so far, wolf, that answer appears to be, no, there has not. u.s. forces have not engaged the taliban. that is one of the critical issues in making sure the airport can continue to function and that there is no rapid deterioration of the situation. wolf, the worst case scenario is if the airport falls. then to get anyone out, it requires retaking the airport. >> yeah. the contingencies are enormous right now and awful all around. thank you so much, over at the pentagon. let's get more on all of this. jim sciutto is with us, cnn military analyst, retired lieutenant general is with us. cnn political analyst david and clarissa ward is also back. she's back on the ground in kabul. jim sciutto, did president biden really say the buck stops with me while at the same time pointing the finger at a very long list of other players? >> listen, it is a fact that president trump initiated this withdrawal.