make hurl to follow me on twitter. and on cnn.com. for extras. that's it. i'm jake tapper. i turn you over now to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." that's right over there, next door. mr. blitzer. >> jake, thanks very much. they approved a resolution just a little while ago on limited military action against syria, but will a house panel do the same? we have details on the tense committee hearing that just came to an end. on the international stage, president obama makes the strongest case yet for action, warning it's the world's credibility on the line here, not his own. on the eve of the president's visit, the russian president putin is pushing back, say he won't be on board until the evidence is, quote, obvious.

we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." . a second day of fireworks in the obama administration's all-out push to sell members of congress on the case for military action against syria. secretary of state john kerry, defense secretary chuck hagel, and join chiefs chairman martin dempsey, all on the hot seat once again today, this time fielding very tough questions from members of the foreign affairs committee and the house of representatives. they are demanding to know more. if we start war, we invite war, do we not? i view this as un -- not just no, but something like heck no, don't get involved in this. >> mr. secretary, you said the world is watching what we are

doing, but i have yet to hear some concrete things of what the world is doing. i'm fearful that it will isolate the united states. >> if the president thinks that as a matter of conscience, as a matter of policy, the best route to proceed is through the military action, but in april it was very clear, chemical weapons are chemical weapons. >> the senate foreign relations committee in the meantime has delivered an important win for the white house approving the resolution, only about 24 hours since holding the very same hearing with the same witnesses. our chief congressional correspondent dana bash is watching all of this unfold. she's watching this from capitol hill. a dramatic day, a step in the right direction. but a long way to go. >> a very long way to go, certainly was on the first big hurdle for the administration to get over, but it was perhaps tighter than they would have hoped it to be.

10-7, that was what this authorization measure was approved by by this key committee, with one senator ironically, the senator who is in the senate because john kerry left to become secretary of state, ed markey voted, saying he needs more information, but only three reps, wolf, voted yes. just to make it policy of the united states that the u.s. wants to change the momentum on the battlefield in syria. that was very important to him, something that the president said he want ed and then hess khaled from arizona and senator corker. that's it. also when you're talking about who will happen later on.

fess we expect there to be pretty intense debate next week. >> a closer than a lot of folks thought it would be. usually that committee goes along with the administration. they'll still need 60 votes. what does this vote mean for the house? it will be a lot closer by all accounts in the house of representatives. >> that's right. you know, you really saw it on display, when we played some of the comments from lawmakers today, and of course the pushback from john kerry, but they're really all over the map. it is going to be very difficult for the administration to answer everybody's concerns, because you have some who are simply really upset that the administration waited this long to deal militarily. then you have many, especially those in his own parties, those are really the people we are watching closely, who say this is the wrong thing to do, no matter what.

, and there are lots of those in the republican party, too. this could be very, very interesting to see how it shakes out. we saw a second so-called dear colleague letter from the democratic leader today, not pressuring anybody, but the clear intention there from her, from nancy pelosi, and others who are supporting the president, is to really try hard to get people on board, by showing them, but it's anybody's guess what happens in the house. they're grappling with their own language, how to write the language. >> they'd need 218 votes out of 435 members in the house. far from washington, president obama is on the world stage right now, making his strongest case yet for a military response, holding the international community accountable. cnn's senior correspondent jim acosta is traveling with the president, joining us from stockholm sweden with this part

of the story. the president was very forceful today, jim. >> reporter: that's right, wolf, with many u.s. allies opposed to taking unilateral action, he pressed his first his case on the first day of his triche on the day that rosh hashanah begins, he invoked the holocaust to urge the world to join him. >> president obama landed in sweden to make his most forceful plea to date with the world to punish the syrian golf for the alleged use of chemical weapons. >> my credibility is not on the line. the intercommand community's credibility is on the line. the question is, after we've gone through all of this, are we going to try to find a reason not to act? >> in a news comfort with the sweden prime minister, he defended his warning from a year ago, making the case he's only trying to enforce international agreements barring chemical

weapons use independents first of all, i didn't set a red line. the world set a red line. >> reporter: but looking back, the many clearly took ownership of the reference. >> a red line for us is we start to see chemical weapons moving around. that would change my calculus. >> reporter: the sales pitch was not enough to convince the swedish prim, who wants the matter settled at the united nations. >> sweden is a small country with a deep belief in the united nations. >> but mr. obama didn't stop there. hours before the arrival of the jewish new year, he honored raul whalen berg. >> he reminds us of our power when we choose not simply to bear witness, but also to act. >> reporter: and also warned of the consequences. >> the people of europe are certainly familiar with what happens when the international community fichbds excuses not to

act. >> reporter: but russian president putin, who is hosting the g-20 summit and blocking action at the u.n., continued to insist that syrian rebels could be the real poison gas attackers. still obama administration officials actually saw hope for progress in putin's comments. >> i have not written off the idea that the united states and russia are going to continue to have common interests, even as we have some very profound differences on some other issues. >> but mr. obama is learning that putin is not his only problem, with europeans fuming over u.s. surveillance programs. >> i can give assurances to the publics in europe and around the world that we're not going around snooping at people's e-mails or listening to their phone calls. >> reporter: white house officials say president obama and putin will likely meet with each other briefly at the g-20 summit, but there are plenty of tensions still between these two leaders in a vail jab at

russia's treatment of gays and lesbians, he plans to peet with activists in petersburg on friday. >> thank you very much, jim acosta. let's get in some analysis from fareed zakaria. you have a strong column in the new issue of "time," fareed, i read it. we might be entering into a complex civil war all the while denying that we are doing so. the administration might want to keep the mission limited and proportional as obama initially promised, but it will be a challenge. is the president -- is the obama administration, are they fooling themselves right now by saying this will be limited, no boots on the ground, it will be very targeted, and it will be relatively quick? >> i think so, wolf. here's the problem. in that one excellent report you pointed out, president obama is comparing this to the holocaust. john kerry has compared it to

munich, the appeasement that produced world war ii that was on the road to world war ii. if it's all these things, then is the response from the united states merely going to be a stiff warning? which is what a shot across the bow is? that was the language being used just two days ago. already john mccain says he has received assurances it will be more than that, that the strikes will be more intense, that we're going to arm 9 rebels. now, when you get into a dynamic situation like the syrian civil war, what if things don't go your way? what if assad starts recovering? we now have a dog in the fight the it would be very difficult to see, with so much u.s. kreb89 on the line, how we could just stop and say that's it, we did three days of strikes, and we're going back. so i feel as though the rhetoric we have had to use to persuade congress, persuade the world, has been so vast, that it's very

