hello. welcome to the second hour. i'm fredericka whitfield a look at the top stories. the obama administration speaking out about the disturbing videos of the attack in syria and says it's urgent congress sees the images. we'll tell you why. secretary of state john kerry pushes for action abroad and reveals information where a key u.s. ally stands on a potential allied strike in syria. members of armed forces go online to oppose a strike. descent within the military. straight ahead. secretary of state john kerry is very busy trying to get the united states to use

military action against syria. >> we are seeking to enforce preventing chemical actions in syria and not seeking to become engaged or part of syria's civil war. syria was on the agenda and foreign affairs reporter elise is there in london traveling with the secretary. defense secretary kerry will be meeting with who today? >> he's meeting with mahmoud abbas. this trip was supposed to be focused on the middle east peace process which secretary kerry has been spending a lot of time in since he took office. clearly, syria ecliped that. he met with the foreign ministers of the arab league and seemed to get arab support. saudi arabia supported any u.s. strikes. he was expecting some announcements from other countries in the next 24 hours, showing some support for this

g-20 statement that was passed on friday. that was passed by -- signed by about a dozen nations. now, he's expecting some more arab nations to sign on, including qatar's f.m. today said they support it. >> to what extent will they support it? are they willing to give details? >> it's a little unclear. every country will speak for themselves. i don't think you will see all arab nations signing up for any type of coalition. saudi arabia has indicated it would be willing to support strikes and maybe even take part. you know, they haven't said so explicitly yet but secretary kerry's announcement sure seemed to move in that direction. the qatar foreign minister said his country would be looking what it could do and you might have other nations showing political support, clearly the obama administration thinks it's building more international consensus. this statement that came out of the g-20 that so far has about

13 nations, is quickly becoming the vehicle of choice, if you will, for international consensus to act in syria and hold the assad regime accountable for the use of chemical weapons. >> all right. elise, labott, thanks for joining us from london. >> president obama is getting ready to make a major pitch to congress and the american people why the u.s. congress should make attacks on syria. tomorrow, he will give interviews to six television networks including our own wolf blitzer and tomorrow he lays out his case in a primetime speech from the white house, 9:00 p.m. eastern time. u.s. secretary of state kerry is speaking out why they showed congress extremely graphic videos of the sarin gas attack in syria and it is graphic and shows people dying of the gas attacks. cnn was the first to obtain the clips of the children, men,

women and children all seen convulsing on the ground, struggling to breathe, some are dead. secretary kerry said it's important congress know what the chemical weapons attack did to the civilians before they vote whether or not to strike. >> those videos make it clear to people that these are real human beings, real children, parents being affected in ways that are unacceptable to anybody anywhere by any standards. and that its the united states of america that has always stood with others to say, we will not allow this. this is not our values. this is not who we are. >> cnn's barbara starr is at the pentagon. what makes u.s. officials believe these tapes are authentic and there's more? sn>> what they are pointing to these tapes, horrific as they are, was shot from multiple angles. some of the data points, match

the outdoors around the facilities, areas, known areas, they were confirmed by overhead satellite imagery. some of the surviving victims were able to confirm some of these details. it doesn't get to the exact question of what part of the syrian regime the u.s. believes carried out the attack, per se, but there is very much, i think, fair to say, a growing body of information that this horrific act happened, the u.s. does feel it was at the hands of the regim regime. >> barbara, clearly the obama administration is trying very hard to make its point with the president making himself available tomorrow and then a primetime address to the nation, as it pertains to congress. where do we understand the support is? >> right. right now, what you're going to see in the next few days, as dana bash and our whole

congressional team have reported, full-court press, briefs, meetings, phone calls, back and forth between administration officials and the hill, both parties trying to get that support for what the president wants to have happen. we had a bit of a look at it ourselves at cnn. here's our calculation. in the senate, 25 yes at this point, 20 senators, no, 55 undecided, if you will. but if you go across capitol hill to the house, you see a much bigger problem emerging for the administration politically here because the calculation there is that you have 24 yes votes, 123 no votes, 272 undecided, 14 unknown. a lot of work to do on both sides of the aisle on the house side, democrats and republicans, to get support for what the president wants. they may not vote for several days yet. fred. >> barbara starr for the pentagon, thanks so much.

