of this rose basically a farewell and hardly -- -- one.

But yet it commits the United States to the strategic partnership your thoughts.

Well certainly I think we're going to be invested in Afghanistan for quite some time.

But I do think that this was more of -- -- to a campaign stop is frank indicated this is a victory lap of the you know marking the one year anniversary of the killing of bin Laden.

And you know so in other words if words -- defeat yeah I think the president wanted to have these claim -- victory and I think he did that with the American people.

But that said I -- I think -- it he -- that this sort of notion that that all Qaeda is now reeling as a result of this.

Think it needs to be pointed out that.

You know the al-Qaeda network the affiliate groups which include the -- -- in groups in Somalia and Yemen and Iraq.

They're still very much on the rise is still very much pose a threat in Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East and so I think a lot of this is very premature the -- the war on terror is far from over.

Despite declarations by -- some in the State Department.

And reversals by at least the leader of counterterrorism.

John Brennan in the White House.

But as we look at what this president is obviously expecting talking about a negotiation the Taliban invited to Chicago.

During -- G-8 meeting for crying out loud.

A while declaring today the Taliban declaring a spring offensive.

And in no way this associating at least in any -- publicly from al-Qaeda frank.

What what is going on here.

Well Lou Lou if this were not so serious it would be hilarious.

You gotta wonder what our troops are thinking as they are continuing to be.

Attacked in some cases killed in other cases maimed by the very people of the president is evidently quite prepared to turn the country over to.

But -- there's another piece of this is building on what Jonathan said so far beyond the core al-Qaeda with should the administration would have us believe is now essentially out of business.

And the other franchises of the group that are still very much going concerns we have this other problem -- too few people are talking about.

Or relief and understand and that's the Muslim.

Brotherhood.

And I don't mean just in places like Egypt and Tunisia and Libya and probably soon Syria.

I'm talking about here as well we've done a piece on this cold.

Muslim Brotherhood in America dot com which I would really commend people to.

It helps explain a lot of what is otherwise inexplicable about this Obama administration's policies in so many of these areas.

That are so detrimental to our security.

Let's -- to that which is our hope.

Explainable and that is this this administration's position right now.

The Israelis calling up reserves Jonathan Powell -- what is what is the latest in what is developing.

In Israel.

And and concerned obviously focused.

On Iran and its.

Nuclear program.

Well certainly we've been seeing quite a bit out of Israel right now you've got former intelligence officials from both internal security services in the external the most -- Going up against Benjamin Netanyahu.

Basically saying that he's pushing for war in that he needs to stand down.

Netanyahu and his defense minister Ehud Barack saying that that there window is closing.

And then if Iran continues to go forward at this clip toward this nuclear program that the Israelis won't have much of choice.

And I'll miss all of that they're calling up reserves they're putting them on -- on the borders with Egypt where things have been very uncertain.

As well as Syria so it appears that the Israelis are mobilizing in some -- I think you know it's still a little bit early to determine exactly what they're doing.

And what they're preparing for it could be just simply you know preparations for what may be coming next.

But certainly the Israelis.

Is the Israelis are offered sort of a canary in the coal miner a harbinger for what's to come in the Middle East.

We got about thirty seconds frank your assessment you would.

I think Israel recognizes it's facing an existential threat it may come.

First and foremost from Iran and its proxies like -- Hezbollah and Hamas.

It may come from the some of these states I mentioned a moment ago that are now increasingly under the thrall of the Muslim Brotherhood either way it's bad for Israel it's bad for freedom and it's bad for us.

And Benjamin Netanyahu.

What is his courses future very quickly.

I I think he is at the point now where he is going to have to strike Iran I don't think he's anxious to do it but I think he really has no choice.

Alright.

Jonathan thank you very much for being -- -- frank -- I thank you very much we appreciate -- -- But next election year and a divided government who'll lead this nation next year we'll the answer -- that question determine our economic -- that in tonight's chalk talk.

Governor Romney's campaign focused on the -- --