tonight's guest is victor davis hanson. he has returned in honor of his latest work, ripples of battle, how wars of the past determine how we fight, how we live, how victor davis hanson began here in santa cruise and moved on to stanford, he is with california state university fresno and is a senior member of the hoover institute in war revolutions and peace, a stanford policy resource center focusing on politics, economics and enter national affairs. this quite energetic historian has written over 170 articles and book reviews that focus on classical studies, military history and contrary culture. his work appears in the national review as well as other publications, he is the author of 13 books, where he as a fifth generation california farmer explore the rising concern of america's fluid borders. now mr. hanson has penned "ripples of battle." looking at three highly influential yet often overlooked battles. "ripples of battle" has gifted story telling with the effects of human conflict. the human, military, and cultural e

it has always been in my mind as well as the death oft victor hanson in okinawa. i had a personal relationship with these battles. when the battle was over two and a half days later the world took note. this was the first mass battle with rifled musketry. there were more casualties than all the bat unless the history of the american republic up to that time put together. 24,000 casualties and at least almost 2,000 killed. this is child's play compared to the wilderness or antietam or gettysburg. but at this period it was shocking. what the south tried to do with this army was to go up the tennessee river, reclaim the border states and go into southern ohio and threaten cincinnati. they almost did it. sunday morning they got this army. no one thought they could do it. johnston brought it within a few hundred yards of the union line and no one knew it was there. they attacked at dawn. they almost broke immediately the right side of the union army. what i'd like to do at this point is not talk about the tactics but how this battle affected four people who were there

victor davis hanson points out in national review, look, an apology maybe one time if done right in the right place, the right time and the right tone and tenor might have an impact, but when you just do it again and again and again, all you eventually say about yourself is that you're a weakling joke. and that's what obama's doing. i think it's just absurd. megyn: any truth to that? >> well, this is coming from a man who wants this president to fail, so i'm not surprised at this remark. >> oh, leslie. >> you know, i don't agree with that. and, lars, you know, seriously, i'm not blaming bush, and i didn't blame bush, and i don't like when this administration blames bush, and i've said that with you right here. what i'm asking -- yes, but how come you did not invoke his name in anger and call him out if you felt it was wrong? i agree with both presidents apologizing, you disagree with both presidents apologizing. same country for the same reason which is we are being diplomatic in saying we have troops over there, we respect your culture, your religion, we are not occupying your country,