TONIGHT.

WHERE ARE WE IN THIS QUESTION

MUCH LIKE OH, YEAH, I'M TALKING

TO SOURCES INSIDE IRAQ, INSIDE

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW.

MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THE

ATTACKS WOULD BE COMING FROM

PROXIES INSIDE IRAQ.

THE CHOICE OF THOSE TWO BASES IS

INTERESTING.

ONE WAS AL-ASAD, THE OTHER WAS

THE KURDISH CAPITAL.

IS THIS A SIGNAL?

IS THIS THE MESSAGE?

THE KURDS WERE SUPPORTING THE

U.S.

>> Tucker: IF YOU ARE IRAN AND

YOU WANT TO INFLICT MAXIMUM

DAMAGE, YOU HAVE TO HIT A

DIFFERENT BASE?

>> AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN

EASIER.

IT'S CLOSER TO IRAN.

I'M READING THROUGH THE TEA

LEAVES.

WE WILL SEE WHAT THE DAMAGE

ASSESSMENT IS, BUT IF AS

REPORTED THAT NO U.S.

CASUALTIES, WE DON'T KNOW IF THE

IRAQIS TOOK CASUALTIES AT EITHER

ONE OF THESE BASES.

I THINK WHAT YOU ARE SEEING HERE

FROM THE SOURCES ON THE GROUND

IN BAGHDAD COULD BE MORE ABOUT

THE IRANIAN SHIA MILITIAS THAT

SUPPORT IRAN, THAT MAY BE ACTIVE

INSIDE BIG

INSIDE BAGHDAD.

>> Tucker: HOW IS THIS, AND

AGAIN, THIS IS MOVING EVEN AS WE

SPEAK, BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE

CAN TELL NOW, HOW IS THAT

BREAKING DOWN?

>> I THINK WE HAVE YET TO SEE.

I THINK THAT THIS IS THE BIGGEST

TEST FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AS A

LEADER.

IT IS BY FAR HIS BIGGEST TEST.

AS YOU KNOW, HE CAMPAIGNED ON

GETTING OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST,

OF BRINGING TROOPS HOME.

THIS IS HIS MOMENT TO DECIDE HOW

FAR TO PUSH THIS, WHAT THE

RESPONSE IS, AND WHAT THAT

RESPONSE WILL BE WILL DICTATE

HOW THE REST OF THE WORLD

REACTS.

AS FAR AS THE POLITICS, IT WILL

CHANGE THE DEMOCRATIC RACE

SIGNIFICANTLY.

YOU'VE SEEN BERNIE SANDERS GO

FAR HARD ON THIS ISSUE.

JOE BIDEN IS TRYING TO RIDE THE

RAILS.

BUT HE HAS HIS OWN ISSUES ABOUT

THE DON MIKE WHAT THE

ADMINISTRATION DID WITH IRAN AND

THE PAIN OF MONEY TO IRANIAN

OFFICIALS.

IT'S NOT CUT AND DRY.

>> Tucker: IT'S NOT.

IT'S NOT.

AS HARD AS SOMEONE WATCHING THIS

WHO IS NOT COVERING POLITICS

FULL TIME AS YOU ARE, IT DOESN'T

SEEM LIKE THE DEMOCRATS ARE ALL

THE WAY ON ONE SIDE OR

REPUBLICANS ONE SIDE OF THE

OTHER.

IT'S MORE CONFUSING THAN THAT.

>> OH, 100%.

THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN AN

ELECTION YEAR AND WE ARE THREE

AND A HALF WEEKS AWAY FROM THE

IOWA CAUCUSES, MOST IMPORTANTLY,

THE NEXT STEPS IN IRAQ ON THE

GROUND, AND WHETHER THOSE

TARGETS INSIDE IRAN, MAY BE,

THAT SHOT THOSE MISSILES, WILL

BE ON THE SIDE OF U.S.

>> Tucker: IS IT CLEAR, I HATE

TO USE THE TERM TALKING POINTS,

BUT IF YOU WERE TO SIT DOWN WITH

THE PRESIDENT OR ONE OF HIS

ADVISORS AND SAY, WHAT'S OUR

PLAN GOING FORWARD, IS IT CLEAR

WHAT THE ANSWER WOULD BE?

BECAUSE THAT'S THE PURPOSE.

IF AND WHEN HE DOES IT, IT WILL

BE A CLEAR, HERE'S WHERE WE ARE,

THIS IS WHAT I'M THINKING.

NOTICE WE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING

FROM THE GANG OF EIGHT OR ANYONE

ON CAPITOL HILL AS THEY WERE

BRIEFED BY OFFICIALS.

IT'S EXPECTED TO BE BRIEFED

TOMORROW ON THE INTELLIGENCE

THAT LED TO TAKING OUT SOLEIMAN

SOLEIMANI.

I THINK THERE IS HEAVY

SKEPTICISM UP ON CAPITOL HILL

AND IN DIFFERENT CORNERS.

MAYBE THAT'S WHAT THE

PRESIDENT IS GOING TO ADDRESS.

>> Tucker: HE IS GOING TO

ADDRESS WHY HE DID IT.

>> YEAH, AND NEXT STEPS.

THIS IS THE MOMENT WHERE THE

COUNTRY IS GOING TO WANT TO KNOW

WHERE ARE WE GOING FROM HERE.

THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, BY NOW,

THEY HAVE A DECENT SENSE OF WHAT

IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE GROUND.

>> Tucker: SO, I KNOW YOU ARE

NOT IN THE EDITORIALIZING

BUSINESS, BUT TELL ME IF YOU CAN

CONFIRM THIS INSTINCT.

MY SENSE IS THAT THE PRESIDENT

IS NOT INTERESTED IN SOME SORT

OF WAR WITH IRAN, CERTAINLY NOT

A GROUND WAR.

HIS INSTINCTS ARE RESTRAINT.

IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE SENSING OR

HEARING?

>> POLICY WISE.

WHAT HE CAMPAIGNED ON, THAT'S

WHAT HE SUGGESTS.

WHAT HE SAYS VERBALLY ABOUT

BEING TOUGH AGAINST IRAN, WHAT

HE TWEETS OUT SENDS A DIFFERENT

MESSAGE.

WHETHER HIS RHETORIC MATCHES UP

WITH WHAT THE POLICY DECISION IS

GOING TO BE TONIGHT, I THINK IT

IS THE KEY MOMENT FOR THIS

PRESIDENT TO BE COMMANDER IN

CHIEF.

>> Tucker: DO YOU THINK WE ARE

GOING TO HEAR FROM THE PRESIDENT

TONIGHT?

>> I WOULD GUESS THAT WE WOULD,

BECAUSE IT'S THAT BIG OF A

MOMENT.

LISTEN, HAVING COVERED THE

PENTAGON FOR A LONG TIME,

THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF HAPPENING

BEHIND THE SCENES.

THERE'S ALL KINDS OF TARGETS

THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN CHOSEN.

THE QUESTION IS WHETHER WE ARE

GOING TO STEP TO THAT NEXT LEVEL

AND WHAT OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS.

>> Tucker: THIS BEING

WASHINGTON AND WASHINGTON BEEN

FUNDAMENTALLY BUREAUCRATIC, A

LOT OF EMPLOYEES WERE SENT HOME

TODAY.

ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS THE FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT.

>> IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.

AT 1:00, IT WAS A GHOST TOWN.

THERE WAS NO ONE THERE.

THE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE

APPARENTLY WAS CLOSED DOWN.