"this week" with george stephanopoulos startright now. trump's gamble. >> we took action to stop a war. we did not take action to start a war.de's order to kill iran's top commander draws vows of venn yans from iran. >> there will be a harsh reven e >> the assassination of soleimani will lead to greater harm. >> americans on alert for iran's response at embassies around the world. targets here at home. will this strike deter iranian aggression orspk a wider war?qu secretary of state mike pompeo and our expert panel. and -- >> instead of sending the articles of impeachment to the

senate. >> he has no good arguments of having witnesses. >> the latest on the senate trial with democratic leader chuck schumer. plus, our powerhouse roundtable. we break down the politics, smoke out the spin, the facts that matter this week. from abc news it's "this week." here now chief anchor george stephanopoulos. good morning, and welcome to "this week." around 5:00 p.m. on the second day of this new year, donald ma decision yet as president. the strike he ordered against iran's top general took out a sworn enemy of tteni u a man responsible for killing hundreds of americans. it was also a move rejected from by presidents bush and obama who feared the risk of a wider war with iran outweighed the benefits of removing general soleimani. on the streets this weekend in iraq and iran, anger.

but how will iran retaliate? where, on what scale? can that regime risk all-out war with the u.s.? those questions yet to be answered this morning. along with the question pressed by david petraeus when the u.s. invaded in 2003, how did this end? nearly 17 years later with thousands of american troops on the ground, thousands more heading to the region right now, the president has launched the most consequential strike. that question, how does this end? still hangs in the air. we begin in iraq this morning. with ian pannell in irbil. good morning, ian. >> reporter: good morning, george. from the country, a region where same question, how does this end? other presidents demured. in reality, iran has significant

capacity to retaliate not only in the middle east but beyond and the will to do so. whether it's on the thousands of troops in this region, the diplomats, the workers, all the u.s. business interests, and they have made it clear they'll take revenge. so, there could be physical attacks -- kidnappings, bombings. cyberattacks. perhaps american troops could be expelled from iraq. something that's under discussion in the iraq parliament right now. the u.s. doesn't want escalation that they can control events on the ground. if one of the rockets fired last night toward the green zone had landed and killed an american, what would the response of the president be that didn't lead to some form of escalation? that's the question that many people are starting to ask. there's a significant risk of this running out of rontco wil some people warning that it could eventually lead to war. how do you put a cap on that? other than by diplomacy and with that red flag being hoisted.

i'm afraid many here feel it's time -- george? >> ian, we're seeing some new threats as early as today. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. this comes from hezbollah. the very group that initiated the attacks on the u.s. base that led to the death of the contractor. asssined.emimwas also with qasa le they've said they'll carry out attacks on u.s. forces as early as this evening. they've warned iraqi forces to foes, herwe they also risk being attacked. >> ian pannell, thanks. we're joined nowy se thanks for joining us this morning. we just heard ian say that there were rocket attacks against military bases in iraq. you said on friday that the aer the killing of general

soleimani, but more american troops heading to the middle east. the department of homeland security put out a bulletin last ni t,ghng ayisan, attack may come with little or no warning. if the world is a safer place today, why are all those actions necessary? >> george, good morning. thanks for having me on the show this morning. it's very clear that the world's a safer place today. qasou m seowan timlehe hisi tor. hundreds of thousands of people in syria, millions of refugees, lebanon, beirut, syria, iraq, yemen, death to americans in iraq in the earlier war. this was a bad guy, we took him off the playing field. that's important. because this was fellow who was the glue, conducting active plotting. president trump made the right decision to stop qasem soleimani from the terror campaign that he'd been engaged in. against america not only five

years ago, but on december 27th when an american was edllkikay b hta at the direction of qasem soleimani. the world is a safer place. we're taking the actions that we need to take to protect american interests not only in baghdad and in iraq, but throughout the region. >> you said he was planning an imminent against americans. what ed can you share about "tat?he new yk tis" i rtin g this morning there was skepticism inside the government about that rationale saying an u.s. official described the intelligence as thin, indicating a normal monday in the middle east. >> the senior leaders who had was no scekepticism. the intelligence assessment mad te cigcread more inue his s than taking the action we took last week. we reduced risk. president trump is committed to

protect and defend american lives here in the homeland and we'll continue to do that. >> most analysts have said it's not a question of whether or not iran will respond, should americans be braced for a counterattack? >> well, george, remember, iran's been at war with us for 40 years. the previous administration, they had navy sailors on their knees. they launched missile attacks throughout the region. this is a regime that has been acting against america for a long time. we're suffering from eight years of neglect. we're trying to contain them. diplomatic strategy, we're trying to correct for what was obama administration's appeasement of iran. we have to do that. we have to continue to do that. or americans will be less safe. >> before this strategy was put safe, the iranians were abiding by the nuclear agreement. we have seen a spate of attacks in recent days and weeks in response to maximum pressure.