difficult to stay to a very limited and precise mission. >> in your column, you also write about what you say is the president's administration for the first president bush, with the way he handled the cold war. what are the lessons you think this president should learn from president george h.w. bush? >> you know, george h.w. bush, whom president obama has repeatedly cited as his hole model was very careful not to make promises or threats that you can't carry through and you can't see through to the end. so there was a moment where you remember this very well, wolf, when the berlin wall was coming down and people said bush should get up and encourage it, celebrate it, say to the russians are evil, and bush was very aware that that could unleash consequences that he couldn't control. there were russian troops still in germany and poland, in

hungary. he didn't want to use fancy words that would make him feel good and seem like the right thing to say unless he had a specific plan of appears to see it through. i feel with syria, we've been missing some of that. there's been some tough talk, but not a clear plan of action to back that. >> our friend tom freidman writing in "new york times" today, he writes this -- he says we are out front alone. we may not want to be, but here we are, so we must lead. i think the best response to the use of poison gas is not a cruise missile attack, but an increase in the training and arming of the free syrian army, including the antiattack and antiair krafl weapons it's long sought. do you agree with tom? >> no, i don't. this is simply a practical matter. the administration deserves some credit. they've been trying to find these moderate syrian rebels.

the turks have spent two years trying to find them and to build up a moderate opposition, democratic-minded, create a government in exile. it's proving to be very difficult. it's not that everybody opposing assad is some kind of islamic jihadist. it's that this is a very messy, complex civil war. by some accounts there are 1,000 separate militias fighting in syria. they don't seem to be coordinated, so for us by remote control, 6,000 miles away believe we can figure out who the moderate opposition forces are. vet them and arm them, is proving very difficult. so, yeah, it's a good goal, it is the administration's goal, the turks' goal, hasn't been very easy to do. >> is there any chance the russian president will come around and maybe not necessarily support the u.s. at the united states security council, but at least abstain? is there any chance that could happen? >> i doubt it.

i think it has to do with a xlibted set of issues. the russians believe they were fooled over libya. you remember in libya, the united states asked for what appeared to be a limited mandate from the u.n. the russians went along with it, and then it ended up being regime change. i think the russians might have been fooling themselves, but they think we tricked them. russians are are also very loathe to have the united states be the judge, jury and hangman in all these international cases where we decide who broke international law and we do everything. it's an element of russian nationalism. the final point, the russians do worry about a rising tide of islamic radicalism. they see, and i may be wrong here, but they see assad as holding the line against a whole bunch of sunni jihadist fanatics that would take over and spread that islamicsh to places close

to russia's own heartland. fareed, thanks as usual, for joining us. when we come back, we'll have more on the connection, this on the eve 69 president's visit to russia. putin claims he won't -- unless it is evidence is obvious. plus we'll get reaction from what we just saw on capitol hill, for the president's tony blinken, he'll join us in the "the situation room." you're watching a "the situation room" special report, crisis in syria. [ male announcer ] a doctor running late for a medical convention loses his computer, exposing thousands of patient records to identity theft. data breaches can happen that easily. we don't believe you should be a victim of someone else's mistake. we're lifelock.

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voting -- we commend the senate for moving swiftly and for working across party lines on behalf of our national security. the statement by the press secretary says -- we believe america is strong with when the president and congress work together. that just came into soich soich. just how clear is the evidence that syria did in fact use chemical weapons on its own people? the u.s., britain, france, germany, they all say the evidence is crystal clear, but russia is not buying it at all. indeed in an interview today the russian president vladimir putin said the country could support a strike but only if the evidence is, quote, obvious. phil black is joining us from moscow right know. is there a bit of daylight from the u.s. perspective as far as putin is concerned, phil? >> reporter: well, wolf, the suggestion of russian support for military -- is unprecedented, but it's at

hollow. the criteria said by president putin means it's very unlikely to happen. after more than two years of maintaining consistent unyielding policy, russia's president seemed to open the door just a little. he said he doesn't exclude backing military action to punish the syrian government for using chemical weapons. >> translator: if we have objective, presize data of who is responsible for these crimes, then we will react. >> reporter: but putin set strict conditions. the process must involve the security council, and there would have to be unknee nibl proof. it ought to be convincing. and putin made it clear he doesn't think the evidence he's demanding even exists. because he doesn't believe the syrian government was responsible. from our viewpoint, it seems

absolutely absurd the armed forces would start using forbidden chemical weapons while realizing quite well it could serve as a pretext for applying sanctions against them, including the use of force. president putin still believes it's more likely it was syria as opposition fighters. >> translator: if it is concluded that the fighters used weapons of mass destruction, what about the u.s. do with the fighters? what would these sponsored do? are these -- to stop delivering weapons? >> reporter: that's a long way from the american president's position. barack obama was in sweden, because he earlier called off the bilateral summit with putin. that meeting was canceled, because syria is just one of many issues these leaders don't agree on. >> we hit a wall in terms of -- >> they will come face-to-face thursday at the g-20 summit in petersburg. >> do i hold out hope that mr. putin may change his position on

some of these issues? i'm always hopeful, and i will continue to engage him, because i think that international action would be much more effective, and ultimately we can end deaths much more rapidly if russia takes a different approach to these problems. >> reporter: president putin says he believes they can still work together, even though they sometimes irritate each other. wolf, the russian government gained a little more insight into why it believes the rebels are responsible. they say russian experts investigated an earlier alleged chemical weapons incident in the city of aleppo on march 19th they say killed 26, injured 86. their investigators found the projectile was homemade, similar to a type produced by rebels in the north of the country. they say samples from the ground

that sarin had also been produced in small quantities. the purpose for releasing this information is clearly to discredit or at least raise doubts about president obama's high confidence. the syrian government was responsible for the more recent and much more deadly attack in damascus. wolf? >> i'm anxious to see how that informal meet tomorrow actually unfolds. we'll, of course, have coverage of all of this. thanks very much for joining us, phil black in moscow. our "the situation room" report continues, crisis in syria. up next, the oobama administration pushing for what it calls a limited military response against syria. why not go further? i'll ask the president's deputy national security adviser tony blingen, and we'll catch up on other headlines, including the shocking death of the man who kept three women captive for a decade, ariel castro.