one fact the president cannot escape. members of congress have been in their home districts for the last month and getting an earful from their constituents. the president will be making a major pitch to congress and the american people and give interviews to six journalists including wolf blitzer and tuesday night he lays out his case to the american public at 9:00 eastern time. john kerry speaking out why the administration showed the senate committee extremely graphic videos of the suspected gas attack on syria. he continues to press the case for the white house objective, to try to launch some sort of military attack. right now, he's overseas and, of course, the push will continue here stateside.

meantime, again, the constituents are again telling their congress people what they think about a potential attack on syria. dana bash brings us this wrap-up of events. >> i am unalterably opposed to having a single american boot on the ground. >> not good enough! we send you to stop the war! >> for undecided lawmakers, watching what happened to pro syria bombing mccain back home is a cautionary tale. >> this is what i think of congress. they are a bunch of marshmallows. why are you not listening to the people and staying out of syria? it's not our fight. >> even for a town hall veteran like mccain, this was rough. >> we cannot afford to turn syria 82 another iraq or afghanistan. i beg you! >> lawmakers are hearing that kind of opposition all across the country. it's part of the reason even the president's most loyal

supporters like members of the black caucus are very wary of authorizing a strike. >> of course, there's a large number of them that say we don't want you go to war. >> reporter: house democratic leadership source insists to cnn the majority of lawmakers are still persuadable because they have not yet been briefed. the problem for the president is how many especially fellow democrats are reluctant even after attending classified briefs intended to persuade them. our allies, what would they do? 37 nations said they would support us, what does support mean? >> reporter: democrat gabbert is a veteran of the combat war. >> we have seen the results of war overseas as well as at home is something giving me a unique perspective but great pause. >> reporter: she is like many who don't question whether bashar al assad used chemical weapons but do question obama

officials ability to answer kequestions in public or private about military contingencies after the u.s. bombs. what if assad finds a way to use chemical weapons again? >> do we strike again? that's the definition of further entanglement. that's the definition of our becoming deeply involved in a war. >> reporter: dana bash, cnn, capitol hill. >> so, again, america has seen horrific videos showing victims of the chemical attack in syria. what do the images really tell us? our foreign weapons expert weighs in next in the "newsroom."

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linking them to the assad regime. let's talk to mr. delford of the united nations. >> thank you for inviting me. >> earlier, charlie rose says he has interview ed syria's president, bashar al assad and said he did not authorize use of the chemical weapons and had nothing to do with the attacks. you spent over 25 years in the government including the cia. how does one go about discerning the origin of the chemical weapons. whose fingerprints are on them? >> that's the key question. whose fingerprints are there? it's pretty evident sarin gas was used in this attack. the question is who was responsible for it. there will be surrounding intelligence data to make the case it wasn't the syrian regime. there will be the munitions used, specialized, if they're for sarin gas. there'll be the data about where they were launched from, where they were targeted. there will be presumably as well

communications information. the part where it may get tricky for the administration is if there's not a clear link to bashar al assad himself. if there's communications between various lower levels where bashar al assad could make the case that he did not authorize it and the statements he made to charlie rose may have fact been accurate if in fact it was a sublevel group that just took matters into their own hands. >> apparently there's a possibility the defectors, those once with the military, run by the syrian government, they had the expertise, would know how to launch that kind of weaponry, would be able to have access to it and that they could potentially been the ones who may now be on the side of the rebels, they could be the ones launching these chemical weapons. does that sound reasonable, feasible, possible at all? >> i think that's the case the russian's may try to make to sustain ambiguity who the responsible party was. that might have some residents