can u actually working? >> absolutely, george, remember what hd nepengridu terrible nuclear deal, hundreds of thousands killed in syria. shia militias, the ones that we're fighting today, taking control in places like iraq, missiles fired from yemen that could have easily killed americans when they attacked on september 14th. all these things, these things were ongoing activities. resourced and funded by the trade and the money that was provided in october of this year, george. that jcpoa nuclear deal will permit arms trade with iran, ra c'szy that's crazy. missiles and high-end systems from china and russia in iraq, lawfully in october, that was the deal we inherited. it's the place we found ourself and we're working diligently to execute our strategy. to convince. iranian regime to about like a normal nation. we'll be successful.'re seeing new threats from iran,

and a strong counterthreat from the president. let this serve as a warning if iran strikes any americans, or american assets, we have targeted 52 iranian sites representing the 52 americans hostages taken by iran many erhrs ago. ev aelmeso andt a important to iran and the iranian culturergets and iran i hit ve hd.as fryt d anve as you know the geneva convention outlaws attacks on property, so why is the president threateningra in >> we'll behave inside the system. aays will. you know that, george. the president was getting to this point. in the past, previous administrations had allow shia militias to take shots. we made a very different

approach. we told the iranian regime enough, you can't use proxy forces thinking your homeland will be safe and secure. weerg going to respond against the actual decisionmakers, the people who are causing this threat from the islamic republic of iran. we'll take this seriously and we'll defend the american people at every turn, george. >> just to be clear, the president had 52 sites that wasn't accurate? >> george, i have seen what we are planning in terms of the targets set. the american people should know that every target that we strike will be a lawful target and it will be a target designed a singular mission in defending americans. the president doesn't war. he's talked about this repeatedly. he's a reluctant participant in this one. he'll never shy away from protecting america. >> have you had any direct communication with iranian officials, phone call, a letter, and how have they responded? >> i don't talk about private conversations.

make no mistake, we have built an enormous coalition, that the primary threat is stability is the iran. thndne mth's s the terror threat taking place in the middle east today. i have no doubt in my mind that the iranian leadership understands president trump's view and america's view and gets clearly the message from the american leadership. >> before congress, democrats in congress were given no advanced notice of the strike, the president re-tweeted about that as well, saying, neither were the iranians for pretty much the same reason. was the president suggesting that senator schumnd aer he t democrats shouldn't be given advanced notice because they can't be trusted? >> i hope we'll get support from every leader across america. from members of congress, i'm confident they share the trump administration's desire to keep america safe. i'm confident they understand the threat and risk that qasem sole mba -- soleimani presented. we'll continue to do that.

we'll brief that. we began our briefings on friday of last week. we'll brief them more this week. we needed a united american front to keep america safe. president trump will lead it. we ask that they support it as well. >> there's also the question come going forward, any new action against iran, is congressional authorization needed? former vice president joe biden spokab >> let me make it clear, president trump has no authority to t period. the bottom line is, any further action against iran requires congressional authorization. >> will the president go to congress before taking new military action against iran? >> it's really something to hear the vice president from the previous administration be critical of this administration's policy on iran. we'll do everything required under the law to bring us in compliance with the

constitutional authorities. >> will you seek new authorization or no? dahout ari tll the tywe'll contino ue to do things appropriately, lawfully and konks constitutionally. we've been consistent about that. >> secretary pompeo, thanks for your time this morning. >> thank you, george. let's get some analysis now from our expert panel. karim sadjadpour, meghan o'sullivan, and retired james stavridis. who served commander of nato. admiral stavridis, let me start with you. you heard secretary of state pompeo say the world is safer today. do you agree with that? what should the american military be braced for right now? >> i think tactically it's haths safer because soleimani is dead. that's a tactical function. i think strategically, however,

we are entering a period in which almost certainly, george, we're going to see a continuing ladder of escalation. so, tactically we're safer for taking that particular chess piece off the board. i really don't see where ourstr going to take us, her than into increasing levels of violence, unfortunately. what should the u.s. military be prepared for? i would start by saying, worry about what's at sea, our ships in the arabian gulf. they have cruise missiles, they can use mines, that's a potential strike point. secondly, the use of proxy forces around the region against u.s. forces from afghanistan, all the way to the shores of the mediterranean sea, and i think thirdly, george, i'd draw a line under cyber. i think that the iranians have significant capability here,

