WEBVTT

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AUTHORIZATION.                  
THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING.      

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>> WELL, JOINING ME IS SENATOR  
JACK REED, DEMOCRAT FROM RHODE  

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ISLAND AND THE RANKING MEMBER OF
THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES       

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COMMITTEE.                      
HE AND SENATOR McCAIN DO A LOT  

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OF WORK TOGETHER.               
WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW.       

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>> THANKS.                      
>> LET ME START WITH NORTH KOREA

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AND GET TO THE ISSUE OF THE     
UNPREDICTABILITY ASPECT OF      

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PRESIDENT TRUMP.                
IS THERE ON THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE 

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WHEN IT COMES TO NORTH KOREA, IS
THERE AN ARGUMENT THAT THAT'S AN

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ASSET AND NOT A LIABILITY?      
>> I DON'T THINK LONG TERM IT'S 

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A ASSET.                        
I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE A      

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DELIBERATE PLAN.                
I THINK YOU HAVE A STRATEGY.    

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I THINK AS SENATOR McCAIN       
INDICATED, CHINA IS KEY TO THAT 

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STRATEGY.                       
THEY HAVE THE ECONOMIC LEVERAGE.

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THEY'RE THE BIGGEST TRADER WITH 
NORTH KOREA.                    

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IN FACT, THEIR TRADE IS GOING UP
LAST YEAR AND THEY HAVE         

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INDIRECTLY PROVIDED SOME OF THE 
ELECTRONICS SO IF CHINA CAN BE  

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BROUGHT TO THE POINT THAT       
THEY'RE PUTTING PRESSURE        

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CONSTANTLY ON NORTH KOREA,      
THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY I THINK  

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TO TRY TO FREEZE THEIR SYSTEM   
AND THEN ROLL THEM BACK.        

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BUT THAT HAS TO BE A LONG TERM  
DELIBERATE DAY BY DAY STRATEGY. 

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ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE     
PRESIDENT HE'S GETTING GOOD     

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MILITARY ADVICE FROM GENERAL    
MATTIS AND GENERAL McMASTER, BUT

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HE NEEDS A MUCH STRONGER STATE  
DEPARTMENT.                     

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>> I WANT TO ASK ABOUT THIS --  
AND YOU TALKED ABOUT HIS        

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RELATIONSHIP WITH GENERAL       
MATTIS.                         

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SOMEBODY YOU SUPPORTED.         
HIS CONFIRMATION.               

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>> YES.                         
>> AND IN THE OPENING BITE THERE

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IN YOUR INTRODUCTION I NOTED    
ABOUT HOW THE PRESIDENT DIDN'T  

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SIGN OFF HIMSELF PERSONALLY ON  
THE DROPPING OF THE SO-CALLED   

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MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS.            
HE HAS GIVEN MORE LEEWAY TO HIS 

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MILITARY LEADERS TO MAKE THESE  
DECISIONS.                      

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ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT?  
>> WELL, THESE AUTHORITIES HAVE 

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BEEN -- ARE GIVEN OVER THE LAST 
SEVERAL YEARS.                  

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THEY HAVE INCREASED.            
IN FACT, WHEN GENERAL NICHOLSON 

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WAS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE HE SAID
HE WAS SATISFIED WITH THE       

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AUTHORITY HE HAD AND I ASSUMED  
THIS IS NOT A NEW AUTHORITY.    

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IT WAS SOMETHING HE WAS         
AUTHORIZED.                     

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>> RIGHT.                       
BUT THERE WAS A COMMENT THAT    

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SAID, LOOK N THE PREVIOUS       
ADMINISTRATION, WE WOULDN'T HAVE

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DROPPED THIS WITHOUT AT LEAST   
ALERTING THE WHITE HOUSE.       

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IN THIS ONE WE DON'T HAVE TO    
ALERT THE WHITE HOUSE.          

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THAT THAT IS THE ESSENTIALLY -- 
THAT'S ESSENTIALLY CHANGED.     

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ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT   
CHANGE?                         

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>> I THINK THERE HAS TO BE      
COMMUNICATION OBVIOUSLY BETWEEN 

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THE WHITE HOUSE AND THEIR FIELD 
COMMANDERS ON THE CONSTANT      

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BASIS.                          
THAT'S GENERALLY ROUTED THROUGH 

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THE SECURITY COUNCIL.           
I THINK IN THIS CASE, GENERAL   

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NICHOLSON DECIDED THE WEAPON WAS
APPROPRIATE FOR THE TUNNEL      

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COMPLEX.                        
IN FACT, THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF

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CIVILIAN CASUALTIES SO THE      
OPERATION I THINK HE DEEMED AS  

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SOMETHING THAT WAS APPROPRIATE, 
WELL WITHIN HIS AUTHORITY.      

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HE MIGHT HAVE INFORMED SOMEONE, 
BUT I DON'T THINK HE WENT OUT OF

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THE WAY TO DO IT.               
>> OBVIOUSLY ANYTHING WE DO IN  

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AFGHANISTAN IS COVERED BY THE   
WAR AUTHOR ASSIST PASSED A LONG 

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TIME AGO.                       
THERE'S STILL SOME QUESTION     

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ABOUT WHETHER ANYTHING WE DO IN 
SYRIA FALLS UNDER THAT.         