let's get to some of the other top stories. ariel castro, the man sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and raping three women in ohio, has been found dead in his cell. he committed suicide by hanging, according to the coroner. cnn learned that the three women are certainly aware of his death, but will not be releasing a statement, at least no now. his attorney says he should have been under stricter protection if believed to be suicidal. another run-in with george

zimmerman. a police officers confirms that he was cited for speeding. he'll need to pay a fine, gets some points on his license. zimmerman was found not guilty in the death of trayvon martin back in june. the world's fasters man is calling it quits in three years. the jamaican sprinter usain bolt says he will retired after the 2016 games. bolt already has 14 god medals, but he says to, quote, be a legend, he needs to go out on top, which he expects to be after the next summer olympic games. up next, president obama says syria crossed a red line, and then says he didn't set that line, the world set that red line. i i'll ask why president obama passed the buck on his previous statement. sfx: oil gushing out of pipe. sfx: birds chirping.

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it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. hihing,'s just common sense. helicopters buzzing, and truck engine humming. sfx: birds chirping sfx: birds chirping president obama's taking his case to the world stage right now, making it clear this isn't his red line that syria crossed, but the world's red line. that's what he said today, that consequently international community's credibility right now he says is at stake, not his own credibility. i spoke about that and a lot more earlier with the deputy national security adviser tony blakely. tony, thanks very much for coming in.

there's been some confusion about the president's use of the words "red line" based on what he said today. let me play the clip of what he said a year or so ago and what he said today. >> we have been very clear to the assad regime, but also to other players on the ground that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons movable around. that would change my cal inclusion, my equation. first of all, i didn't set a red line, the world set a red line. >> you understand the confusion. explain what the president meant by saying he didn't set a red line, the world set a red line. >> the president is exactly right. the world said a red line a long time ago after world war i, when poison gas was used to terrible effect. the world got together and passed something called the geneva protocol.

and then more recently, the united states congress and countries around the world got behind -- countries representing 98% of the world's population ascribed to that. that says too you could use chemical weapons. more recently the congress passed overwhelmingly the syria accountability act in 2003, motivated in part by concern that syria was getting chemical weapons. and now they have used this. it's a red line that the international community set, it's a red line that congress set, and also a red line that the president set. >> is regime change still part of the president's strategy? >> so here's what people need to understand. we believe that assad has lost his legitimacy, and in perpetrating the terrible violence he's perpetrated on his people, he needs to go. for the last time now, we've had a strategy in place to

facilitate a transition to move assad out through a political transition. we believe that's the only sustainable way to do it. so to do that, we've been putting pressure on the regime, isolating it, building up the opposition, and we've been pursuing a diplomatic track with principles of what a transition would look like. we are committed to that. in that context, assad needs to go and there needs to be a transition. separate from that, but within the context of what's going on, we've had this terrible use of chemically weapons, on the august 21st, killing well over 1,000 people, including hundreds of children. this is something that goes beyond even syria and beyond the region. it goes to the international norm. we have to enforce it. otherwise assad will concluding he can use it again. otherwise countries in the region and beyond that have weapons or trying to get them would conclude they can use them with impunity. >> a year and a half or so ago, susan rice was still the ambassador to the u.n.

she was on our program, seen live around the world, and i said to her, look into the camera, talk to bashar al assad. here's what she said then. >> your days are numbers, and it is time and past time for you to transfer power responsibly and peacefully. the longer you hang on, the more damage you do yourself, your family, your interests, and indeed your country. >> what's taking so long? >> well, susan was exactly right. unfortunately assad has proven that proposition. he's done terrible damage in the interim. and we know this is a difficult and frustrating process to get a negotiated political settlement, but we believe it's the best way to proceed in order to have him leave power. all of the other alternatives, risk, having something follow assad that's as bad, if not worse. in particular, we're very concerned that the state of

syria hold together after assad is gone, and that its institutions remain intact. we know what happens when that doesn't happen. we saw it in iraq. the best way to secure that is through a negotiated settlement. part of that involves convincing assad he needs to go to the table and negotiate his departure. that's what we're working on, pressuring him and building up the opposition itches has the u.s. started delivering lethal weapons to the rebels? >> i can' get into the assistance we're providing. what i can say is this, wolf. we have significantly increased the assistance that we are providing to the opposition, so including both the civilian and the so-called syrian military counc council. we're supporting them, we're trying to make them more effective, along with the civilian component, but i can't detail what we're doing or not doing. >> why can't you tell us? a few months ago, the president said he was going to start supplying weapons. john mccain has made a huge

issue out of this. it's a simple question -- why can't you tell us whether or not the u.s. has started providing weapons to the rebels? >> wolf, what the president said a few months ago -- and recall this was a few months ago, our intelligence community came together and concluded, after looking at this for some period of time, that they had high confident that the syrian regime had used chemical weapons on a small scale, but repeatedly over the previous year. at that point, the president had said that would change my calculus, and indeed it did. what he said then was that we were going to significantly increase our assistance to the syrian opposition, including direct assistance to the military council. what we're not doing is detailing in public what that assistance amounts to. all i can tell you today is that following on the president's instructions, we've increased our assistance and we're continuing to do that.

>> in our next hour, would el have the rest of my interview with tony blinken, and i'll ask him what happens, what if the congress were to vote no? would the president go ahead and strike syria anyway? stand by. that's coming up in our special report at the top of the hour. plus top leaders from both parties are standing by the president in syria with one notable exception. we're going to tell you who that is, why he's laying low. john king is standing by. [ male announcer ] these days, a small business can save by sharing. like carpools... polly wants to know if we can pick her up. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ male announcer ] the best thing to share? a data plan. at&t mobile share for business. one bucket of data for everyone on the plan, unlimited talk and text on smart phones. now, everyone's in the spirit of sharing. hey, can i borrow your boat this weekend? no. [ male announcer ] share more. save more. at&t mobile share for business. ♪