they can use it to degrade our mirytaom c they can also go after domestic targets. lastly, we got to be very concerned what the iranians will say is a porportional action, a senior u.s. military officer not just one in the region. we have many, many for example in europe. much softer targets than in the middle east. so, buckle up, a big range of >> meghan, we also heard secretary of stathe opposite calculation of both e d presidents obama and bush who you served with. >> i think ihe assementof t proand e pedet tn cons in the bush and obama administrations. clearly outweighed -- the cons oueighed the risks here. the trump administration in making this assessment, we have to wonder do they not fully assess all the risks, or all the ways in which u.s. power

and our ability to achieve goals would be jeopardized? or, did they overstate the benefits? clearly, there are huge counterterrorism benefits as admiral stavridis mentioned. but at the same time, m i' concerned that they may assessed the iranian regime to be very weak, to think that this could actually catalyze something greater inside the regime, they're looking at a period where iran had been experiencing widespread protests, is under a lot of economic stress. maybe they made an assessment that the benefits of doing something so dramatic and so potentially destabilizing would make this calculation more sensible than it was under presidents bush and obama. >> how much does this hurt them? >> iran is a very polarized society. i think what this does is you have a passionate minority of folks who support the regime. you have a silent majority who aren't fans of soleimani's

world view. this really energizes the passionate of majority of regime supporters. when you look historically at the collapse of authoritarian regimes, you need pressure from below but you also need divisions at the top and what this assassination has done is it's unified iran's politics. >> how should we think about measuring the iranian response? i was struck by the observation of one analyst, in all these eulogies, the word vengeance was matched with patience. >> iran's supreme leader is 80 years old, he's been ruling for 30 years. he wants to die as supreme leader. he's working in careful parameters. on one hand if he doesn't respond to this assassination he risks losing face. if he responds excessively he risks losing his head. so i think it's going to be a drawn-out response that's going to happen over the course of many months.

>> and admiral stavridis, this may be drawing the u.s. back in. we know that president trump promised to draw america out. 3500 more troops heading toward iraq. what does that tell you and what does this mean in the fight against isis? >> it's going to degrade our fight against isis in the sense of, we're going to have to put so much military emphasis on our defensive postures. more missile defense units, george, more use of defensive cybermeans. focusing on our intelligence network on iran. when we ought to be using to continue the conflict against the islamic state. the islamic state is kind of like embers in a forest fire those could re-flash. the worst part about it is if our troops are indeed forced to leave iraq, that's where 5,000 u.s. troops are focused on ending what's left of isis in the physical realm.

there are real downsides to shifting the lens if you will over to iran. that's a second order consideration. but i think a significant one. it gets back to this idea of, do we have a strategy? have we put in place all the right moves? the international. interagency. the private, public. our strategic narrative. we're really good at launching missiles, george. we could get better at launching ideas. >> meghan, we saw the iraqi parliament put off calling for the withdrawal of the u.s. troops. is that inevitable? >> i'd say, what's inevitable the nature of american presence is going to change. certainly it's possible that the iraqi parliament and iraqi government could ask the u.s. to leave. we'll have no choice to leave in that instance. but even if that doesn't happen, and i agree with admiral stavridis, is that we really want to avoid that because that would have big implications in the fight against isis and regional stability.

if forces stay they'll be much more vulnerable in iraq and this is because now iraqi forces, iraqi political forces are much more ambivalent about the u.s. presence. it's important to remember that soleimanwasn't viewed as we view him i think rightly so as a terrorist leader, in iraq he was viewed by many, many people as the first person who gave to their defense. he was seen as a friend of iraq. now we see people like al-sadr call out the mahdi army. that really posed a major challenge to the u.s. and iraqi government before the surge. for the first time since the surge in iraq almost ten years ago, al sadr called on the army to be ready to defend the country.

