>> dana: that is it for us tonight. thanks for watching our analysis of the presidents primetime address on afghanistan. we'll see you tomorrow at our regular time, 9:00 p.m. eastern. have a great night, everyone. ♪ ♪ >> this is a fox news alert, live coverage of. president trump's address to the nation, his first primetime address in which w the president will announce his administration's new afghanistan policy, delivering the speech in front of u.s. service members, just up the road at fort myer, virginia. good evening, i am bret baier. >> martha: i am martha maccallum. we already know some of what we are about to hear. the basic outline calls for 4,000 additional u.s. troops in afghanistan. the president also is expected to ask india and pakistan to shoulder more of the load in

this terror fight. the president says he will not hold pakistan more accountable for the long-standing support of the taliban. let's check in quickly with the chief white house correspondent john roberts who is on the scene there in fort meyer. good evening, john. >> good evening, looking at the way things are shaping up here, as we wait for the president, it looks like it is l going to lauh a new era of an integrated regional policy, according to the state department. rex tillerson talk with the prime minister of pakistan, as well as the foreign ministers of afghanistan and india to talk about how the countries could work together on a broader regional strategy. the troops are going to be a piece of this. you talk about pakistan, trying to bring that taliban back to the table, because the attacks with qatar and the taliban incidents work out. the president trying to change that dynamic t tonight. >> bret: thank you, john. as we listen to "hail to the

chief," let's head to fort myer, virginia, to listen to the 45th president of the united states, donald trump. ♪ >> president trump: thank you very much. thank you. please be seated. vice president pence, secretary of state tillerson, members of the cabinet, general dunford, deputy secretary shanahan, and colonel duggan, most especially, thank you to the men and women of fort myer and every member of the united states military at home andf abroad. we send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to thoseco

conducting the search and recovery efforts. i am here tonight to lay out our path forward in afghanistan and south asia. but before i provide the details of our new strategy, i want to say a few words to the service members here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all americans listening at home. since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage and resolve, is unmatched in human history. american patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield, for our nation and for our freedom. through their lives, and though

their lives were cut short, and their deeds, they achieved total immortality by following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under god. the men and women of our military operate as one teamnd with one shared mission and one shared sense of purpose. they transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color, to serve together, and sacrifice together and absolutely perfect cohesion. that is because all service members are brothers sisters. all part of the same

family. it is called the american famil family. they take the same oath, fight f for the same flag, and live according to the same law. they are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other. the soldier understands what we as a nation too often forget, that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us al all. when one part of america hurts, we allhe hurt. and when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together. loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. love for america requires love

for all of its people. when we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate. the young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. we cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other. as we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas, and we will always win, let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name, that when they return home from battle, they will find a country that

has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one. thanks to the vigilance and skill of the american military, and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of september 11th, and nobody can ever forget that, have not been repeated on our shores. but we must acknowledgee the reality i am here to talk about tonight, that nearly 16 years after september 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the american people are weary of war without victory. nowhere is this more evident than with the war in afghanista afghanistan, thest longest war n american history.

17 years. i share the american people's frustration. i also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly, lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, securityf pursuing our interests above all other considerations. that is why, shortly after my inauguration, i directed secretary of defense mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in afghanistan and south asia. my original instinct was to pull out, and historically, i like following myy instincts. but all my life, i have heard that decisions are much

different when you sit behind the desk in the oval office. in other words, when you are president of the united states. so i studied afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. o after many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last friday at camp david with my cabinet and generals to complete our strategy. i arrived at three fundamental conclusions about america's core interests in afghanistan. first, ourt nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome, worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives.s. the men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory.

if they deserve the tools they need and the trust they have earned to fight and to win. a second, the consequences of at rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from afghanistan, because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including isis and al qaeda, that they would instantly feel, just as happened before september 11th. and as we know, and 2011, america hastily and mistakenly withdrew from iraq.