in the international community and security council that may be able to create some doubt saying, well, the united states has been encouraging syrian army people to defect. maybe they defected to the rebels and brought their chemical weapons with them and decided to use them to muddy the waters. it's a very weak case but could be enough to cause things to be unclear when the u.n. weapons inspectors finally report and that information is debated in the security council. >> you mentioned the thing that would have to be evaluated and collected, munitions data, the launch from site, communications information. who would have access to that jmp? >> is that revealed in the u.n. report or something separate the u.s. intelligence community has to have their hands on? >> that is the point. the difference between evidence of what the u.n. inspectors can report and bear in mind their utility is that they are seen as credible and unbiased. they don't have the types of

information the intelligence community has. the united states will have all these bits of data, communications intelligence, perhaps projectories and points of origin for artillery and rockets. they will have all that surrounding data which can be quite convincing but perhaps not quite believable by other members of the international community. it can be persuasive on congress and quite convincing the bashar al assad regime, perhaps up to and including bashar al assad was responsible for this. making that case internationally may be more difficult. >> working with both u.n. weapons suspicion side and u.s. intelligence, would you believe this administration would have all of those ducks in order before making case like this? >> i think they'll have a pretty strong case to make. the issue tends to be, i think, is this the highest level priority that -- at the top of the hierarchy of things we need to worry about in the region right now? the case is being made we need

to respond to the use of chemical weapons because that's an international norm and we need to sustain that international norm. but is that the highest priority? is that the thing we need to do to risk everything on right now? we have other aspects of this. iran, the stability of jordan. so many other things which can go badly wrong. we could be making things worse and not really know it. >> charles duelfer. thanks for your insight. >> the u.s. says the evidence is there of a chemical attack in syria. in a moment, we'll take a closer look at those planes and exactly where the evidence came from. la where the evidence came from. an where the evidence came from. ne where the evidence came from. es where the evidence came from. s where the evidence came from. ae the evidence came from. c and ex where the evidence came from. l where the evidence came from. ai where the evidence came from. m where the evidence came from. s y where the evidence came from. [ male announcer ] what's important to you? at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. being active. and being with this guy. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan

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♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum -bum ♪ the u.s. say this is no doubt syria's assad regime launched a gas take against its own people. the evidence is there to prove it. cnn's brian todd looks at what

the evidence is and where it came from. >> reporter: samples from the bodies of victims according to secretary of state john kerry gives u.s. officials the evidence they need. >> it has tested positive for signatures of sarin. >> reporter: what are those signatures? how can we be sure this is a repeat of the slam-dunk that wasn't, the claim iraq that wmd? former weapons inspector who previously looked for cases in iraq says a signature of sarin is not something you can see or smell. >> think how any other chemical you are familiar with around the house can break down into other things. you're not just looking for smell or discoloration. >> reporter: kay says other than mustard gas, sarin does not burn your skin. those victims who die from it breath in because it shuts down your nerves and then yusuf kate. to find out if that's happened, to find that signature, you take blood, hair, brain tissue,

clothing samples and then a portable version of this, a gas chr chromtography machine will give you spikes indicating sarin was used. >> reporter: there's another key question about the signature of sarin. how reliable are those samples and tests? >> if you are going get a single sample or half a dozen samples, i think most of us would be concerned because you're concerned how they were collected. that's why the inspectors were so careful to take multiple samples from places. >> reporter: kay says nothing is 100% in these situations. if the u.n. inspectors took enough samples and if they controlled them well enough the reliability should be high. a u.n. official we contacted wouldn't say how many samples they took or talk about methods. we do know many of these victims never had a chance. >> reporter: sarin specifically what happens if you don't have one of these? >> if you don't have one of those, you're very much out of luck.

literally within minutes you body will begin to shut down, not just the types of things you've seen on these videos with twitching and convulsing and seeing things, foaming at the mouth, your body will short circuit, you'll die within minutes. >> reporter: could there be false positive of testing? david kay says not if testing done well enough. if the traces are minute or no traces because of the shelling of the area syrian forces did after the chemical attack. brian todd, washington. we're just getting information about an amusement ride accident involving children. more after this.