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president obama is enjoying

unusual bipartisan support among top leaders in the senate on his push to take military action against syria, with one notable exception, misch mcconnell, who has yet to publicly announce where he stands on this issue. chief national correspondent john king has a closer look at why that might be going on. what are you seeing, john? what are you learning? >> wolf, it does look a bit unusual, misch mcconnell is alone among the four top congressional leaders. he says hess 'undecided because he simply has more questions. he says the administration has yet to make the case, but many look at politics back home as another reason. he's up for reelection next year, and faces a tea party challenge. not only is the tea party challenger force dpli against u.s. involved in syria, so is hi not-so-secret weapon back home. the kentucky state fair is about

much more than horses. there's deep-fried kool-aid, and the famous doughnut burger, a heart-stopping marriage of krispy kremes and a quarter pounder. this year a new attraction you have to see up close. senators mcconnell and rand paul, all smiles to prove the republican establishment and the tea party go together like -- well, like the ham and eggs at this farm bureau breakfast, local flavor with enormous national implications. >> the one reason is this is the one time -- >> i was hungry. >> -- in our state where every elected official and aspiring politician of both parties is here. it's a great celebration of agriculture. i would be surprised at anybody who political didn't show up. >> mcconnell's immediate worry matt bevan, is not here, skipping the affair as a

politic political. >> mcconnell has higher taxes, bailout, congressional pay raises and liberal judges. >> reporter: his chances depend on big outside help, known for taking on the gop establishment are beginning to test mcconnell's vulnerable. career washington politician mitch mcconnell claims to be a conservative. >> reporter: mindful of recent history, he's runs as if scared. >> bevin's company got a tax bailout. not a kentucky conservative. >> newspapers say claims he graduated from prestigious m.i.t. >> reporter: at his events, a hard line against the president. >> solution is to pull it out, root and branch. >> reporter: mcconnell opposes a tea party backed plan to risk a government shutdown if that's what it takes. he hopes his new sidekick helps

limit backlash. democrat allison grimes is well acare that kentucky hasn't september a democrat to the senate in 20 years now. we've had trouble in our state with identifying with the national democratic party, and i will tell you that i am running as a kentuckyian. you know, i have my disagreements with the president. >> campaigns as though mcconnell will survive the primary. >> it's about ending the disease of dysfunction in washington, and after merely 30 years senator mcconnell is at the center of it. he is to blame for the failed leadership. >> reporter: the mcconned campaign is confidence if he survives the 3r50i78ary, he can beat grimes. he reese main -- the campaign is confident about that, but he seems to be running scared even though the polls shows him favored guess mr. bevin, in part because of the experience in 2010, when mcconned backed gracin, and rand paul upset him

in the primary. that was one of the painful tea party lessons. there were several others as well, you remember the senator from utah, one of mcconnell's best friends in the senate, beaten by a tea part candidate. . so he remembers history well, and he's running -- >> as well as the president's authorization, could be very, very significant in his bid for reelection. thank you very much. up next, the former president bill clinton comes to obama care's rescue. that's coming up. ♪

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by clinton to obaca care's rescues? athena jones has the details. >> reporter: president clinton in arkansas to defend perhaps the most controversial piece of president obama's legacy -- the affordable care act. >> this la has already done a lot of good. it's about to make 95% of us insured, with access to affordable care. >> reporter: kri9ices say the law will kill jobs and rob people of the freedom to make their own health care decisions, the former president looking professorial, and speaking in detail spelled out some of the provisions already in effect and how the exchanges opening next month will work irnts an uninsured person can log-on to a national site healthcare.gov, or a state site, and shop for the most affordable proxy. >> reporter: the speech kicks off a big public education push by the white house to sell the

often unpopular and misunderstood 3-year-old law. clinton acting as the explainer in chief said the law was not perfect, but he urged supporters and critics to work together. whether we like it or don't, we all would be better off making it work and fix it. instead the keep replaying the same old -- >> reporter: that's a tall order. with republicans on capitol hill and in state houses across the country, keeping up their opposition. >> it's not working and hurting americans. >> we didn't just say no, we said never. he did not allow state exchanges in the state of south carolina. >> what's the impact of obama care? >> reporter: the ad war is ramping up on both sides. >> the truth is americans are already seeing the benefits. >> thanks to obama care, we can

afford the care that zoe needs. >> i'm worried we won't be able to keep the same doctors. >> can i really trust the folks in washington with my family's health care? >> the fight over the law isn't over. just next week a national tea party group plans a rally opposing obama care outside the u.s. capitol. athena jones, cnn, washington. up next, a mystery that must be solved. what happened to the flag at ground zero? cashback concierge, here. what is a cashback concierge? well there's lots of ways you can get cash back.

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tom's photo comes in, we huddled around the computer. he brings up this photo. >> it popped out because of the flag. everything had this grayish blue

tint to it. there you saw the red, white and blue. >> i sat there, i said that's an incredible picture. danielle was standing behind me and said that's not a picture, that's an icon. >> i think there's many interpretations. each of us can have a personal connection with that symbol. >> certainly one of the most powerful images to emerge. it's at the history of a brand-new cnn film premiering tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern. i spoke with david friend, author of "the flag." . what made you specifically focus in on this one mystery of this flag? i want we focused on the picture that gave us hope. it was by tom franklin of the bergen record. a day of destruction and death, here was a picture that looked forward instead of at what was going on that day. it said, it was a picture of resolve. it became the most reproduced

picture of the new mihm. so we wanted to tell the back story. as this chapter in the book says, the flag says, and as the documentary by mike tucker directed, it talks about what caused these men to do this, and what causes us to embrace the symbol. >> are we ever going to find out where this flag is or where it went? as far as i can tell, the mystery remains unsolved. >> it disappeared that very first night, so that the flag that actually went up to yankee stadium, actually signed by governor pataki, rudy giuliani, the flag itself was -- the flag was a facsimile, it wasn't the real flag. the real flag disappeared, and we realized it disappeared that very first night by uses forensics. we looked at pictures taken at 9:00. the picture by tom franklin was

taken at 5:00. by 9:00 it was wrapped. >> amazing -- >> it was wrapped around the pole, the pictures we show on the show tonight, and then it disappeared by 10:30. there were pictures taken by other photographers. now, where did it go? wed gotten some leads already on the cnn.com, where people said, hey, we saw some people who set up lights, withes dispatched down from main, and it might be in our boss's office. somebody must have taken it down to protect it from the elements that night or they saw it was wrapped around. they might not even know they have the real flag, because it wasn't famous yet. in the first evening, that flag had not been published, it wasn't published until late late that night or early in the morning, didn't get known until the 12th of september. someone protected it for some reason, and we're already getting some leads. hopefully we'll find it.

