they are tom friedman, david brooks, david leonhardt and roger cohen. >> i personally think we need a third party. i think we're caught in the middle of a corrupt monopoly that cannot get to the right answers anymore because of a lot of deeply imbedded things that have happened to american politics. >> put some baiers between our immeate needs and our long term needs and we have to have a government that's structured around long term needs but essentially we need leadership. >> when we look back a the first te we will say it was very much defined by health reform. it was a big accomplish many that came with enormous costs. >> europeans and everyone i think are asking where is u.s. headed. it cannot go on with these levels of deficits d debts, something has to be done. >> charlie: america seen through four the "new york times" columnists, next. all across america. it's ha, every time a storefront opens. or the midnight oil is burned. or when someone chases a dream, not just a dollar. they are small business owners. so if you wanna root for a real hero, support small business. shop smal

"new york times" columnist tom friedman, david brooks and roger cohen addressed that debate on our programast night. >> i was notn favor of the surge. i think we have four choices in afghanistan, we always had four choice, lose early, lose late, lose big or lose small. i prefer to lose early and small. there's no victory. >> charlie: that would recommend what policy. >> going down to the absolute minimum presence we need to maintain some kind of counterinsurgency. i think we've become enablers of just hugely bad behavior. bad behavior by pakistan, bad behavior by the afghan government. and this is what happens in all. we've done the same thing in the arab israeli center. we can arrest these guys and not those guys. let me make it simple, wre gone. the minute we're gone, you know just which tale back are goo and whicare bad and you will kill the bad one because your life will depend on it. because i'm tired of you telling me i can't do this and scratch my ear like that. >> afghanistan, i think we've ne our best with nation building. i don't know if we know how to establish a country anywher