While appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Kinzinger was asked by host Chuck Todd whether he agreed with a headline from The Economist that called the withdrawal a crushing defeat. "No, I agree. It's a crushing defeat. You know, the Taliban always had a saying. They said, 'The U.S. -- America has the watches, but we have the time.' You know, I'm proud of the American people for sticking by this mission for 20 years. We actually needed to do it longer and we still have troops in Kosovo, but unfortunately it worked," Kinzinger said. "The Taliban have outlasted the will of the United States. It was not a hot war, really. It was basically a peacekeeping operation and we may have to go back now. It is a crushing defeat and I'm really sad about it, honestly," he added.