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DO YOU THINK IT DOES OR DOESN'T?
>> I THINK WITH THE PURSUIT OF  

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ISIS IN SYRIA, THAT IS COVERED  
BY THE MAP.                     

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IT'S AN EXTENSION, BUT THE ROUTE
IS WE'RE EXTENDING THAT FROM    

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MANY, MANY YEARS NOW.           
BUT GOING AFTER ISIS I THINK    

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WITHIN THE PROVIDENCE OF THE AO 
MAP OTHER ACTIONS --            

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>> GOING AFTER ASSAD WOULD NOT  
FALL UNDER THAT MAP?            

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>> I DON'T THINK SO.            
I THINK GOING AFTER ASSAD IN THE

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DELIBERATE CONCENTRATED EFFORT  
TO CONDUCT THE MILITARY         

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OPERATIONS WOULD REQUIRE THE    
AUTHORIZATION OF CONGRESS.      

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I THINK THE TACK THAT THE       
PRESIDENT TOOK WAS -- I AGREE   

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WITH THE TACK, WAS DONE UNDER   
HIS PROGRESSIVE AS RESPONDING TO

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THE INCIDENT OR HORRIBLE        
INCIDENT.                       

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THE RIGHT OR THE ABILITY OF THE 
NATIONS TO PROTECT THE          

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POPULATIONS.                    
I THINK ANYTHING FURTHER SHOULD 

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BE CONSIDERED BY THE CONGRESS.  
>> WOULD YOU SUPPORT SENDING    

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MORE TROOPS TO SYRIA?           
>> I THINK THE PRESIDENT WOULD  

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HAVE TO LAY OUT A PLAN, A CLEAR 
PLAN.                           

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THE AD HOC NATURE OF WHAT HE    
DOES, THE KIND OF -- THE        

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FLIP-FLOPS WHICH SEEMED DRA MATT
THICK WEEK SUG -- DRAMATIC THIS 

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WEEK SUGGEST INCOE HERE'S AN IN 
FOREIGN POLICY.                 

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I THINK HE'S TRYING TO COME TO  
GRIPS WITH THESE THINGS.        

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HE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE SOMEONE   
THAT FOLLOWS THROUGH WITH THE   

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DELIBERATE PLANNING PROCESS YOU 
NEED.                           

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HE HAS TO COME TO CONGRESS AND  
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND      

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EXPLAIN WHAT HE'S DOING.        
>> ARE YOU COMFORTED BY THE     

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FLIP-FLOPS?                     
ALL OF THEM WERE MOVES FROM     

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OUTSIDE THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS
TO WITHIN THE WASHINGTON        

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CONSENSUS, NATO, HOW TO DEAL    
WITH CHINA.                     

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DOES THAT COMFORT YOU?          
>> I THINK IT'S RECOGNIZING IN  

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MANY CASES THE OBVIOUS WHAT HE  
HAS TO DO.                      

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I THINK WITH RESPECT TO CHINA,  
YOU KNOW, THEIR KEY ROLE IN     

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NORTH KOREA POTENTIALLY CAN'T BE
SORT OF JEOPARDIZED BY GOING    

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AFTER THEM AS CURRENCY          
MANIPULATORS.                   

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IN FACT, THERE'S SOME EVIDENCE  
THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT     

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RECENTLY.                       
ONE TIME THEY WERE.             

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>> RIGHT.                       
>> BUT I THINK THESE THINGS     

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ARE -- BE MORE COMFORTING IF    
THEY WERE NOT SORT OF OFF THE   

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CUFF, UNEXPLAINED OR GLIBLY     
ANNOUNCED, BUT RATHER THE       

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CONSCIOUS DELIBERATION AND BY   
THE PRESIDENT.                  

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I THINK ALSO TOO ONE OF THE     
THINGS WE HAVE GOT TO RECOGNIZE 

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IS THE GROWING SORT OF          
DISENCHANTMENT WITH RUSSIA.     

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BUT THAT DISENCHANTMENT ALSO HAS
TO BE REFLECTED IN SERIOUS      

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CONCENTRATION ON THE ELECTION IN
2016 AND WHAT THEY DID HERE.    

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BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL OPERATING 
TODAY IN EUROPE, USING THOSE    

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SAME INFORMATION TECHNIQUES, ET 
CETERA.                         

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WE HAVE ELECTIONS COMING UP.    
WE CAN NOT ALLOW THE RUSSIANS TO

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BE PART OF OUR ELECTORAL        
PROCESS.                        

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SO THAT'S A SOMETHING HE HAS TO 
FOCUS ON.                       

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>> RIGHT NOW HE HAS TO ACCEPT IT
HAPPENED.                       

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>> EXACTLY.                     
THAT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT 

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THAT WOULD BE A GREAT           
IMPROVEMENT IN HIS SITUATION.   

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ACCEPT IT HAPPENED.             
AND THEN MOVE VERY AGGRESSIVELY 

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FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY TO  
SEE WHAT HAPPENED IN '16 SO THAT

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WE'RE PREPARED AND PROTECTED FOR
'18