and today's #oneluckyguy, former green beret and veteran of three tours of duty in afghanistan, ben collins. he is outnumbered and more than qualified to speak on this matter today. >> ben: thank you. >> sandra: it's great to have you on the couch. >> harris: it's fantastic to get your experience and perspective. this will be great stuff. >> ben: it should be and i can say i'm glad we are finally talking about afghanistan again after 15 or 16 years. >> sandra: more of that in just a moment, let's get started. president trump laying out his plans were afghanistan and a primetime address to the nation after consulting with his generals, the president saying he will give troops the tools they need to win, but declining to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched nearing the 16 year mark and refusing to set timelines. calling it counterproductive. watch. >> conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timelines 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. >> sa

so here now three veterans of the afghan war, ben collins is an army special forces veteran, buck sextonio host who served in afghanistan with the cia. and robin bureau is a democratic strategist and army ranger veteran and-- strikveteran.thank you foe in this fight and great to have you here tonight to get your take on what we expect the president to talk about. so, ben, in terms of the number of troops and the discussion of getting more cooperation from pakistan and india, in particular pakistan, that's been a pretty tough road to hoe up to this point. why do you think the president can get them to cooperate now? >> martha, i think the most important thing that the president actually has to address tonight is not so much the how of what this new policy is going to dictate, but it's the why. and i think the greatest thing that's been missing, at least for the last 15 years, is having a president that can look the american people in the eye and say, here is why this matters. here is why we continue to be in afghanistan and why i'm going to authorize more troops to go. i do think, however

and today's #oneluckyguy, former green beret and veteran of three tours of duty in afghanistan, ben collins. he is

trish: talking to ben collins, who has been advising this president on afghanistan, his point it is absolutely strategic. where it sits is prime territory. you can't allow the terrorists to fester there because that is too risky in and of itself, colonel. >> what i would focus on is killing terrorists. afghanistan is of a concern to the chinese and russians and indians but everybody always said, you know, if we leave, we've got to go back. going back every 10 or 15 years and whacking them and leaving again is a lot cheaper than staying an trying to rebuild afghanistan in our image. trish: he said he is not doing that. i don't nod what you're arguing -- understanding arguing here. he hasn't defined he would be putting 4,000 troops. >> what i don't like, trish, expecting miracles. trish: hang on colonel, we have the secretary of state rex tillerson. let's listen, everyone. >> a faw comments on the strategy for south asia president trump outlined last night in his address to the nation and take a few of your questions on that subject. i think. i think president did fairly thorough job describing

to former green beret ben collins to start the attacks. let's start there.do we stop the attacks? we're desperate for answers. not easy to come by. >> we're not. as much asç pains me to say th, seal you had on before, congressman scott taylor, is exactly right. these things are so low-tech, the way within the past we were able to break into these cells, target these cells, when they start communicating with each other. so if you just look at, methodology, you know, via emails and via phones, we used to track that, maybe track the phones, listen in on the phone conversations. now they moved into third party applications, messaging, that is secure, they can talk to each other, but even then we could perhaps getaway in there. because of that territory been retakeé in racca, certainly in iraq, you know, there was a point where the caliphate said look, don't come here to the caliphate anymore, just stay at home if you want to -- they put out monthly magazine. it is extremely difficult. only way you stop it to attack the idea itself. gerri: that is some statement

than donald trump failed at that, and also the fact, i forget to mention, lisa murkowski, ben sasse, susan collins. there are a lot of senators who donald trump has insulted in literally the last three weeks much less since he's been in office that he's going to theoretically need if he's going to do anything and then they're not going to be for him, either -- whether steve bannon works there or doesn't. >> and to spite him. not for him. >> and anthony scaramucci, how long did he last? not long. >> ten full days. >> spicer gone. now steve bannon, gone from the white house. the exodus continues. >>> our special coverage resumes right after a quick break. electric light orchestra ] ♪ sailin' away on the crest of a wave, it's like magic ♪ ♪ rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin' ♪ ♪ it's magic introducing the all new volkswagen tiguan. ♪ higher and higher, baby the new king of the concrete jungle. there's nothing more important than your health. so if you're on medicare or will be soon, you may want more than parts a and b here's why. medicare only covers about 80% of your part b medical expense