as a result, our hard won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorists and enemies. our soldiers watched as cities they hadad fought for and bloode liberate and won were occupied by a terrorist group called isis. the vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave a safe haven isis to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. we cannot repeat and afghanistan and mistake our leaders made in iraq. third and finally, i concluded that the security threats we face in afghanistan and the broader region are immense. today, 20 u.s. designated foreign terrorist.s organizatios are active in afghanistan and pakistan. the highest concentration in any

region anywhere in the world. for its part, pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. the threat is worse because pakistan and india are two nuclear armed states whose tense relations threatened to spiral into conflict and that could happen. no one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation and afghanistan. and south asia. but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or betterim decisions. when i became president, i was given a bad and very complex and, but i fully knew what i was given into. bacon intricate problems. but one way or another, these problems will be soft. i am a problem solver. and in the end, we will win.

we must address the reality of the world as it exists right now, the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal. we need look no further than last week's vile, vicious attack in barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children. you saw it for yourself. horrible. as i outlined in my speech in saudi arabia three months ago, america and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of

their evil ideology. terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. they are nothing but thugs and criminals and predators and that's right, losers. working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and, yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily. in afghanistan and pakistan, america's interests are clear. we r must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten america and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the handsnt of terrorists and being usedor against us or anywhere in the world, for that matter. but to prosecute this war, we

will learn from history. as a result of our comprehensive review, american strategy in afghanistan and south asia will change dramatically in the following ways. o a core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. i have said itt many times, howv counterproductive it is for the united states to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin or end military options. we will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities. conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. america's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. i will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will

create another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is te integration of all instruments of american power. diplomatic, economic, and military, toward a successful outcome. someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps that will be possible to have a political sentiment that includes elements of the et al. abandon afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will happen. america will continue its support for the afghan government, and the afghan military as they confront the taliban in the field. ultimately, it is up to the people of afghanistan to take ownership of their future, tove govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. we are a partner and her friend, but we will not dictate to the

afghan people how to live or how to govern their own complex society. we are not nation-building agai again. we are killing terrorists. the next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with pakistan. can no longer be silent about pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in afghanistan. it has much to lose by t continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists. in the past, pakistan has been a valued partner. our militaries have worked together against common enemies. the pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism

and extremism. we recognize those contributions and those sacrifices. but pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. we have been paying pakistan billions and billions of dollar dollars, at the same time, they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, but that will have to change, and that will change immediately. no partnership can survive a country's harboring of militants and terrorists who target u.s. service members and officials. it is time for pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace. another critical part of the south asia strategy for america is to further develop its strategic partnership with india, the world's largestra

democracy, and a key security and it economic partner of the united states. we appreciate india's important contributions to stability in afghanistan, but india makes billions of dollars in trade with the united states, and we want them to help us more with afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development. we are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in south asia, and the broader indo pacific region. finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the american peopl people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work and work effectively and work quickly. i have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our war fighters that prevented the

secretary of defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging a battle against the enemy. micromanagement from washington, d.c., does not win battles. they are drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and front-line soldiers acting in real time with real authority and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy. that is why we will also expand authority for american armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos. these terrorists need to know that they have nowhere to hide, that nowhere is beyond the reach of american might and american arms. retribution will be fast and powerful, as we lift restrictions and expandit

authorities in the field, we are alreadyra seeing dramatic resuls in the campaign to defeat isis, including the liberation of mosul in iraq. since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. we will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. when america commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to employ swift, an overwhelming force. our troops will fight to win. we t will fight to win. from now on, victory will have a clear definition, attacking our enemies, obliterating isis, crushing al qaeda, preventing the taliban from taking over

afghanistan, and a stopping mass attacks against america before they merge. we will ask our nato allies in global partners to support our new strategy, with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. we w are confident they will, since taking office, i have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense. and they have done so. in the struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be born by the good people of afghanistan and the courageous armed forces. as a prime minister of afghanistan has promised, we arn economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us. afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who