>> hopefully we will. david friend, thanks so much for doing this. the documentary airs tonight, only on cnn, 9:00 p.m. eastern. we will all be watching. thanks very much. >> thanks, wolf. really appreciate it. again, 9:00 p.m. eastern later tonight, the flag only here on cnn. president obama closer to getting the green light. but the hurdles ahead for team obama are clear. hear the back lash of the house of representatives, and the president's evolves battle planned. plus the risk of helping syrian rebels aligned with al qaeda. we're zeroing in on the struggle to find the so-called good guys. we want to welcome or viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room."

a. president obama may have a shot of momentum in his fight to convince congress that striking syria is the moral thing to do. the senate committee gave hem the first yet vote he needs, but at the same time he national security team got an earful from the house of representatives where the administration's opponents are often more feisty, less likely to bend. chief national security correspond jim shuuto has more. >> reporter: today it moved to the less friendly house foreign affairs committee, some members saying the administration wants to do too much, others too little. >> our enemies don't know what our foreign policy is. our friends don't know what it is, and i'm not so sure americans know what our foreign policy is in the middle east. >> reporter: secretary kerry was forced to even confront the

ghosts of the last troubled middle eastern intervention. >> the same administration now was reluctant to use the same resources at its disposal to attempt to rescue the four brave americans that fought for their lives in benghazi. >> we're talking about people being killed by gas, and you want to talk about benghazi? >> absolutely i want to talk about it. four americans lost their lives. i have sympathy for the people in syria, and i do think there would be a worldwide response, but we should act cautiously. >> reporter: the administration's case remained the same, framing it as not a personal test for the president, about you for congress, the country and the world. >> this is not about getting into syria's civil war. this is about enforcing the principle that people shouldn't be allowed to gas their citizens with impunity. if we don't vote to do this, assad will interpret from you that he is free to do this any

day he wants to. >> reporter: still president obama took it a step further, disassociating himself from the red line k0789 last year that served as the initial spark for action. >> a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. >> reporter: now he's arguing that it's congress and the international community, not him alone, who are obligated to punish syria. >> i didn't set a red line. the world set a red line the my credibility is not on the line. the international community's credibility is on the line, and america and congress's credibility is on the line. >> reporter: both president obama and secretary kerry attempted to use the 2003 syria accountable act, i have the text right here, to force congress's hand based on this line. syria's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction threaten the security of the middle east and the national security interests of the united states. what 2 does not thofrize is military action. it goes no further than economic

and diplomatic sanctions. that is 9 battle that's still very much under way now, wolf. >> jim shuuto reporting for us, thank you very much. let's dig deeper right now with our chief political analyst gloria borger and judge king, and jessica yellin. guys, thanks very much. this is the president talking about if he had been? the congress or the senate, how he might have reacted to this current debate. listen to this. >> had i been in the senate, in the midst of this period, i probably would have suggested to a democratic or president president that congress should have the ability to weigh in on an issue like this, that is not immediate, imminent, time sensitive. >> jessica, you were our chief

without correspondent for a long time. how telling is that? >> he wants some company. he doesn't want to be the only one taking action. he doesn't have nato with him. he doesn't have the u.n. he doesn't have frankly any allies outside of france standing with him if he were to take some sort of action here. so he is saying i want to do this in regular order, but hi also wants to do this in step with others. what the vote today said, if congress does approve this, it looks very likely the most liberal members won't approve it, it's going to have to be the middle moderate chunk of the house of representatives, and the senate that he's going to have to win over to get their backing. >> to put that coalition together. gloria, you have a column on cnn.com about this whole drama that is unfolding, among other things, you write, there is an almost shakespearean drama beneed the surface, one of political careers made and broken, past positions held, and

almost bad ended. explain what's going on. >> that's a bit about what the president was talking about today. what he said was, look, you know, people remember that i actually called for congressional authorization for the use of force so they might kerr me a hypocrite, though he didn't come out and say that, if i didn't do that now. i think that's something that clearly weighed on his mint. one of the agonies of this, the irony for obama, of course, is that he's the anti-war president, calling for the use of force. one of the agonies i point out is john mccain, who does not like president obama, ran against him, again his policy in syria, thinks we should do more, but in the end will end of supporting him probably, because he thinked it would be cat trough for the country, for the congress to go one way and the president to go another. this was reflective of some of the tensions in that committee. this is an exchange.

representative jeff duncan had with secretary of state john kerry. >> mr. kerry, you have never one thesis advocated for anything other than caution. the same is true for the president and the vice president. is the power of the executive branch so intoxicating you would abandon past caution in favor for pulling the trigger on a military response so quickly? >> when i was in the united states senate, i supported military action in any number of occasions, including grenada, panama. i can run a list. and i am not going to sit here and be told by you that i don't have a sense of what the judgment is with respect to this. we're talking about people being killed by gas, and you want to go talk about benghazi and fast and furious. >> absolutely i want to talk about benghazi. i have sympathy for the people in syria, and i do think there should be a worldwide response,

but we should act cautiously. >> we are acting cautiously. >> that was just a flavor. really it went on. there were other testy exchanges as well. how much of a problem does the president have in getting this authorization to the house? >> that exchange shows you two things. number one, the president does have a problem. there's a lot of conservatives. but you have conservatives who don't have to worry about reelection, who don't like this president, who oppose this president, and who think the safe vote here is no, number one. the other issue here is look, they are legitimate questions they have, this is a defines question for the country. i don't think anybody does themselves any good when they veer off on these things. >> and personally insulting to john kerry. he took it that way, and i think

it was men that way. >> joe wilson, also shouted out to the president when he was addressing a joint session of congress on health care "i lie" all of us remember that. listen to this exchange. >> with the president's red line, why was there no call for military response in april. was it delayed to divert attention today from the benghazi, i.r.s., n.s.a. scandals, the failure of obama care enforcement, the tragedy of the sequestration, or the upcoming debt limit vote? again, was was there no call for military response four months ago when the president's red line was crossed? >> well, the reason is very simple. the president made a decision to change his policy, that he didn't believe that the evidence was so overwhelming. it was significant, it was clear, and it happened. >> jessica, it underscores once

