Fox Contributor Calls To “Unleash Total War” And “Destroy” ISIS Capital, Ignores That Civilians Live There

Pete Hegseth: “We're Fighting Politically Correct Wars, And We Shouldn't Be”

From the May 3 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

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BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Fox News alert now. We woke up with this today. New details about a U.S. service member killed in Iraq this morning. ISIS is responsible for the brutal attack. Pete Hegseth is a Fox News contributor, combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And before we talk about your book that's out today, Pete, the theater where you used to work, in Erbil, we're in advise and assist. How does this happen? 

PETE HEGSETH: Well, we're not supposed to be near the front lines. I know some of our guys are, in talking to folks that are there, but apparently this didn't happen on the front lines. Remember, it's an asymmetric battlefield. You've got ISIS trying to infiltrate where it can. It sounds like it was a direct fire on this U.S. service member. It's a murky, difficult business, especially when you're telling your war fighters that they can't be engaged in leading the fight. So these guys are doing the best they can up there to support the Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces, but obviously something very unfortunate happened. 

AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): What needs to change?

HEGSETH: Well, we need to stop the slow-drip surge that is really an anti-surge. It's a drip without a real mission, without all the capabilities brought to bear. You need to unleash rules of engagement that allow our war fighters to unleash hell on ISIS, and then you need to destroy their capital. You need to unleash total war. And, this president's not going to do it. You're seeing a litigation of it on the campaign trail, and thankfully so, because we're fighting politically correct wars, and we shouldn't be. 

Previously:

Right-Wing Media Advocate For Bombing Of Syrian Cities, Dismissing Concerns Over Civilian Deaths

Fox Host: “Carpet Bomb” Syria, Regardless Of “Dumb” Civilians In The Area

Media Slam Ted Cruz's “Incoherent” And “Effectively Illegal” Call To Carpet-Bomb ISIS