domestic consumption. hey, at this point in afghanistan, this is about american interest. this is about our interests. this is about the reason we're there is to ensure that radical islamists don't have ahaven in which to strike us. other than that, the afghans, i wish them the best and i want them to be able to secure their country. the decisions we make there need to be made based on whether or not we'll be more secure as a result. i trust the commander there will look at that operation through that lens. >> finally, newt gingrich has essentially said this might not be winnable. your reaction? >> well, i go back to that deadline. if you've got a deadline hanging around the necks of our troops, it's pretty tough to have a good outcome there. i would say that we need to responsibly withdraw at this point and make sure we don't allow a pre-9/11 atmosphere in afghanistan. it's that deadline that's killing us. >> good luck in your senate run in minnesota that tends to be a wild election state. thanks for your time. >> thank you. >> meanwhile, we move ahead.