iran are very closely allied, but when you look at -- to provide supplies to the syrian dictator basha al-assadat he is being forced to do so because the iranian pressure. he has his own reasons to want to have the iranians support assad. if the syrian rebels topple the government in damascus, they will work in concert with iraq's minority population to further destabilize his government. >> your final myth is the americans have already left. >> we have hundreds of personnel there. there is an american presence in iraq. >> your personal reaction to general petraeus's situation when he had to leave the cia and stanley mcchrystal when he had to leave his post. what was your personal reaction? >> i was surprised by both. petraeus, a man who preaches great virtue. talk a lot about the importance of character. it was not something i expected. i am not the only one among the people who knew him to have been deeply surprised and saddened by that. mcchrystal, i spent a lot of time with him. i am not trying to say that did not happen, i was surprised his public affairs officer would not such partic grou