i think the u.s. forces, if they do find a way to stay are going to be under major threats. some even predict another forc but one that's shia led rather than sunni-led in the past. >> the possibility of tactical alliance between enemies. al shabaab and other isis groups and now iran because they have a common enemy, the united states. >> certainly the enemy has been the united staan as teineystthdv united states. i think iran is going to be very motivated to make donald trump a one-term president. i think the hostage crisis made jimmy carter a one-term president. it's going to put donald trump in a difficult position in 2020. if he doesn't respond to iranian provocations he looks weak. if he does respond he risks conflict. >> great insights. thank you all very much. t late impeachment from the

senate's top democrat, chuck schumer, he joins us live. schumer. (man) we weave security into their business. (man) we weave security into their business. (man) we weave security into their business. (second man) virtualize their operations. (second man) virtualize their operations. (woman) and build ai customer experiences. (second woman) we also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. like 5g. like 5g. like 5g. almost all of the fortune 500 partner with us. almost all of the fortune 500 partner with us. almost all of the fortune 500 partner with us. (woman) when it comes to digital transformation... (woman) when it comes to digital transformation... verizon keeps business ready. verizon keeps business ready. verizon keeps business ready. i was on the fence about changing from a manual to an electric toothbrush. but my hygienist said going electric could lead to way cleaner teeth. she said, get the one inspired by dentists, with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's gentle rounded brush head removes more plaque along the gum line. for cleaner teeth and healthier gums. and unlike sonicare, oral-b is the first electric toothbrush brand accepted by the ada for its effectiveness and safety. what an amazing clean! i'll only use an oral-b! oral-b. brush like a pro.

this is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12-hour. and this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. delsym 12-hour. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. looking to simplify your skin care routine without sacrificing results? try olay total effects. one dose provides more vitamin b3 than 50 cups of kale improves 7 key areas of visibly healthy skin. try olay total effects.

everything was so fresh in the beginning... but that plug quickly faded. luckily there's febreze plug. it cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. breathe happy with febreze plug. until i found out what itst it actually was.ed me. dust mite droppings! eeeeeww! dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my iffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust onth ygrrsaboofl and hold dirt and no matter where dust bunnies hide. no more heebie jeebies. phew. glad i stopped cleaning and started swiffering.

♪ ♪ i've been a caregiver for 20 years. no two patients are the same. predicting the next step for them can be challenging. today we're using the ibm cloud to run new analytics tools that help us better predict and plan a patient's recovery. ♪ ♪ ultimately, it's helping thousands of patients return home. and who doesn't love going home. [coughs] kim is now demonstrating her congestion. save it, slimeball. vei'ra pg u we still have 12 hours to australia. mucinex lasts 12 hours, so i'm good. now move- kim nooooo!! mucinex has a patented tablet that lasts 3x longer, for 12 hours. new fixodent ultra dual power provides you with an unbeatable hold and strong seal against food infiltrations.

how can you judge a trial in which you have already stated an opinion or have an opinion? you would be thrown off a jury in any court of america. >> this isn't a criminal trial but this is something that the founding fathers decided to put in a body that was susceptible to the whims of politics.

it's not like a jury box in the sense that people will call us and lobby us. you don't have jurors call, lobby and things like that. it's quite different than a jury. >> senator chuck schumer back in 1999 discussing president clinton's impeachment trial. he's now the top democrat in the senate. as they preparehe peacent ial presiordent f trump. welcome to "this week," senator schumer. i want to talkt.bo tutha secretary of state pompeo said that america and the world is safer today. do you agree? >> i really worry the actions the president took will get us into what he calls another "endless war" in the middle east. he promised we wouldn't have that. i think we're closer to that now because of his actions. look, there are so many questions that are unanswere that have to be answered. among them at the top of the list, what do we know iran has in its range of retaliations and how are we going to prepare for

them? let's face it, this president has made a mess of foreign policy. north korea, they're much stronger than they were when he started. in sar he messed up. so, i'm really worried and that's why congress must assert itself. i don't believe the president h iraq without congressional -- >> you just heard secretary of state pompeo, he said they do. >> i don't believe that. i'll do everything i can to assert our authority. we don't need this president either bumbling or compulsively getting us into a war. the reason the founding fathers said congress had to okay it, because it's a check on a president who's doing so many wrong things. his foreign policy has been erratic and unsuccessful thus far. i worry it still is. >> you heard secretary say they're cleaning up the mess in iran left by obama.