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norwalk, connecticut after several people have been hurt on a swing ride. we don't know how many were hurt or how many are children. some saying as many as a dozen kids are hurt and some may have been trapped during norwalk's oyster festival. we'll bring you details as soon as they become available. we're at the bottom of the hour. welcome back. i'm fredericka whitfield. several items crossing the newsdesk right now. u.s. secretary of state john kerry met with foreign ministers today pushing for their support in an attack against syria. >> we're seeking to enforce the standard with respect to chemical weapons. we are not seeking to become engaged in or party to or take over syria's civil war. >> number two, tomorrow, president obama will talk to all six television networks including cnn about the alleged chemical weapons attack in

syria. his interview with our own wolf blitzer will air at 6:00 eastern time in the "situation room." number three, a few days after a break-in at buckingham palace, police thought they caught another intruder. they approached a man walking in the palace of garden and asked him to verify his identity. it turns out, the intruder was this man, prince andrew, the brother of prince charles. andrew was born in buckingham palace and still keeps his office there. number four, nasa engineers have fixed a glitch that threatened to derail a space probe on its way to the moon. nasa says the lunar atmosphere and dust environmental explorer had some trouble with one of the wheels soon after it was launched in virginia friday. the probe is set to orbit the moon starting october 8th. number 5, a big matchup next hour in the women's u.s. own finals. serena williams going for her 17th grand slam title against victoria azarenka.

williams' tennis game has been called unstoppable lately, especially after cruising to a final semi-victory over li na. but it's not for sure. she already has lost to azarenka this year. and photos on the internet causing controversy in the military community. they appear to be active service members speaking out against syria. the men and women on the facebook page are all in uniform and holding signs condemning a possible strike. cnn has not been able to independently identify any military status. >> reporter: political messages like these posted on a facebook page called the armed forces tea party showing unanimous people in military uniform condemning a u.s. military strike on syria have gone viral. this one reads, i didn't join the marine corps to fight for al qaeda in a syrian civil war.

this other one directed to the president, "obama, i will not deploy to fight for your al qaeda rebels in syria. wake-up, people. >> what do you think these messages will do? >> the messages on facebook, i think it creates an awareness, there is a difference of opinion in the military. >> reporter: jose served in the military 15 years and understands why these service members are speaking out. he's not linked to the facebook page but says he was honorably discharged as a conscientious objector, meaning he left the military on the grounds of freedom of thought. >> in my case, did a lot of reading, went to college, understood that the majority of the people that are injured during war are civilian casualties by and large. >> reporter: if the unanimous people in these photos are indeed active military personnel and are identified, retired general spider marks says they

could be in trouble. >> if anybody in the military disagrees in advance with what the discussion is about, they run the risk of being punished. >> reporter: or the uniform code of military justice. the department of defense and the tea party groups declined to comment to cnn regarding these photos and their potential actio action. >> joining us live from new york, what type of punishment are we talking about potentially? >> we talked to retired u.s. army general "spider" marks about this. first of all, they have to identify the section of the uniform code of military justice that would apply in this case and then he says it would be circumstantial. it would depend the type and manner of service these individuals have brought forth. there are a lot of ifs in this. if these individuals are active military members and if they are identified and if the d.o.d.

decides to take action. >> thanks so much. as the case is being made for military action against syria we're seeing more and more images of atrocities there. what does the carnage in syria mean for the rest of the region? up next, bioterrorism expert tells us how much more he thinks this could potentially go. 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.

