together to start looking at other ways to find a more peaceful path forward in afghanistan. >> the final point i make here you wrote an incredible book about the u.s. war in iraq, and the surge, much beloved by those on the right and runs, a key strategic aspect was directly talking to people who months earlier had been blowing up american troops, shooting at them, ambushing them with ieds. that was a strategic game, was to bring the people off the incentury generals si, and so that was not condemned as essentially negotiating with terrorists in that case. >> that's a great point, chris, and that's because general david petraeus, a hero to many on the right, was leading that effort in iraq, and if you look, senior military commanders have been largely supportive of this move by the obama administration, and let's not just describe this as a white house move. this was a defense department effort that was backed by the