tim scott, susan collins, bob corker, ben sasse. remember, bob corker was almost one of donald trump's -- well, was in contention for donald trump as vice president and secretary of state. is he facing a fraction within his party that he won't be able to mend? >> well, i wish he were, but i doubt it, because of the -- i am just thinking of the history of the "access hollywood" tape. you were how many republicans stepped back, denounced him, said this was unacceptable, withdrew their endorsements, and within weeks they were back in his corner. the problem politically for republicans is that there is enough of a fraction of the gop base that is going to support president trump no matter what, ask they live in fear of that base. but the deeper problem is a moral problem. with very few exceptions people like jeff flake of arizona and ben sasse, very far of them have any kind of moral backbone, any kind of spine. i mean, that's a political problem at large, but it happens to be the republican party right now because they're asking themse

there are a few, ben sasse from nebraska, lindsey graham, susan collins, maybe mike lee who are prettyh against donald trump, but the rest are just sort of going along, but the going along used to be going along close, and now going along, let's do it without this guy. one, during the health care thing, they saw not only what a loser he was but how destructive his presence was to try to get anything done. second, nothing offends members of the senate republicans more than being attacked by the president of their own party because it does feel like an act of disloyalty. so incompetence andties loyalty, that suggests let's do our own thing, the sky is hopeless, and i think that mentality has begun to sip in to a lot of the senate republicans but it doesn't mean they will counter the cultural and political and institutional rock in the trump administration, they don't standing up to that degree. >> woodruff: we learned yesterday bob mueller, special counsel, apparently was working with one grand jury, already, but a newer one set up in washington which spells, according to the experts, a

john mccain, mitch mcconnell, ben sasse, all these guys, murkowski, susan collins.derstand what average people feel, think, want. >> the congressional republicans have come up to go first in 2018 before the president does and if they lose power in the senate, this president will work with democrats. if you want to get deals done. if the republican party doesn't work for him, they work with democrats. let's not forget effect and democrats in the cabinet. steve mcgeechan was before he became a republican. train to quite a few actually. jon hilsenrath they are. next comes the shocking reason by the department was forced to rehire an employee that they fired. what is up? the high cost of prescription drugs. the new lawsuit against cvs thaa customers paid more when they used insurance. new truck now has a cornerstep built right into the bumper. gary: super cool. potsch: the bed is made of high-strength steel, which is less susceptible to punctures than aluminum. jim: aluminum is great for a lot of things, but maybe not the bed of a truck. potsch: and best of all, this ne

. >> it was senator collins thought it was me and guessed it was me, but as jim testified at the time, it was actually somebody else. >> i apologize, ben. my bad. >> but look, there is simply no doubt in my mind that before any jury you could amass in the united states or before any selt of investigators, much less the highly professional selt of investigators that bob mueller has put together, that jim comey is a more credible witness than donald trump. and, you know, i think to ask which of them is a more credible witness is also to answer that question. and so i think the broad point here is that this is -- this issue is not going to be resolved on either of the two bases that the president's lawyers appear to have argued. it's not going to be resolved on the basis that the president has the authority to fire anybody, and so he therefore, can't have obstructed justice. and it's not going to be resolved on the basis that jim comey is prone to exaggeration and is a leaker and is a brag art and is therefore not credible. >> go ahead. >> if the president has a defense, it is going to be on the basis of the facts of what happened between

ben sass and jeff flake and rand paul was a definite no. he flipped a lot of them he fell short when murkowski and collins wouldn't budge and mccain shocked everybody thumbs down. he could have said we hope to learn from that for tax reform. instead he said don't blame me. ainsley: the democratic party has it right when it comes to loyalty. they stick together. the republican party you just have some that are wayward and not being loyal to this administration. not being loyal to the people, the constituents who put them in there who wanted repeal and replace. they have all quote to get on board and do this. meanwhile is he taking a vacation. a recess and blaming the president for the time frame. meanwhile, they knew -- they have been running on this for seven years. where is the plan? steve: exactly. the senate famously a couple weeks ago said we are going to stay in session until we get it done. they didn't get it done. they are actually going to stay out an extra week. ainsley: he probably got paid to speak at the rotary event, too. steve: i don't think so. he just wanted to meet the folks and remind them hey, we are working for you. one other th