again the problem that even if it passes the senate, and i suspect it will, i think they'll get more than 60 votes, but in the house it could be 218 votes out 435 members, that could be tough. >> it's going to be challenging. it sounds when he says that to most ears, i think it will sound like that's extreme politics that he's playing right there, maybe even crass politics, but it's also a reminder that all of these votes are taking in the context of what's going on in the domestic seen. you'll recall when iraq vote happened for george w. bush, he got a lot because it was in the wake of 9/11, when bill clinton had to face some of the wars and battles he was trying to wage, he was dealing with monica lieu wince can can i. right no -- all those things he brought up are about mistrust of government, so there's a lot of skepticism of all the evidence he presents. it's one of the reasons he has a

hard time getting this vote. >> i think the skepticism is less about the evident than it is about the -- there's controversy, you know, some say it's too little too late. some are worried about unintended consequences. some say what's our national interest. this particular congressman was making a domestic -- but i think most members on the hiller trying to grapple with the issue of, subtle the right thing to do. >> but some don't trust the commander in chief. he is also the same man that doesn't seek authorization when le went to libya, or tooic on the bin laden. >> there's a slice of the republican party that would oppose him if he asked isn't the sunrise great, but i do think the country is having a pretty good conversation and pretty good debate about a, whether to do this, and about. whether the president has a viable plan.

>> it's sort of telling that ed markey, the democrat from massachusetts, he didn't vote yet, he didn't vote no, he voted present, saying he needs more time to study it. up next, in our special report, the battle within the syrian opposition rival factions with very different goals. can you u.s. tell who's on the side of the terrorists? and bill richardson and newt gingrich, they are getting to face off. they total le disagree on what to do? syria. [ male announcer ] these days, a small business can save by sharing.

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at&t mobile share for business. a writer and a performer. ther, i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick... and then i got better. the u.s. military strike would likely help rebel forces. that's exactly what lawmakers are worried about. we're looking at the dueling rebel faction when our special report "crisis in syria" continues. uh-oguess what day it is!is??

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end up helping al qaeda, because some rebel forces are aligned with the terrorist group. can the u.s. tell the difference between the good guys and bad guys? tome foreman is over at the magic wall. what do you see? >> that question is framed by a series of other questions which are equally important. for example, what is the right number of insurgent fighters there? we've heard over the past couple days from the administration there would be tens of thousands or 80,000 or 90,000 or 100,000. why are these numbers so swishy? >> it's hard to count them. you have did the separate groups here. but then when you get into the local, the syrians, the free syrian army, some of the local groups, these are part-time guys. they're welders, butchers, they have houses to rung, jobs to go to, so it's very difficult. some days they're

revolutionaries, and that's the term they prefer. other days thee family people. >> we often see this presented as a simple battle between the government there, the assad government and these revolutionary forces, but in truth, we now know that this is really many, many different groups out there. correct? >> correct. with all different agendas, because they are mostly regional, working aleppo, or working down south. they have a different goal, a different outcome. >> when we talk something like the free syrian army, this is more of a concept than a real thing? >> right. though they think there's a structure there, and they have a national council, they have a commander, they have brigades and battalions, these are all volunteers. they show up when they can or when they want to. >> it's not as coordinated as it

may seem. >> this is relatively news. these are the ones that came from mostly iraq hardened islamic -- they are really dangerous. >> that really brings us to one of the key points in all of this, which is what are the goals in this group, and this is important, because different groups have different goals. some of them want to overthrow assad, keep the syrian government, just have a different group in charge, but others very different goals. >> well, the group we just talked about, they want to do away with the entire government, set up an islamic state, all the way over to the iranian border. >> others want to break up syria into two or three or four new countries? , this is a bad scenario, this is where you break up into a kurdish area to go -- you've got syrians, the and others. >> this is what makes it most complicated, wolf. the simple truth is if you want to fire missiles and not topple

ass assad, but maybe help out some of these groups, how do you know which group you're going to help? >> it is complicated. thanks very much. coming up in our special report, is a vote against syria a vote for bashar al assad. newt gingrich and bill richardson are standing by for a serious debate. i. i'll ask the deputy national security adviser what will happen if, if, congress were to refuse to give the green light to attack?

john kerry says bashar al assad is a thug, a murderer. we'll have more on that when our special report continues. humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world.

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happening now, a "the situation room" special report, "crisis in syria."

two political powerhouses are about to debate military action. stand by for newt gingrich versus bill richardson. plus the president backup plan if congress refuses. i'll ask the deputy national security adviser about that. and a flashback to the ones cozy dinner, the foe he now calls a thug and murderer. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." president obama is fine-tuning his pitch for military action against syria, getting more forceful along the way. during his remarks in widen, he challenged the international community, saying its credibility is now on the line. >> the question is, after we've gone through all of this, will we find a reason not to act? if that's the case, then i think

the world community should admit it. because you can always find a reason not to act. this is a complicated, difficult situation. let's bring in two guests with very strong opinions, the former house speaks newt gingrich, one of co-hosts of "crossfi "crossfire" which debuts next monday, and bill richardson. gentlemen, thanks very much for coming in. should congress authorize the president right now to go ahead and launch military strikes against syria? >> i don't think so. i think if you watch just yesterday alone, secretary of state kerry says in his opening no boots on the ground, then he says, gee, maybe there are circumstances for boots on the ground, then when senator corker challenges it, and he says, no, i really meant no boots on the ground, i guess i was thinking out loud. i think that it's very dubious.