threaten us, the stronger the afghan security forcesfo become, the less we will have to w do. afghans will secure and build their own nation and to define their future. we want them to succeed. but we will no longer use american military might to construct democracies in faraway lands or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. those days are now over.r instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. we are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. this principle to realism will guide our decisions moving forward. military power alone will not bring peace to afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. bo strategically applied force aims to create the conditions

for a political process to achieve a lasting peace. america will work with the afghan government as long as we see to determination and progress. however, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. the government of afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. the american people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. our patience is not unlimited. we will keep our eyes wide open, and abiding by the oath that i took on january 20th, i will remain steadfast in protecting american lives and american interests.s. in this effort, we will make common cause with any nation

that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this globat threat. terrorists take heed, america will never let until you are dealt a lasting defeat. under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military. this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense. in every generation, we have faced down evil and we have always prevailed. we prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for. not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of america's greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at arlington national cemetery. there is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those

hallowed grounds that in any other spot on the face of the earth. many of those who have fought and died in afghanistan and listed in the months after september 11th, 2001. they volunteered for a simple reason. they loved america and they were determined to protect her. now, we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. we must unite to defend america from enemies abroad. we must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid. our actions in the months to come, all of them, will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a

loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. with our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat o of our enemies, and the arrival of peace. we will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage and our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you. thank you. may god bless our military, and may god bless the united states of america. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] ♪ >> bret: president donald trump speaking for just over 25 minutes in front of u.s. service members at fort myer virginia. starting his remarks with a clear reference to the fallout

of racial violence in charlottesville, virginia, perhaps even the reaction to his remarks about those events. saying, when one part of america hurts, we all hurt. then, reflecting on the service and sacrifice of u.s. troops, adding, we cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other. before then, turning to a new strategy in afghanistan. >> martha: indeed, he did. tonight, he spoke in very serious, hushed tones, as he addressed this military crowd, who could not respond to him with any sort of animated applause or anything along those lines along the way. he had admitted that in the past, it was his instinct to pull out of afghanistan, which he made very clear on the campaign trail and in the past, and interviews as well as during the debates during the presidential run. he said it's very different when you get behind the oval office and you are given the input from the military and from advisors. he said he feels very differently about it as he looks

at that from the seat of the president of the united states. he said he studied the struggle in afghanistan and the reality is, there is such a high concentration of the world's terrorists in this area, that it needs addressing come of that we can't back out. he said, in no uncertain terms, we will win and we will address this a reality and we cannot cut and run, an obvious reference tt president obama dealt with it. >> bret:sq putting the squeeze on pakistan, harboring terrorists, getting closer to india, that is obviously also pressuring pakistan, one of their enemies historically, putting pressure on pakistan. the speech had parts were he demanded that more countries pay more for u.s. efforts over seas, much like the message he delivered to nato countries, sing the days of constructing democracies in faraway lands are over. then, his mind saying, our

commitment is not unlimited, our support is not a blank check. >> martha: in many ways, bret, it was a very trumpian version of the war ond afghanistan. he said, we will not write a blank check, and we won't tell you how long we are therefore, we want to tell you how manyor troops are on the ground, and we won't tell you how many troops are on the ground, it was kind of a combination of the input that we have seen from different military advisors who have talked to him aboutut this. we are no longer going to nation build. weon know that mcmaster has made the argument that it can be a westernized country once again but that doesn't seem to be for the president comes down on this. it's a very presidential, trump version of the input that he has received. >> bret: as the speech was happening, i was getting messages from current and former special forces members, he said this is the speech they wanted to hear, that power, the result, their pride, the courage, and the commitment to let them do

their job. what good reaction to the president's address. joining us now, fox news militaryry analyst jack keane, former vice chief of staff at the u.s. army. >> martha: chairman for the institute of the study of war, gillian turner, former national security council staff or under presidents george w. bush and barack obama. let's start with you, julian. your reaction? speak of the president has made now one of the toughest decisions, may be the toughest of his or her and he will ever face his put troops in harm's way, and keep troops ins harm's way. he delivered that decision to the american people in his own terms. he took care to say, it flies in the face of my first instinct to keep americans in afghanistan, but the positionns that i have held over the last six months has changed my perspective and tempered my views on thisas andi am now going to adjust the policy in order to reflect that.

