Fox News personalities Geraldo Rivera and Brian Kilmeade clashed during a heated discussion about the war in Afghanistan on Friday's "Fox & Friends."
After the morning show reported on the February 1st killing of U.S. marine Lance Cpl. Edward J. Dycus, Rivera rounded up key headlines that illustrated what he called "the worst of times in Afghanistan." In addition to the recent massacre of 16 Afghan civilians, Rivera recalled the Koran burning and a car exploding as Sec. Leon Panetta landed at a Kabul airport earlier this week.
Rivera called for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. "I say we've done what we went there to do. We have killed Bin Laden; we have decimated Al Qaeda; we have accomplished our mission. Let's declare victory. Bring these people home...don't just let them be killed now by our own allies," Rivera said.
Kilmeade passionately disagreed. "General Petraeus' plan was working until they started pulling troops out way too quick," Kilmeade said of the war. "Working for what end?" Rivera challenged. "What are we going to do? Are we going to create an Afghanistan California?"
"I don't think that's possible, to create California," Kilmeade responded. "There was a plan in place that was going to come to an end in 2014." Rivera interrupted Kilmeade and asked why he was angry. "I'm not angry," Kilmeade charged. "I'm telling you the people that designed the plan should be allowed to fulfill the battle plan."
"We've done what we went to do. They attacked us. We got the people who attacked us. Now let Afghanistan have Afghanistan. They will never evolve to being Americans," Rivera pressed.
Kilmeade pushed back and said, "and when Al Qaeda comes back? And in five years they're capable of attacking us again—they'll say, 'Why did you you pull out so quick?"