you were initially against the iran nuclear agreement. >> yeah, but the bottom line is very simple here, president bush hardly a dove. president obama had an opportunity to take out soleimani. they didn't. the reasons don't seem very r.cl the document they sent us last night is very unsatisfying. i can't talk about it because it's classified. whatever they're doing is unusual here. there was no consultation. every other president i served under the leaders are called ahead of time. rswepowarmaking hers they gave e authority because they wanted a check on the executive. this executive seems to have no check and again, he's been erratic and unsuccessful in almost every previous foreign policy endeavor. this one is the most dangerous of all. we need congress to be a check on this president. >> you mentioned no consultation. i showed pompeo that retweet

from president trump. that you weren't consulted for the same reason why the irans weren't. >> this is the foolishness that the president engages in. let's talk about impeachment. >> this impeachment -- let me take one step, when these articles come over the focus will be on four republican senators.s u know are grave. for the president to withhold aid so that a forewepon n car interfere in our elections and ne the founding fathers were most twrcowotiabtud ieon.ouwht they gave congress the ultimate power, the senate and the house, of impeachment. if we're not going to have a fair trial, if all the facts ife'reot gng to hear the and truth, america has changed and the power of an overweaning executive is far too great. mcconnell won't go for a fair trial. you can't have a fair trial

without witnesses and documents, particularlysce hoof w the char. but four republican senators can wein us. weav h have asked for, whether there's agreement or not. we have the ability to ask for the documents and i hope, pray, and believe there's a decent chance tur hfot e a rfaubir ep trial. we don't know what these witnesses will say. it may be exculpatory or further condemning the president. we'll lee eatht senchatipors say, let's follow the clinton example, first two weeks, have the arguments from the lawyers for both sides and then have a vote. and then consider whether witnesses come wh that? >> where but in alice in wonderland hear all the arguments and then have the witnesses. >> that's the clinton model. >> but the clinton model is different. two reasons. one, they were heard from

already. these are four witnesses who are eyewitness to the main charge against the president that he withheld the aid for political benefit. >>anick, john bolton -- >> it's not secretary pompeo. it's blair, it's dufy. in the last two weeks look at what's come out. duffey said, we have to oshhuut why the president -- and then h the president, shouldn't that man testify? 64% of republicans agree. so i'm hopeful that our republican colleagues will come forward. i'll add one thing, if they vote for witnesses, if four of them join us to getssneitnd aes documents, it doesn't mean that they're going to vote to convict the president. we'll hear tll avi ehee.de it may be exculpatory or further condemning the president. then the chips will fall where they may. if the president is acquitted

through a sham trial, through a mock trial, where there are no witnesses, where everything is covered up that will not be -- that will not stand him well with the american people. >> you criticized senator mcconnell for working hand in glove with the white house. here's his response on the senate floor. >> a problem that i discussed trial mechanics with the white house. even as my counterpart, the democratic leader is openly coordinating political strategy with the speaker, who some might call the prosecution. >> does he have a point? >> no, there's always consultation. people can discuss things. he said heakte t'souhiseg in.de we senate democrats aren't taking our orders from anybody. we have come tohe t need the truth and nothing but the truth.remberhat, even though you're younger than me. that's all we want.

now, is there consultation? yes. i have never heard a senate leader say i'm taking my orders from the white house. the white house is engaged in a massive cover-up. americans are asking, what are they afraid of? >> do you want the articles of impeachment in the senate this week? >> look, i think speaker pelosi has done a very good job here. she had said that she'll send the articles of impeachment when she believes she'll maximize sending them to get the fairest trial possible. if she sent them right away, mcconnell could have voted for dismissal. of dayoref b t aheore last twt new evidence that bolster our case for t.tnesses and documents has come ou "the new york le named the four people we had requested as witnesses. the bottom line is very simple,

nwe have some nationally televised mock trial where there's no schumerth>> an saten your time this morning. >> great to be here, george. roundtable is up next. we'll be right back. struggle. a there's an easier way. try mr. man ea erjust wet, squeeze and erase tough messes like bathtub soap scum... and caked-on grease from oven doors. now mr. clean magic eraser comes in disposable sheets. they're perfect for icky messes on stovetops... in microwaves... and all over the house. for an amazing clean, try mr. clean magic eraser, and mr. clean magic eraser sheets. want to brain better? say hello to neuriva, a new brain supplement with clinically proven ingredients that fuel five indicators of brain performance: focus, accuracy, memory, learning, and concentration. neuriva. that little vent that it's no won't stay open..

except it is. that's why the vent is one more thing we check before a car can be a certified carmax car. the way it should be. carmax. until i found out what itst it actually was.ed me. dust mite droppings! dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust on my floors, my sweeper's on it. the textured cloths grab and hold dirt and hair no no more heebie jes. bi phew.ee with the cd changer that's stuck playing limp bizkit. ♪ just sell it to carmax. we'll buy any car.

