Juan Williams Spars With Chris Wallace Over Public Support For Afghanistan War

June 12th, 2011 10:49 PM

Fox News haters love to advance the myth that the network pushes exclusively conservative views and the anchors surround themselves with right-leaning yes men who never question them.

On the latest installment of "Fox News Sunday," liberal political analyst Juan Williams challenged host Chris Wallace's view of the public's support for the war in Afghanistan leading to a humorous exchange (video follows with transcript and commentary):

CHRIS WALLACE, HOST: Bill, there's another interesting fact in this whole equation, and that is that General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is about to apparently give the president his recommendation. Does the president dare go against Petraeus -- and you know that recommendation will become public -- given the fact that Petraeus is widely credited with not -- if not winning the war, certainly beginning to turn it around? And also, the president has named him to be his CIA director.

BILL KRISTOL, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: I suppose General Petraeus might give him two or three options and say --

WALLACE: But we always know the middle one is the one --

(CROSSTALK)

KRISTOL: Higher ones would assume more risk. I think any drawdown assumes some risk, incidentally. But I take the point that he will want to keep his word and do a little bit of a drawdown. The fact is the surge has succeeded in the south, it's succeeding -- it needs one more fighting season there. But we were still set on the ground. It has to go east now and clean up the Haqqani network there. Then I think there's a real chance in 2013 -- just as the president has been saying, 2014 is the real agreed-upon deadline for when we really turn over responsibility to the Afghans. I think he's on course to making that.

And it would be terrible, as I say, to take much greater risk just for the sake of appeasing a few politicians here and a few people in Congress who like popping off. He can stand course for the 2013 -- much bigger drawdown of 2013, and with a real turnover in 2014, I think.

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX POLITICAL ANALYST: All the wise men of Washington want him to stay. John Kerry wants him to stay, you want him to stay. But let me just say --

WALLACE: No. Supposedly, John Kerry is saying that he'd like to see -- pardon?

BRIT HUME: He's going the other way.

WALLACE: Kerry is now talking about, you know, we've accomplished a lot, maybe we need to drawn down faster.

WILLIAMS: But not at the rate that I think the American people -- the American people want it over. When you're spending --

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: How do you know what the American people want, Juan?

WILLIAMS: Well, you look at the numbers. Look at the support for this war. It's not there.

WALLACE: Actually, that's not true. The support for the war has actually increased.

MARA LIASSON, NPR: No, no, no.

WILLIAMS: It's increased from what? It's very minimal. This is minimal support. You're fooling yourself.

WALLACE: Really? All right. So we'll take your idea about what the American people want.

WILLIAMS: I just think you should look at the numbers.

WALLACE: The polls?

WILLIAMS: Yes.

WALLACE: OK. That's how we're going to run the war? Good. Thank you.

WILLIAMS: Oh, please.

WALLACE: Thanks, panel. See you next week.

WILLIAMS: You always get the last word.

WALLACE: Up next, we hear from you. I'm the moderator.

(LAUGHTER)

As you can see, Fox is just a right-wing echo chamber espousing exclusively conservative views - just like the Left and their media minions tell you.