>> you think that congress should support such action? >> yes, because american credibility is on the line, so is the president's. it's limited military strike, a command and control targets against a violation of international norm, poison gas against thousands. i believe if we don't act, we're going to lose a lot of support in the region. israel will be harmed, hezbollah will get slaughtered, iran will get slaughtered, cunning like jordan leg more vulnerable. i think it's important to act. it's lilted, it's not boots on the ground, the international community, the president tried to go to the u.n., the russians blocked the security council resolution. my view is that members of congress should vote for this. keep their powder dry, listen to all the arguments, but i think the president also deserves credit with going to the congress. >> the very concept of a limited

strike -- i heard secretary hagel say it would only cost about a million, means you're talking 20, 30, 40 missiles. what do you do the day after? you hit assad, a very tough dictator. they've been running this place now for 44 years, the iranians will back him up, more support from iran. in what way -- now, you could say, as senator mccain wants to, let's go in and defeat the regime. the president has made very clear that is not his goal. 1. >> no, no, the public maybe only 25% of the american people want another involvement. a president has to respect that, but i think what this strike will do is shift the military momentum, which right now admittedly is on assad's side. they're getting a lot of weapons from the russians.

i believe the strategy is also these strikes will arm the rebels more effectively, command and control centers, go after their artillery, their launch pads, the weapons, and political politically, i just think that the arab league, for instance arab countries, if we don't strike at this time after this horrific, horrific action of war crimes, our credibility will really be low. >> look, i think the idea that every time the president unilaterally without consulting congress announces a new red line, the country has to do what the president wants or lose credibility, that's not what the american system is. we should be having a debate -- for example, is iran a greater threat or syria? if iran is a greater threat, why is it we focused on libya, egypt and now focusing on skieria? we never get quite around to focusing on the country that's an immediate threat to us. so i think this is out of

context. >> let me just say something positive about speaker gingrich. when i was in the congress with him, on presidential leadership issues, he went up and supported nafta, and supported mexico, he was a statesman, and i think this is a similar situation. we're talking about presidential credibility. we're not talking about military involvement. we're talking about responding to -- >> how do you guarantee the united states won't get dragged into a prolonged quagmire in syria? >> well, look, i support our military. they position strikers. i won't say they never miss, but they come very close to being -- achieves their goals. i think they will do that? in the same vein, i think our efforts to get international support -- because we could get it at the u.n., so the president has decided to go to congress. i think that's very legitimate,

and i think he's going to win. >> okay. i think it is right for president to go to congress, because we need this national debate, but let me go back again. i have enormous faith in the military's technical capables. if you actually take away hears and you sit down and go through them, you find out it's very muddled. >> the mission is, according to the resolution is a limited and failored mission designed to deer terr syria and degrate syria's capacity to use such weapons in the future. >> the mccain interpretation is to throughly set the balance of power against the assad regime to help the rebels. the leahy interpretation is very, very limited strike, which would not change the balance of power. and so what you have is a lot of senators -- that we're not going to go to war. just for a second, i think this

total abusive language is crazy. when you fire missiles, you're going to war. maybe you're not engaging your infantry, but you're going to war. >> this is an act of war to launch tomahawk missiles against another country. >> no question. the reality, sending these missiles will not help assad. his own military will say oh, my here comes the united states, and mower is coming from other countries, so i think it will shift the military momentum. to say that whatever the cause of the strike is going to be, is not going to produce results, it is going to produce results i'm not saying it's -- to solve them, but it will undermine the support regionally. i think iran will hesitate. hezbollah will hesitate, israel is going to i think be stronger, and we're in a way protecting israel by making this effort. >> you're a strong supporter of

israel. >> yeah, but look i think you have to look at the total situation. people who are most active in the rebellion are in fact radical islamists. i think the christian community is under enormous threat if they take over, and i think this has gotten way out of control. two years ago you could make an argument it was a sick lard opposition. i think it's very heart today to see a good outcome. >> i would have supported some time ago, and i said so, these kind of military strikes, but i think the president has been deliberate, taking it to congress, explaining it to the american people. i think secretary kerry is passionate and eloquent. >> very, very quickly, should they do an oval office address to the nation or ask for a joint session of congress? i want i think he would be more effective doing an oval office address, with his personal style. i. >> i think directly to the american people. we'll see what happening in

the next few days. coming up on our special report, what will president obama do if congress refuses to authorize the use of force against syria? i'll ask his deputy national security adviser if he will attack anyway. but first here's a "crossfire" flashback. one of the amazing characteristics of "crossfire" are those moments when someone is genuinely wise, cuts through everything, and tells you something that lasts for a lifetime. you're about to see gene kirkpatrick, one of the great intellectual leaders in 1988, describe the middle east. listen carefully and ask yourself couldn't chef used exactly the same words today? >> given the fact that the palestinians and israelis have no common history, no common rental, no common culture, and the palestinians believe that the israelis or the jews came in

from europe and settled right down on their own land, how do you think these two peoples can ever live in tranquility? >> maybe they can't any more than the sunnis and shiites lebanon in tranquility or various tribal groups. you know, or in iraq. i mean, this is not an area where people live in tranquility. every country in the region is reply with warling factions from time to time, go to war against each other. if there was a pill to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin dedicated to your eyes, from bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is uniquely formulated to help protect your eye health.

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taking the first step towards authorizing a u.s. military strike, but what if the house of representatives ultimately votes no? will the president still go ahead with that strike in i'll ask the president's deputy national security adviser, when we come back. [ male announcer ] it's the adt end of summer sale.

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fwloo. officials saying they are confident, but what if that does not happen? i spoke with the president's deputy national security adviser tony blinken. will the president still strike? this first happened on august 21st. we heard lots of different things. that's what needs to happen. he believes it's very important that we get congress's support. when we work together and act

together, we're stronger and more effective. i believe we're going to get it. we just saw today thanks to the terrific work of senator menendez pass a resolution to authorize the use of military force in syria, so we believe we're on track, we have momentum, and we will get there. >> what happens if you don't with the house of representatives, which is a republican majority, there are a lot of liberal democrats who are anti-war as they call themselves. what happens if you don't get your vote in the house. >> i believe we're going to get it. i don't want to get into hypotheticals going forward. we're confident. >> but can you just tell us you will respect the will of the house of representatives? i want what i can tell you is the president very much wants the support of congress for the authorization to use force. it is certainly not his desire or intent but our strong belief

is that we will get that support and we'll be able to act pursuant to it. >> the most recent public opinion post, "the washington post"/abc news poll, shows a significant majority of the american public opposes any military action in syria, 59% oppose, 36% support. the president still has a lot of work to do. when he gets back from the g-20 summit, will he deliver an oval office address to the nation, ask for a joint meeting? what is he going to do? ivities wolf, first of all, i think the reaction you're alluding to is totally understandable. when people hear generically about the possibility of military action in syria, the frame they read that through, the prism they see it through is the last decade, a decade of war in iraq, afc, 150,000 troops in one, 100,000 troops in another. it's important for people to understand what this is and what it isn't. what this is is a targeted,