even this one. the way it should be. carmax. even this one. beyond the routine checkups. beyond the not-so-routine cases. comcast business is helping doctors provcae idn irewhe all working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gig-speed network. because beyond technology... there is human ingenuity. every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. to do the extraordinary. take your business beyond. liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shhhh. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too. and last 12 hours. 12 hours? who studies that long?! mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with 2 medicines in 1 pill. are you currently using a whitening toothpaste, but not seeing results? try crest 3d whitestrips. its enamel-safe formula lifts and removes stains to provide 100% noticeably whiter teeth or your money back.

try crest 3d whitestrips. but in my mind i'm still 25. that's why i take osteo bi-flex, to keep me moving the way i was made to. it nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long term. osteo bi-flex. find our coupon in sunday's paper. no cover-up spray here. cheaper aerosols can cover up odors in a flowery fog. but febreze air effects eliminates odors. with a 100% natural propellent. it leaves behind a pleasant scent you'll love. [deep inhale] freshen up. don't cover up. febreze. roundtable has already started. we'll be right back. round jnl table has already started. we'll be right back. eliable pho. but to businesses, we're a reliable partner. we keep companies ready for what's next. (man) we weave security into their business. (man) we weave security into their business. (man) we weave security into their business. (second man) virtualize their operations. (second man) virtualize their operations. (woman) and build ai customer experiences. (second woman) we also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. like 5g. like 5g. like 5g.

almost all of the fortune 500 partner with us. almost all of the fortune 500 partner with us. almost all of the fortune 500 partner with us. (woman) when it comes to digital transformation... (woman) when it comes to digital transformation... verizon keeps business ready. verizon keeps business ready. verizon keeps business ready. i don't have to worry about that, do i? harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. it works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. gum detoxify, from crest. this is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12-hour. and this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. delsym 12-hour. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. whether your beauty routine is 3or 57,... make nature's bounty hair skin and nails step one. it's the number one brand uniquely formulated for silky hair, glowing skin and healthy nas.il look for our coupon in sunday's paper.

? ue it cced liquidfoula coats and kills bactiao lieve diea. the leading competitor only treats symptoms it does nothing to kill the bacteria. treat diarrhea at its source with pepto diarrhea. actions speak louder than words. she was a school teacher. my dad joined the navy and helped prosecute the nazis in nurem.rgbe their values are why i walked away from my business, took the giving pledge to give my money to good causes, and why i spent the last ten years fighting corporate insiders who put profits over people. i'm tom steyer, and i approve this message. because, right now, america needs more than words. we need action. whether you were borne for more dance-offs... more travels... or more touchdowns. get the immune support that gives you more. airborne gummies have 50% more vitamin-c than emergen-c... plus our crafted blend of vitamins, minerals and herbs. airborne. just between us, cleaning with a mop and bucket is such a hassle.

well i switched to swiffer wet jet and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. stop cleaning. start swiffering our president will start a war with iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. he's weak and he's ineffective. so the only way he figures he'll get re-elected is to start a war with iran. i believe that he'll attack iran. some time prior to the election. because he thinks that's the only way he can get elected. isn't it pathetic? >> president trump speaking out on president obama back in 2011. president obama didn't attack iran. there's been now an attack on iran heading into this election year for president trump. we'll talk about this with our roundtable. joined by rahm emanuel, former

governor of chicago, chris christie, matthew dowd. chris, the strike against soleimani may have been justified, was it wise? >> i think it's what the iranians understand. george, i think we have 40-year-plus history now with if the original regime that they take every sign of goodwill as weakness and i think the president did what he needed to do. i think admiral stavridis was right, we're a safer place today because this guy is off map. but it's going present challenges. shocking, the middle east is presenting us with challenges. the president's going to have to deal with it. the one ramification of it for him is sending more than 3500 more troops there. that's not what he wants to do. contrary to what he wants to do. every action has a ramification to it.

