would have. and so, ron, when the white house is faced today with this issue of the national security adviser calls the president an idiot, they work on a statement of exactly what they're going to say. ron, you've been in the white house. you know how they work on the statements and the samt comes out as simply those false comments represent the diametric opposite of general mcmaster's actual views. now, that is as weak a possible rebuttal statement. they could not have put together a weaker string of words than that. >> they couldn't have, lawrence. i worked in the white house as you said. people attack the president all the time and then you have to respond to it. when's so different is that people attacking the president are his closest advisers. his secretary of state calls him a moron. his national security adviser calls him an idiot. it's hard for the white house to muster a response to the white house. i think it goes back to what