c-span: you name names in here about people you don't agree with, like james baker and brent scowcroft and colin powell. they are all friends of this president, and you're supposedly a close friend of this president. explain that. >> guest: well, i'm not a close friend of the president, although i admire him greatly. i was part of the little group that advised before the campaign. i have not seen him since the campaign. these reports of my influence of the president are greatly exaggerated. if -- if i have any influence at all with the president, it is because he may occasionally watch a program like this or read an op-ed piece that i have written. and i have enormous admiration for colin powell, who i think is superbly able to execute a mission. i know him well. i worked closely with him when we were in the pentagon together. i don't agree with some of his views, but i have great respect for him. i have respect for brent scowcroft and jim baker, too, but i think they -- they weren't ready for this fight, in a sense. and i wish they had been. i wish we had taken this on sooner rather t