>> he's laying it on president obama. you served as chief of staff, both president obama and president bush consistently decided the risks outweighed the benefits. >> also the israelis. i'd add that. which is why this is a strategic setback of first order of president trump's credibility. president trump said he wanted to re-negotiate another deal. what's the over/under of that happening? number two, he said he wanted to end the endless wars. we now have the endless conflict. number three, the president wanted to make sure that iraq is isolated in the middle east. we're now the isolated party. iran was on its heels, the strategy was falling apart. now what's happened, everything the president said he wanted to do, this has undermined that. you have 18,000 more troops. this will become the endless nflict. george, the real problem here, you have a strategy laid out by secretary of state pompeo, very clear about frontal you'll find now the gulf between

what pompeo wants and the will of the president aren't aligned and that's a major strategic blunder for the united states. >> yvette, the president has been pretty consistent that he doesn't want to be deeply involved in the middle east. >> i think he set the stage for that when he predicted that obama might do exactly what he's doing right now. this is a political act, this is a political game for him. i think he miscalculated quite a bit. he said he didn't anticipated or didn't want a war. now he has a war. the question for me is, what did he expect to happen when you go and assassinate a foreign military leader? now, there will be blood on his hands. 3500, real people going off to war because of an action he took when he said there was an imminent threat when we know there wasn't one. all he had 20 go was through the chain of command, get the authorization that you need.

the fact that he doesn't do that attacks his credibility. which makes this look political. >> we don't know -- we don't know there was an imminent threat, because we haven't seen any of the intelligence. that's one of the big questions out there. >> matthew, you were serving in the bush white house at the beginning of the invasion of iraq back in 2003, i think it's pretty safe to say that no one in the white house could have imagined that america would still be in iraq 17 years later, how >> when i saw secretary of state pompeo use very similar words that cheney used. everything's going to be great. the exact opposite is happening in the middle east. to me we have an unpredictable region with an unpredictable action.

middle east is like the shifting tech tonic plates. you never know where things are going to erupt. what the president did with this action -- i'm waiting for him to report to congress and the public onault line of a shifting tectonic plate. it could settle the plates down and everything could be fine. more than likely i t'togog in cause a series of -- >> let me tell you how it was justified. >> we had iran attacks on saudi arabia. we have iranians going -- this is what they're advocating now. other threats that he says and we'll see the intelligence when it comes out that he says were planning attacks on american personnel and diplomats. the bottom line is, he responded because the iranians continued to provoke and by not resnding to their earlier provocations,

e 13esh8 -- especially with the saudis, that didn't make us any safer. so at some point you have to decide, there's a risk in every foreign policy decision you make in the middle east. you got to decide. he decided to act. >> look, every time i've been in the situation room or in the oval office on a major strategic decision, how unpredictable and how dangerous this is, nobody from cia is down there, nobody from the dni is down there, intelligence is guesswork. the idea that not only one you're going to say this is imminent. imminent is a judgment call. number two, beyond that, the second point is, what are the ramifications? that means cia and dni always disagree. the fact is, nobody's down there except the secretary of defense, joint chiefs and secretary of defense, no one from intelligence community to say, if you do this here are the ifs and thens. to make a decision of this

magnitude which both presidents bush and obama rejected, and nobody's there to tell you what happened. policy undermines that area. he undermines the credibility of the united states on that very point. because he never thought about it. >> part of the problem is, when we're in such a consequential moment in the middle east the president has exhausted most of the trust of the americans over three years. in little things, crowd sizes, drawing on hurricane map and big things that he's dteleepe d so when the president, or the secretary of state, comes forward and said this is what happened and this is why we did this. there's credible doubt one has and the final answer to this is, we don't know if this action made things safer for americans. >> we may not know for months or years. >> i'd argue right now it didn't.

let's start with the fact that here's the evidence against imminent. lindsey graham was told about this on a golf course. if you can tell lindsey graham about this action on golf course, you can let congress know. you can notify your staff and maybe alert u.n. security council. also, you think about the bigger picture he was given many, many options, he took the nuclear option. how is it an imminent threat if you had other options you could have taken. those are two key pieces of evidence that this wasn't imminent. he also didn't appreciate or understand that next move. when he said, i had no intention of starting a war, i have no exit strategy. >> let's get to the politics of that, then, chris, you said it was justified. we've been waiting a long time. the president was driven by the need to appear strong especially

in the wake of having protesters in the american embassy. the president gets a bump up in the first couple of weeks. >> that's why i think he didn't make this decision based on politics. a number of people i have spoken to understand this is not a political home run for sure between now and november of 2020 which is what they're focused on. they know it's a difficult decision. you can't forecast how this is going to play politically with american people. he made this decision i believe because he really thought i have waited, i have waited for them to stop the provocation and they haven't. so now i have to hit back. w't know for sure whether this was the right thing or the wrong thing for quite some time. h wh president really in his heart believed this is what he had to do after him showing patience with the iranians. >> isn't the day after is the biggest problem, what does the

president do if an american diplomat is taken out? >> i'd say based on everything i have heard over the last two years with president obama, six with president clinton it's like a funnel. first, you got israel. you got saudi arabia, the uae, they're going to hit other proxies with proxies. that's going to divide america from both its european allies and also what it's going to protect its allies. then finally it will get to american assets. they're going to build up on this effort. i do think, look, i don't think the president has credibility.i weapons of mass destruction we have an extra burden on what's iing to happenhan that means, and also about what happens afterwards. and the consequences of this decision that other people have rejected and here's the thing that's happened in every war presidents usually get a rally the opposite is going to happen. america is more divided.