i think the most important thing he said in in a speech was numr one, we are not nation-building, we are killing terrorists. i think that is a trump doctor and we were looking for. i think that, more than anything else i have heard him say on this issue, encapsulates his view of the american role in the middle east today. the other two things quickly, bret, we are no longer broadcasting our plans and we are shifting from a time-based approach to an approach based on the conditions on the ground. >> bret: think about, general, the difference between the speech in the speech that president obama delivered, where there wasn a timeline said, numbers said, the critics always said, that the taliban operates on calendars, not clocks. >> i'm impressed because we finally got a commander in chief he speaks honestly, not just of the troops in front of them, and i love the way he talks about them at t the beginning and he expresses genuine -- and though he ends on them.

evenw though those are serious feelings he is talking about, he spoke so honestly to the american people. we've had this political deception for such a long time dealing with afghanistan. you put your finger right on it. president obama, when david vitreous comes before him, he gives them 25% less troops than the minimum that they had requested. then he goes on and makes a speech at west point a few days later, never having discussed this, s he will pull the troops out in 15 months. that decision, those two g decisions, not giving them enough troops, this nonwinnable situation that brought president trump to tonight. >> bret: let me ask you, i cover the pentagon, the white house, i have traveled to afghanistan and iraq, a dozen each times, we have heard these numbers before. we have heard that we are going to give the afghans to fight on their own before.

so for skeptics of this plan, however well delivered or well packaged, how will you say it is going to change with 4,000 troops on the ground? >> 4,000 troops, if those are the numbers, we think they are, people are speculating, the president hasn't told us, certainly, that is helpful. but it's not decisive and we can play games about that. what he has committed himself to, his predecessors have never done, and that is pakistan. what he is not telling us, he says, if i can persuade you diplomatically, economically, to do this, i'm going to target these people. he didn't say that tonight and he shouldn't say it but i am telling you that it's really what he means. when he says, this will start changing immediately, he is dead serious about her. we have a commander in chief who understands the reality about what is taking place in the war. he clearly would rather not do this but he surrounds himself with people who are experienced, they have good judgment, they are study under pressure, they

have given him that advice, and he has demonstrated the qualities that a president has to have come and that is flexibility in the courage to change your mind in the face of new and compelling evidence. i think the president has done this and stepped out for this thing tonight in a way that i truly commend himnd for. >> martha: we heard a lot this week, gillian, about the difference between the steve bannon wing in the white house and the globalists. he went out, basically in a rhetorical huff, and what we have seen, saying, it's it is ot you guys now. this is the globalist version of what the president isf carrying out here and making this commitment. it is not what he talked about. jeff sessions says, this is not what we ran on. >> it is now the president ran on. part of what he has shown the american people tonight is he is willing torn learn the really hd lessons of being the commander in chief. he is willing to make decisions that actually fly in the face of what he committed during the campaign. but you know what?

