and we're moving on now to talk to steve clements for the atlantic and an nbc contributor and still in studio mikey kay, former adviser to the ministry of defense and ayman mohyeldin. and we are moving in fluid motion together as we wait for the president and also as we continue to take in breaking news details of the germanwings flight. so if you'll just roll with me. we have a two-minute warning to president obama. but let's figure out exactly and ayman, i'll start with you, the importance of troop withdrawal to the new president of afghanistan and the importance of keeping troops in afghanistan for national and international security reasons. >> from a tactical perspective on the ground, the american presence is perhaps the strongest force in combatting the most imminent threats that the central government in