KING: Attack helicopters patrolled the skies into the evening. Reuters reporting at least nine people are dead. Twenty-three are wounded but we have no reports of U.S. or NATO forces being killed or hurt. Despite the dramatic pictures, the Pentagon's press secretary says today's attacks didn't cause the kind of destruction the insurgents probably expected. And the insurgency's performance, the spokesman says, is quote "less effective this year".

As one expert tells CNN today's attacks are about a war of perceptions. Here to talk about that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a member of the Armed Services Committee. When you see this right in the heart of Kabul, coordinated attacks, perhaps not as effective, perhaps not as deadly, but this is the capital. What does that tell you about the state of play and the state of U.S. troops, 100,000 now, the president wants to get about 30,000 of them out, in a year or so?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Don't let this event fool you into believing the fundamentals haven't changed. The Taliban are on their back foot. The surge forces, 30,000 have really taken the fight to the Taliban in the south. They can generate attacks like this, but they were suppressed. The coordinated effort between the Afghan security forces, commandos and NATO, you're seeing the future.

This is what I want in 2015, a military footprint where we can support the Afghan security forces when they engage the enemy. The fundamentals have changed against the Taliban. The person who said this is a war perception is right. I've been there a lot. The surge is working. And we're on track to defeat the enemy.

KING: So, let's look at the numbers then, right now 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

GRAHAM: Right.

KING: By the end of 2011, down to 90,000 --

GRAHAM: Right.

KING: -- is the Obama administration's plan, by the summer of 2012, down to 67,000 and then continue down from there. Are you OK with the plan as it is right now?

GRAHAM: No. I would have liked to have kept the surge forces, the 30,000 in place through the second fighting season. That wasn't an option given to the president. No one in the Pentagon suggested, General Allen or Petraeus that you withdraw all surge forces in September of 2012. They wanted to go through all of 2012. Then get the surge forces out, and that's created a problem of capacity.

We're doing well in the south. We've got to move to the east. But I do believe the decision by President Obama and Vice President Biden not choosing an option given to him by the generals has been problematic, but having said that the surge is working. There will be 352,000 Afghan soldiers and police under arms by the end of this year. They're better trained and better equipped than ever. I'm quite optimistic quite frankly if we'll do the right things, not come out too soon and have a security agreement past 2014 --

KING: You say -- you say not come out too soon. Forgive me for interrupting --

GRAHAM: Right.

KING: That is your position. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina --

GRAHAM: Yes --

KING: If you listen to the campaign debate I'm told and particularly at the presidential level --

GRAHAM: Right.

KING: -- that is increasingly less and less the majority view I would say within the Republican Party. It's sort of hard to put a perspective on it, but if you consider Rick Perry by the polls, your national front-runner for president, listen here. He seems to disagree with Senator Graham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time to bring our young men and women home as soon as and obviously safely as we can. But it's also really important for us to continue to have a presence there. And I think the entire conversation about how do we deliver our aid to those countries, and is it best spent with 100,000 military, who have the target on their back in Afghanistan? I don't think so at this particular point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Governor Perry wrong?

GRAHAM: My advice to Governor Perry would be that we have a plan to withdraw our forces by 2014, we will have withdrawn substantially all of our forces, and what will be left behind will train the Afghan army, provide counterterrorism support, provide air sovereignty and help embed and keep the afghan army on track.

So, here's what I would say to Governor Perry, you're right, we need to do it safely. Just listen to the generals. I've got you know General Allen and Petraeus have come up with a plan. I am confident that Governor Perry if he gets to be president is not going to undercut our efforts. Because the one thing I would have liked for him to have said is it matters what happens in Afghanistan in terms of our national security, it really does, John.

KING: Do you think he disagrees with you or do you think he's not sufficiently up to speed on this issue?

GRAHAM: I think what he said makes sense that we want to withdraw. We want to leave some behind, and that's the strategic partnership agreement being negotiated between this administration and the afghan government is the closes the deal against the Taliban. The goal is to have some air bases left behind, with air power and Special Forces units to make sure the Taliban never come back. I will be glad to talk with Governor Perry about the plan, and this is the one thing -

KING: Governor Huntsman believes the same thing, Ron Paul obviously believes it. More and more in congress, you do hear some Republicans saying, enough. Ten years, we cannot afford this, let's get out.

GRAHAM: You know, I criticized the president for rejecting options and creating his own that's compromised the second fighting season. When it comes to war, I don't want to be a Republican or a democrat, I want to be an American and I want to win. We've got generals that know what they're doing and to any Republican or democrat who believes you can just run for the exits and it won't follow us in the future and it won't undercut our national security interests for decades, you're just flat wrong.

In my view we have a plan to transition to afghan control, and anybody who believes you can withdraw 100,000 troops and just run for the exits, ask General Petraeus, General Allen and our other commanders what would happen, ask Secretary Panetta. I just don't wont politicians making decisions -

KING: Are they - are those candidates, are those candidates reaching out to guys like you who have studied it for years, who have been there?

GRAHAM: Governor Romney certainly has. Governor Romney.

KING: Is he your candidate?

GRAHAM: No. Governor Romney is -- Perry would be a good candidate for president, I like him a lot. And it's my job -- they're talking about jobs and debts. That's what everybody is focused on. A guy like me and Senator McCain, it's our job to talk about the national security interests of the country and to be helpful. I'm confident that General Perry, excuse me, Governor Perry as president would not pull out 100,000 troops if the generals told him it would lead to chaos.

KING: Senator Graham, appreciate your insights today.

GRAHAM: Thank you very much.

KING: Thank you sir.