fassel -- i wanted to ask the ambassador about his observations about cost and risk. and to do that in the context of american domestic political setting, just to say that 2014 is not just another year. it is midterms. i wonder if there is a way, if you have done this or could articulate what the risks that you talk about are, and to the extent that it is doable. some sense of risk investment ratioso that people can get some more specificity than saying there is this relationship between risk and cost. it is to delineate what those risks might be and i in round numbers investments on our resources could be to deal with those. >> level one is we're no longer able to mount operations that suppress terrorist activity in pakistan or afghanistan. employing drones and other forms of counter terrorist strikes. that we can do that only as long as we have a complaint government that is prepared to for that purpose it is not something we can do from aircraft carriers in the indian ocean. it is not something we will do from uzbekistan. if we do not have a government in kabul is

i know obama's very fassel, but i also know democrats will never cut spending in my lifetime.ert costa, welcome back from the wilds of williamsburg. now, i want to turn to my panel and say i don't really think the gop got the job done in williamsburg. that's just my view. here's cnbc contributor keith boykin. he's a former clinton white house aide. we have mark simone, w.o.r. radio talk show host, and matt welch, reason magazine editor in chief. mark simone, do you think the republicans are burning up the track here? what is their message? >> they have no message. now, let me correct one thing you said. the democrats will never cut spending. wait till hagel gets in place there at the defense department. you're going to see some spending cuts. >> he's a republican. >> i stand corrected. >> he's a republican in name only. >> that's wonderful. >> the problem is there's no ronald reagan, there's no bill clinton, there's nobody to talk. you know, the average person thinks that we suddenly had a revenue shortfall and that's why we're running a deficit. they have no idea that we've g

fassel -- i wanted to ask the ambassador about his observations about cost and risk. and to do that in the context of american domestic political setting, just to say that 2014 is not just another year. it is midterms. i wonder if there is a way, if you have done this or could articulate what the risks that you talk about are, and to the extent that it is doable. some sense of risk investment ratioso that people can get some more specificity than saying there is this relationship between risk and cost. it is to delineate what those risks might be and i in round numbers investments on our resources could be to deal with those. >> level one is we're no longer able to mount operations that suppress terrorist activity in pakistan or afghanistan. employing drones and other forms of counter terrorist strikes. that we can do that only as long as we have a complaint government that is prepared to -- for that purpose it is not something we can do from aircraft carriers in the indian ocean. it is not something we will do from uzbekistan. if we do not have a government in kabul

fassel -- i wanted to ask the ambassador about his observations about cost and risk. and to do that in the context of american domestic political setting, just to say that 2014 is not just another year. it is midterms. i wonder if there is a way, if you have done this or could articulate what the risks that you talk about are, and to the extent that it is doable. some sense of risk investment ratioso that people can get some more specificity than saying there is this relationship between risk and cost. it is to delineate what those risks might be and i in round numbers investments on our resources could be to deal with those. longerl one is we're no able to mount operations that suppress terrorist activity in pakistan or afghanistan. employing drones and other forms of counter terrorist strikes. that we can do that only as long as we have a complaint government that is prepared to -- for that purpose it is not something we can do from aircraft carriers in the indian ocean. it is not something we will do from uzbekistan. if we do not have a government in kabul is coope