limited action to deal with syria's actions, and to degrade their ability to do so, no boots on the ground. that's what this is, it's not iraq, it's not afghanistan. not even libya. it's understandable that people's immediate reaction is concern this would somehow lead to war. it would not. i believe as people understand that, they'll understand the imperative of enforcing this norm and responding. i can't tell you exactly what the president will do. i can tell you he will be speaking to this both with members of congress and with the american public in the days ahead. tony blinken, deputy national security adviser to the president, thanks for joining us. >> thanks, wolf. john kerry told the house foreign affairs committee today he has no doubt that the president will deliver an oval office address to the nation on the crisis in syria in the coming days. coming up on our special report, kerry says bashar al

assad is, quote, a thug and murderer, but it wasn't all that long ago we heard different bins about the syrian leader. what's going on? stay with us. [ male announcer ] these days, a small business can save by sharing. like carpools... polly wants to know if we can pick her up. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ male announcer ] the best thing to share? a data plan. at&t mobile share for business. one bucket of data for everyone on the plan, unlimited talk and text on smart phones. now, everyone's in the spirit of sharing. hey, can i borrow your boat this weekend? no. [ male announcer ] share more. save more. at&t mobile share for business. ♪ okay, who helps you focus on your recovery?

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believe is it or not, syria's leaders was once seen as a partner of the united states. our special report continues in a moment.

he could certain face u.s. missiles, but not that long ago, the syrian president assad was seen as a potential partner, with some of the people now demanding retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons against his own people. brian todd has been looking into this relationship between assad

and some top u.s. official, including the current secretary of state. >> that's right, wolf. this has taken a dramatic turn. in fact all four of the top players now pushing for a strike on syria. at one time wanted to negotiate with bashar al assad. as wolf mentioned, the change in john kerry's tone is extraordinary. this is how syria's president is described by john kerry these days. >> you're a thug and a murderer, like bashar al assad -- >> reporter: he also equated him with hussein and hitler, a far cry from 2009, and this image. an intimate dinner in today mass curl. kerry, as chair of the senate foreign relations committee, was a key point man to engage in syria, meeting with assad several times, just days before the syrian uprising began in 2011, kerry publicly praised him. president assad has been very generous with me in terms of the

discussions we have had. >> reporter: kerry is now among the four main players making the case to strike syria, but as senators, all four of them -- john kerry, joe biden, chuck hagel and barack obama himself -- all wanted america to go esht with the syrian leader. in 2007, biden chastised condoleezza rice statement, madam secretary that negotiations with syria would be extortion. >> but the obama team cannot be singled out. colin powell met with bashar al assad in 2003. assad met with darryl issa. he has charmed other leaders, even the queen. >> assad conveyed the image that he is a person he can do business with. he touted his education in

england that he had studied medicine and was different from the other generationch. >> reporter: says u.s. officials thautd they could get intelligence on al qaeda from assad. a former diplomat in syria says there was another motivation, as well. >> i think it was an intention to try to get him away from iran, from the influence of ahmadinejad. >> reporter: i asked if american leaders have been naive in thinking they can get bashar al assad to help the u.s. they all said no. assad and his father have helped in stabilizing in the past and america had to engage him and keep him in check. >> getting other information on john kerry as a senator, his visits to damascus in 2009.

>> we were told kerry was testing whether bashar al assad was going to change. he said kerry was clear two years later when the civil war broke out and assad used brute force that he had to go. when we come back president obama may be getting flack for putting his foot down when it comes to syria but now he is getting it for putting his feet up. jeanne moos is next. but tracking all the action and hearing everything from our marketing partners, the media and millions of fans on social media can be a challenge. that's why we partnered with hp to build the new nascar fan and media engagement center. hp's technology helps us turn millions of tweets, posts and stories into real-time business insights that help nascar win with our fans. if you've got it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and man, you know how that feels.

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and this vizio 60" smart led. on rollback: you save 100 bucks! get more for your money at walmart's super savings event. president obama has already put his foot down making the case for military action against syria. now he is getting flack for putting his feet up. here is cnn's jeanne moos. >> reporter: it is bad enough for any president to put his foot in his mouth but this president keeps putting his foot on his desk. president obama's being yelled at by some conservatives for his posture while calling the speaker of the house about

syria. does seeing president obama's foot on the oval office desk make your blood boil? >> it is offensive. >> reporter: looks like an uncooth jerk. >> if this were my husband in my home i would say please get your foot off the desk. >> he is under a lot of stress. >> reporter: tweeting the white house released the photo thinking it is a cool image. he is getting a lot of flack for putting his foot on the desk. >> it is very cool. >> reporter: the website showed a montage of photos of president obama putting his feet on furniture. it is not just that his foot is on a desk, it is the desk. the resolute desk, a gift from the queen of england, the desk under which jfk junior played. one tweeted ronald reagan never entered the oval office without a jacket. obama poses for crotch shots with foot on desk.

obama defenders fire back with this photo of president reagan in the oval office without his jacket. and pictures of presidents ford and bush with their feet up on the same desk. the president is getting his wrist slapped for the way he is holding his hand, the offensive way he shaped his fingers like a gun. most folks we talked to were unphased by the president's fingers and his foot. >> it is his desk. >> i put my foot on the desk. >> if that was your great grandpa's desk would you be putting your foot up? >> no. it is more like an ikea desk. >> reporter: a lot less holy than they used to be. obama the first time he ran for president, obama in the oval office, no more ovals on the soles of his shoes when he stretches those long legs. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> and by the way, if you didn't

know, they call the oval office desk the resolute desk because queen victoria had it made from timber from the ship the resolute. he reminded the world of a failure to respond to atrocities. the president honored the speedispeed i -- swedish diplomat who saved thousands of lives before the holocaust. the president offered a traditional holiday greeting. >> so to all of our jewish friends here in sweden and the united states and around the world and especially in israel i want to wish you and your families a sweet and happy new year. >> happy new year to all of our jewish viewers here in the united states and around the world. remember you can always follow us on twitter. you can follow the situation

room on twitter, as well. tweet me. tweet the show. thanks for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. "erin burnett outfront' starts right now. selling a war, john kerry makes his case for american-led strike against syria. a teacher rapes a student who then takes her own life. and that teacher got 30 days in jail. the judge tonight admits he could have made a mistake. what's next? and the man convicted of holding three women captive for more than a decade now dead. was this justice? let's go outfront. good evening. i'm erin burnett. closer to war. the senate foreign relations committee this afternoon narrowly approved an authorization to use force agt