iran that was divided is going to be become more united. >> yvette, we're also seeing this reshape the democratic race as well. you can see an argument in a couple different directions. could it help someone like a joe biden who's got experience as vice president, voted for the iraq war however. or pete buttigieg who served in the military. bernie sanders calling this an assassination. what impact does it have? >> if you can unite this field around trump i think is a good thing. every time you're talking about this president starting a war, when most americans don't want it helps this field a lot. they should be talking about it. every day we're -- every day we're not talking about how much money was raised. i think we've been looking for a real conversation among this field about foreign policy and this forces that. some people will sink and some people will swim. it depends on what their

experience is and what their planning is. >> i think one of the things that we've learned on election night, george, is predicting things in the moment and how it's going to impact are very hard in this. two weeks ago, three weeks ago we were talking about the political impact of the president getting impeached. we're not talking about that today. i think there's so much -- we're now in this speedy time, this president is incredibly unpredictable, he does a lot of things from the seat of his pants. it changed the dynamic and what we're talking about in this. i think the democrats in the midst of this, i think if you wanted to pick somebody if we're in the midst of disarray or chaos, if unpredictable is the status quo. >> more of a known quantity. >> more of a known quantity. which i think helps joe biden in this. of telling that what we're going to be talking a autboil --n i >> listen, you don't shelf life of all this.

we have had so many, if each of us were paid every time there was a pivotal moment in the trump presidency we wouldn't be working anymore. we don't know what the shelf life of this will bee. but i will say we're a month away from iowa and we're talking about donald trump and we're talking about what he's doing and acting as president. i don't think it does anything to enhance the democratic field discussion or debate. and they've got a month now to decide when the caucus voters go who's going to come out of that? who's going to emerge? wh gso'threngoie, t four tickets out of iowa to go to new hampshire? >> who's helped if national security is the focus? >> if national security i'd say both vice president joe biden and buttigieg. let me just say one thing, we're sitting around here talking about ten months. the shiites and sunnis, their argument dates back well over 1800 years ago. this discussion about time and what it means to our election i get it. this is not going to play out in just ten months.

as we can tell by the war in iraq it's not going to play out in just ten years. this is an event, a moment, that has a consequence that's so serious that other people using judgment and intel decided not to do because of the ramifications would be felt for decades. that's how you have to view it. now it has consequences to america's standing in the world. i think what's really severe not only have we isolated ousts in the region, i think this action is going to be leaving us isolated in the world even further. where we need allies, this is dangerous thing from north korea -- >> adding to what rahm just said >> finish my thought for me. >> i want to add on something. that we just took out a military general of a sovereign state. we just did that. which is a huge deal. which means it allows other

countries now, we often thought unless there was a declaration of war we would not conduct ourselves in that way. swhopened ourselves up. ret re-elected or not, whoever the next president is, the actions that just took place we're going to dwil ea.th >> you saw the president threaten a war crime overnight. disavowed by the secretary of state. >> oh, my goodness 52 cultural sites, civilian sites. who's going to put a check on that? that's very, very dangerous. it's a war crime. someone needs to do something. i'm waiting for congress. somebody do something. >> american public. it's going to be left up to the american public. >> i would say that i want to get bathe o tndnvercoe s is helped by this. he's been one of the m.t he's been out there talking about the fact that he doesn't want endless wars and i think he'sn etti ath latot has lived their entie in state of war. they're sick and tired of it.

>> sorry guys we're out of time. we'll be right back. i see it every day. the mental health safety net is in crisis. people undiagnosed, untrted, and nowhere to turn for help. our patients are in jails, prisons, psychiatric hospitals and treatment centers. i work for wellpath... along with over 8,000 professionals, we provide medical and mental healthcare services with a single mission:

to be there for those who need us most. americans who serve and sacrifice. in the month of december, one service member died in afghanistan. that's all for us today. thanks for sharing part of your sunday with us. check out "world news tonight" and i'll see you tomorrow on "gma." "world news tonight" and i'll see you tomorrow on "gma."