he is doing it because he believes it is the right thing to do for the country. i think sometimes that isam something that presidents are very reluctant and loathe to do. they are thinking about reelection, poll numbers, approval ratings, so to actually change a core foundation principle that you carry with you on the campaign is very i difficult to do. i think -- i agree with him. i think it is the right thing to do. every military analyst today will tell you that unilaterally withdrawing from afghanistan would be a mistake. we would waste many of the gains and the investments we have made in that country. i think when it comes down to then particular numbers, there are no great options for him on the table. nobody wants to see 100,000 new troops go into the country, no one wants to see us withdraw. you got to shake out somewhere in between. that is probably what he is doing. >> bret: gillian, general keane general keane, standby. >> martha: we have liveen coverage of reaction to the

president's new afghanistan plan. jennifer griffin. first up, john roberts watching this along with w us. once again, good evening to you, john. >> martha, bret, good evening to you. i should reveal that about an hour and a half before the president spoke, we had a briefing with a couple of administration officials who put context with the president was about to say andsa the main driving force of what the president p revealed tonight was to try to convince the taliban that i cannot win on the battlefield and that they are all him -- their only hope of surviving's to come to the table and negotiate some sort of political settlement. at the same time, as this be 21 can't win in the battlefield, it looks like the united states can't win decisively on the battlefield. so a political solution may be the only way out of this. listen to how the president put it just a short time ago. >>er someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political

sediment that includes element of the taliban in afghanistan. but no one knows if or when that will ever happen. america will continue its support for the afghan government and the afghan military as they confront the taliban in the field.he >> of the president there is income at the same time, there could be a political settlements, convincing them they cannot win on the battlefield. it can't be done without the existence of pakistan and india. that is why rex tillerson phoned pakistan, india, why they are getting very involved in what they call an integrated regional strategy. it is also interesting to point out, and gillian mentioned this, the president is making this condition based and not

time-based. this could get you into a trap, as well, because of the conditions don't change, you have an open-ended commitment come voyages by administration officials told us that the president wants to see the afghan government be serious about her. he will continue his commitment if they are serious. if they are not, the president may decide to take another course. >> martha: john roberts, thank you very much. >> bret: national security correspondent jennifer griffin as of the pentagon. she joins us talk about the ramifications for the u.s. military. >> this is not designed to be a ntroop deployment speech. what is clear, this president realized that u.s. troops cannot leave afghanistan. those types of vacuum lead to terrorist safe havens. >> b they are both predictable d unacceptable. a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists,

including isis and al qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before f september 11t. speak with a mix of u.s. forces on the ground will not change in any dramatic way. the president did not announce u.s. troops would be replaced with contractors, as had been discussed. administration officials said this is not a more covert cia led approach. what is different, i am told, the pace, and scope of overall pressure on this campaign already this year, air strikes are up 180%, 1,984 bombs have been dropped so far this year. but remember, just a few years ago, the u.s. had 100,000 troops in afghanistan. defense secretary mattis issued a statement from jordan, in which he called upon the adjournment of the joint chiefs to implement the strategy.

the president said this is not a blank check. right now, the government of afghanistan on the control 60% of the country. >> bret: jennifer, thank you. >> martha: less get more reaction to the president's address to the nation. south carolina senator lindsey graham joins us from clemson tonight. senator, good to have you with us. he will listen to the president thisis evening. what did you think? >> i think there will be a lot of bipartisan support in congress for this proposal. i am proud, i am relieved. i am proud of the fact that president trump made a national security decision, not a political decision. i'm proud of the fact that he listened to the generals and most proud of the fact that hed shows the will to stand up to radical islam. i am relieved he did not take the advice to withdraw, with would have been disastrous. it would have created a mercenary army. very pleased, thoughtful, inspiring. i can assure you that a lot of people in congress will be behind the president. >> bret: you have not been afraid to be critical of this president and you have been on the back end of the 140

characters or less from the president's twitter account. your thoughts on the open to that speech? referencing the charlottesville situation. given that speech in charlottesville, we probably wouldn't have had much of an entanglement. it's not about charlottesville tonight. it's about going forward in afghanistan. winning a war you can't afford to lose. you know how i feel about hearing my commander-in-chief say that we are there to win? two things that he is doing that will allow us to be successful. the gloves are off inside of afghanistan. i was in afghanistan in july was senator mccain, and i heard from soldier after soldier how frustrating it is to see a terrorist and you can't kill them. we have also put pakistan on notice, if someone kills an american soldier in afghanistan, they go to pakistan, we are holding you accountable, and we are coming after those terrorists, no matter where they go. the game has changed with pakistan, the gloves are off inside of afghanistan, we need a diplomatic surge.

