MARTHA MacCALLUM AND THAT IS

WHERE THE STORY BEGINS.

HERE IS HOW GENERAL JACK KEANE

AND FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY

LEON PANETTA SEE THE SITUATION

PLAYING OUT IN THE WAKE OF LAST

WEEKEND'S ATTACK ON THE SAUDI

OIL FIELDS.

>> IF WE DON'T ACT, OR IF WE

DON'T ACT STRONG ENOUGH, IT'S

GUARANTEED THAT IRAN WILL

CONTINUE.

>> I THINK IT IS GOING TO DEMAND

SOME KIND OF RESPONSE.

THE IRANIANS WOULD RESPOND TO

THAT KIND OF STRIKE BY ATTACKING

OUR FORCES IN THE REGION.

SO WE COULD SEE A WAR.

>> Martha: PRESIDENTIAL

CANDIDATE TULSI GABBARD HERE IN

MOMENTS THINKS THAT THAT ADVICE

WOULD BE A GRAVE MISTAKE AND SHE

CRITICIZES THE PRESIDENT FOR

THIS TWEET WHICH SAYS THAT THE

U.S. "LOCKED AND LOADED" AND

THAT WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM

THE SAUDI KINGDOM AS TO WHO THEY

BELIEVED WAS THE CAUSE OF THIS

ATTACK AND UNDER WHAT TERMS WE

WOULD PROCEED.

THAT WAS FROM THE OTHER DAY.

SO THEN AFTER THAT,

SECRETARY POMPEO MADE IT CLEAR

THAT THE UNITED STATES BELIEVES

THAT IT WAS IRANIAN WEAPONS THAT

WERE USED -- THERE IS PICTURE IN

"THE NEW YORK POST" TODAY, AND

THAT THE ATTACK CAME FROM THE

NORTH, NOT FROM THE SOUTH, WHERE

THE REBELS IN YEMEN ORIGINALLY

CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY.

TULSI GABBARD DID NOT MINCE

WORDS.

IF SHE HAS FIRED BACK AT THE

PRESIDENT ON TWITTER THIS WAY.

>> FOR YOU TO THINK THAT YOU CAN

OUT OUR PROUD SERVICEMEN AND

WOMEN TO THE PRINCE OF

SAUDI ARABIA IS DISGRACEFUL.

YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS ARE OF A

TRAIL OF MY AND SISTERS IN

UNIFORM, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,

AND OUR CONSTITUTION.

MY FELLOW SERVICE MEMBERS AND I,

WE ARE NOT YOUR PROSTITUTES.

YOU ARE NOT OUR PIMP.

>> Martha: THOSE ARE OBVIOUSLY

VERY STRONG WORDS DIRECTED AT

THE PRESIDENT, THE COMMANDER IN

CHIEF.

CONGRESSWOMAN, DO YOU STAND BY

THOSE?

>> ABSOLUTELY, I DO.

TRUMP'S INTENT WAS MADE VERY

CLEAR WITH THAT TWEET.

AS A SOLDIER, I TOOK AN OATH AS

WELL AS AS A MEMBER OF CONGRESS.

AS A SOLDIER I TOOK AN OATH TO

SUPPORT AND DEFEND OUR

CONSTITUTION, TO PROTECT AND

DEFEND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

NOT THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA,

NOT ANY OTHER FOREIGN POWER.

IF, FOR SOME REASON, THAT'S NOT

WHAT TRUMP MEANT, THEN HE SHOULD

COME OUT AND SAY THAT'S NOT WHAT

I MEANT AND CLARIFY IT, BUT HE

HASN'T DONE THAT.

>> Martha: IT DOES SEEM LIKE A

RATHER LITERAL INTERPRETATION

AND I DON'T KNOW, SO PERHAPS

THAT IS WHAT HE MEANT, BUT LET'S

LISTEN TO WHAT THE PENTAGON SAID

TODAY BECAUSE I THINK THAT THIS

MIGHT SHED SOME LIGHT ON SORT OF

WHERE THIS IS COMING FROM.

WATCH THIS.

>> WE ARE GOING TO ALLOW THE

SAUDIS TO MAKE THE DECLARATIONS

ON WHERE THEY BELIEVE THE

ATTACKS CAME FROM AND ULTIMATE

RESPONSIBILITY.

>> Martha: WHEN I READ IT,

THAT WAS MORE THE TAKE THAT I

HAD ON IT, THAT THIS IS AN

ALLY -- AND ANOTHER YOU DON'T

AGREE THAT THIS IS A GOOD ALLY,

BUT SOMETIMES NOT ALL ALLIES ARE

PERFECT, IT'S HONESTLY VERY

COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP, BUT

THAT BECAUSE THE ATTACK WAS ON

THEM, THERE WOULD BE DISCUSSIONS

ABOUT WHERE IT CAME FROM AND

THEN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW WE

WOULD RESPOND.

NOT THAT WE WOULD TAKE ORDERS

FROM SAUDI ARABIA ABOUT HOW WE

WOULD RESPOND.

>> WHILE A COUPLE OF POINTS HER

HERE.