india can be verydi helpful. i am very pleased with this plan and i am very proud of my president. >> martha: senator graham, you talked about micromanaging that was not the way that he wanted to handle this military engagement. your thoughts on that and communication, which we know there was not a whole lot of between the obama administration and the generals on the ground? >> number one, he delegated to the generals, the secretary of defense, and at the joint chief of staff, to make military decisions. i can say this, general obama was a lousy general. president trump understands that general mattis and general dunford a very good at what they do. he delegated down to the military and we have a conditioned withdrawal.es president obama announced that we are going in and coming out on the same -- in the same speech. it washe a disaster from the beginning. he is trusting his military, he is giving them the authority that president obama never gave them and we n n are going to mae

our decisions based on conditions on the ground, not an arbitrary passing of time. so hats off to president trump for not becoming general trump, because general obama was a really lousy general and that is part of the mess we are inheriting is that general obama tried to play a job he wasn't qualified to play. >> bret: senator, you know there are politicians who are like candidate trump was. he explained that tonight, saying he has evolved behind the oval office desk. one of those politicians is senator rand paul, who put up a statement saying, "the afghanistan war going beyond its original mission has enormous cost. first and most important is the cost to our troops, deaths, injuries, unnecessary deployments, causing harm toep families, certainly the most important reason as to why you don't go to wars that aren't necessary. then comes the taxpayer. we spend over $1 trillion in afghanistan, nearly 5 trillion in the middle east, wars of the past 15 years. just wrapping up, would we not be better off with 5 trillion less in debt or using these funds and other more productive

ways? i strongly disagree with the administration's actions here. if the president and my colleagues want to continue the war in afghanistan, then at the very least, congress should vott on it, i'll insist they do it this fall and i'll be leading the charge for know."fo your reaction to that? >> i'll be leading the charge for yes. i trust general mattis, dunford, and kelly more than i trust general paul. i think he is a worse general than general obama, believe it or not. general paul has been wrong about everything in this war. it is that kind of thinking that got us into 9/11. you may be tired of fighting the terrorists that are not tired of fighting you. on september 10th, 2001, we did the rand paul way. we didn't have one soldier in afghanistan, we didn't have an embassy, we didn't have a dime a day coming tost afghanistan, and they hit us anyway. this is a war between radical islam and the rest of us. they hate our guts, they are not goingth to stop fighting us untl we kill them and stabilize afghanistan. here iss the good news. after 22 visits to afghanistan,

people are not buying with the taliban are selling, what al qaeda al qaeda and isis are isselling. millions of girls are in schools, the infant mortality rate is going down, the life expectancy is giving up, 6,000 afghan soldiers died last year, 14 americans. i have been there a lot. they don't want to radical islam is selling. it is an international interests to help them and senator paul has had it wrong all the way. i am willing to vote on it. i don't think we have to but i will. we have two appropriate the money. i'm on the appropriations committee. i am on the armed services committee. i will fight senator paul tooth and nail to make sure that we don't lose in afghanistan like we did in iraq. it is just exactly what president obama did in iraq, leaving against sound military advice. president trump has the smarts and the moral courage to listen to his generals and take their advice, rather than going the political way. i am so proud he did because

unlike obama, president trump is listening to his generals, and to my colleagues in congress, you will own a noble. the next 9/11 will be your fault, not president trump's fault, if you shoot down this plan because it is a solid plano this will turn things around in afghanistan, putting pakistan on notice. i have a lot of confidence this will work, but it won't be easy. they will try to break our will and to president trump, you have shown the will to stand up to radical islam, but my friend, they are going to come after us, they will try to break your will. don't let them. stay with it. graham,a: lindsey senator from south carolina. thank you so much. good happy with us tonight, senator. when we come back, dana perino and juan williams will weigh in on their reactions to what we heard tonight. >> bret: you are watching special coverage of the president's advice to the nation on afghanistan. we'll be right back. >> we'll break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and

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we will not dictate to the afghan people how to live or how to govern their own complex society. we are not nation-building agai again. we are killing terrorists. >> martha: with that, we bring in our panel. dana perino, cohost of "the five," and juan williams, cohost with "the hill." welcome to both of you. dana, let me start with you. politically, the president has had a tough couple of weeks. we saw a different tone from him this evening. do you think this will begin in any way to turn the page on where he has been in recent days? >> i think he always ends up having to fight politically, going back to grow years during the campaign. tonight, i think setting politics aside is what he did and that was so important, he was speaking directly in front of military members, it was a nonpartisan crowd. there is not cheering, there is not a rally like you will have tomorrow night inn arizona. he is speaking directly to them. by all accounts, sb six and

earlier, the special forces and veterans for the afghan war loved tonight's speech. they appreciated it.t. they follow they were speaking directly to him. for those who think that there wasn't a new policy, i have to really point out that this idea that pakistan has now been put on notice is really important and the president leaned toward india. also very important for the region. thater is different.f the president also backed off this idea that there would be talks with the taliban. maybe there will be. that certainly has been rumored in the price to be out there, but he didn't say that tonight. that was a great speech. basically, he decided, leaving was worse than staying. we are going to stay, we are going to win. >> bret: juan? >> i think the key point here is about politics. i think the president surrounded himself with generalists and he is listening to generals. he got rid of steve bannon, who was opposed to further build up inth afghanistan, unless you put private forces in. f the president clearly now is

turning away from his own base into that expense. he was a guy who in january said that we are wasting money. why don't we waste that -- use that money to rebuild the usa, not afghanistan? now he says as president, he is going against his instincts, which was to withdraw. but he doesn't lay out for us, beyond with the military objectives, that i think should be obvious to every american, we are there to win, he doesn't lay out to us what with that victory mean. at what point do we say that there is a stable government inr kabul that can be trusted? at what point, do we say, india is cooperating, pakistan is cooperating? instead, he is open-ended. i am all for winning, i just want to know exactly what the commitment involved. i think that he, by putting, what was it, at most, 4,000 additional -- >> bret: we don't know4, how many. he didn't say. >> that is what the reports are, in the neighborhood of 4,000,

bret. i don't think anybody, even his strongest supporters would say that is sufficient, if you are talking about doing the job. >> martha: dana, once he sets the markers up there, he will haveve to continue to update the american people. >> martha, i think that is a very important. when i work for president bush, he said that you have to repeatedly talk to the american people about the war. president obama did not do that. president trump did that tonight and i think he has to sustain that going forward. >> bret: dana, juan, thank you very much. tune in for a special edition of "the five," 11:00 p.m. eastern time. we will have final thoughts when we come back. this is me

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mom mailing in the oldest son was killed there 9 years ago. my youngest is there now and i think it will pay off in coming years. there are many good people there although it's usually the bad ones that get the attention. >> and the president spoke directly to that gold star mom and all those who have made tremendous sacrifices through the course of this very long war. he said none of them would have done so in vain and that's his

commitment moving forward. quite a night. >> positive reaction so far and "hannity" continues our coverage with a special 11:00 p.m. edition of "the five." >> sean: welcome to "hannity." this a fox news alert. a new vision of policy where the president outlined a new agenda. i have my full opening monologue and newt gingrich will join us and we'll get analysis from our military leaders. first, it was the perfect setting at fort myer in arlington, virginia in front of his cabinet and troops. he stood on hallowed ground where thousands of brave men and women who fought and bled and died for our country were laid so rest. it had the right tone, cadence