FIRST OF ALL I THINK TRUMP'S

TWEET WAS VERY CLEAR AND IF HE

DIDN'T MEAN WHAT HE SAID THAT HE

SHOULD CLARIFY AND ACTUALLY SAY

WHAT HE MEANS.

AS PRESIDENT OF THE

UNITED STATES, YOU HAVE TO BE

VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THE WORDS ARE

USING BECAUSE THEY CARRY A LOT

OF IMPACT.

SECONDLY, THIS IS ABOUT

SOMETHING BIGGER THAN JUST A

COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH

SAUDI ARABIA OR HAVING AN ALLY

WHO IS NOT PERFECT.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A COUNTRY

THAT IS CONTINUING TO DIRECTLY

AND INDIRECTLY SUPPORT AL QAEDA.

WE JUST DESERVED AN 18TH

ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY THAT

AL QAEDA ATTACKED US ON 9/11,

THE DATE OF THAT EVIL VISITED

OUR COUNTRY, KILLING THOUSANDS

OF AMERICANS.

SO I DON'T TAKE LIGHTLY PEOPLE

WHO SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW,

SAUDI ARABIA, THEY ARE NOT THAT

GREAT, BUT WE NEED THEM.

LOOK, SAUDI ARABIA IS CONTINUING

TO SUPPORT OUR ENEMY, AL QAEDA,

IN PLACES LIKE YEMEN AND SYRIA.

>> WHAT THEY WERE DOING EVERY

ARE SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

TO PROPAGATE THIS EXTREME

IDEOLOGY THAT'S FUELING

TERRORIST GROUPS LIKE ISIS AND

AL QAEDA.

>> Martha: A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO

AGREE WITH YOU AND THERE ARE A

LOT OF PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY

DISAGREE WITH YOU, BUT ALSO TAKE

YOUR POINTS TO HEART IN TERMS OF

THAT EXPO NATION, BUT THERE ARE

ALSO PEOPLE WHO LOOK BACK AT THE

THINGS THAT YOU HAVE SAID IN THE

PAST AND SORT OF SEE THAT THERE

ARE KIND OF TWO CAMPS IN THE

MIDDLE EAST, THAT YOU HAVE IRAN

AND SYRIA WITH THE BACKING OF

RUSSIA AND THAT YOU HAVE THE

UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL AND THE

SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UAE.

THEY SEE YOU MORE IN THE CAMP

THAT IS ON THE SIDE OF IRAN AND

SYRIA AND THEY QUESTION THAT,

CONGRESSWOMAN, WHAT DO YOU SAY

TO THEM?

>> THERE WRONG.

THERE WRONG.

I'M NOT AN ANY OF THOSE

DIFFERENT CAMPS, I AM IN ONE

CAMP AND ONE CUP ALONE AND IT'S

THE CAMP OF THE UNITED STATES OF

AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

AND I TOOK AN OATH AND I

PROMISED TO BE WILLING TO PUT MY

LIFE ON THE LINE TO SERVE AND

PROTECT OUR COUNTRY, TO PROTECT

THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY, SO

THAT IS MY SOLE FOCUS.

IT HAS BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO

BE.

>> Martha: WE ADMIRE THAT AND

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

TO LIVE.

I GUESS THE NEXT QUESTION IS,

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

WITHOUT ENORMOUS PROVOCATION

FROM IRAN.

THEY HAVE PUT EXPLOSIVES ON

TANKERS.

THEY SHOT DOWN A DRONE THAT WAS

$130 MILLION BY SOME REPORTS,

AMERICAN DRONE, THEY'VE TAKEN

SAILORS INTO CUSTODY.

SO WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND?

>> I THINK WE GOT TO LOOK AT THE

SITUATION FOR WHAT IT IS.

THIS PROVOCATION, AS REPORTED,

DID NOT JUST COME FROM OUT OF

NOWHERE.

IT IS A RETALIATION AND IT'S A

RETALIATION AGAINST THE EXTREME

SANCTIONS THAT ARE ON IRAN.

IT'S BASICALLY MAKING IT

IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO SELL

THEIR OIL AROUND THE WORLD SO WE

JUST GOT TO BE CLEAR RIGHT ABOUT

WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING AND

HOW -- IF WE CONTINUE DOWN THIS

COURSE, THIS PATH WE ARE ON, I

THINK YOU HEARD FORMER SECRETARY

PINEDA ALLUDE TO THIS, THAT WE

WILL SEE A CYCLE OF RETALIATION

TIT FOR TAT JUST CONTINUING TO

GO FORWARD AND ESCALATE

ECONOMICALLY TO AN INFERNO.

>> Martha: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

>> AS PRESIDENT RIGHT NOW WHAT I

WOULD DO IS REENTER THE IRAN

NUCLEAR DEAL TO PREVENT IRAN

FROM CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD

AND BUILDING A NUCLEAR WEAPON

THAT PUTS US AND THE WORLD

FURTHER AT RISK, AND NUMBER TWO,

AND THOSE CRIPPLING SANCTIONS.

>> Martha: THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT

THEY WANT.

>> EVERY DAY THAT WE DON'T DO

THIS, EVERY DAY WE CONTINUE DOWN

THIS FAILED STRATEGY, IRAN GETS