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videos appearing to show syrians attacked with chemical weapons are part of the white house campaign to get congress on board with the military

strike. to warn you, the video is very graphic. today, secretary of state john kerry said images like these are very important because everyone needs to know what's at stake. joining us now is author of anthrax letters, leonard coal. good to see you? thank you. >> how worried do syria's neighbors need to be if indeed chemical weapons are being used in syria? >> in the short term, very worried. in the slightly longer term, i think the entire world should be worried. it's not only the people who will be on the receiving end of chemical weapons or any sort of weapons of mass destruction who will be in trouble, but i think the more that these are used without opposition, without efforts to stop their use, the greater than the possibilities that they will be used elsewhere spread and become more common, what i temp weapons of mass destruction anarchy. we do not want that to happen. >> how does a country get them?

how are they manufactured? is that in country manufactured or delivered shipped from elsewhere? >> all of the above. there's no doubt at some levels. one doesn't have to have a major industrial capability to develop chemical weapons. some of the less effective weapons like mustard agent, chlorine, hydrogen cyanide, these are fairly common, easy to get and rather easy to manufacture in the area of chemical weapons. biological weapons can be develop developed in not much larger than a medium size kitchen. there is a danger. the taboo against the use of these weapons i think has been quite effective, reasonably effective. we're in danger of seeing that taboo weaken more. i'm concerned about that. >> if syria is using these on their own people, what are the

launch capabilities? >> the launch capabilities range from longer or medium range missiles, rockets that would have ingredients like sarin in them where they can be d disseminated and very primitive methods of release. think back to 1995, a japanese cult released sarin in the tokyo subway system. they had the sarin in liquid forms in plastic bags, once the individuals carrying these bags on the platform or train, they punctured these plastic bags with umbrella tips. the material was released and killed a dozen people and made perhaps a thousand people quite sick. >> how long does this chemical or sarin or other type of chemical weapon stay in the air, permeate the air, victimize these people. when we look at these videotapes, someone is shooting

that video and see the person suffering. is the person shooting the video likely wearing a gas mask or is there a certain period of time the chemicals are no longer a danger to you? >> absolutely a terrific question. by the time the person who is shooting the video or whatever the time elapsed i don't know. my suspicion is it was a fair amount of time. certainly several minutes. sarin, depending on the weather conditions and the environment around it, can begin to disintegrate fairly rapidly after a few minutes of release and exposure. but sarin can also, in some form, last some what longer. there are other materials, agents like zx that can last a couple weeks before it begins to degrade seriously. there is a danger of coming into contact with these people after exposure. >> thanks. leonard coal, appreciate your

insight. straight ahead. he led the american military during the iraq war, donald rumsfeld weighing in on whether the u.s. should strike in syria and much more. [ male announcer ] what's important to you? at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. being active. and being with this guy. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan that works best for you. mi familia. ♪ [ male announcer ] we want to help you achieve your best health, so you can keep doing the things that are important to you. taking care of our customers. taking care of her.

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i'm john kaplan and i'm a member of a synchronized world. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. former defense secretary donald rumsfeld has been a strong critic to president obama's approach to the crisis in syria. we asked rumsfeld for reaction to the statement that the president didn't set a red line for syriasyria's use of chemica weapons, the world set that red line. >> it's a stunning comment. it conjures up the thought of the uncertain trumpet or the trumpet that provides an uncertain sound. who will prepare themselves? it's exactly the reason there is not a large coalition wanting to support the president. it's a reason that the congress is confused because he has spent so much time saying what he would not do and what it would

not amount to that i think people are confused. the essence of leadership is clarity and providing a vision. he has not done that. i think as a result, it's perfectly understandable that people in the congress are getting arranged to oppose what he's proposing because they find that it's uncertain and lacks clarity. >> don't you think a big obstacle, especially abroad, is the legacy of how we got involved in the iraq war, the suspicions that we had it wrong there obviously and we may be wrong again? don't you think that's a big problem here? >> i suppose it's part of the problem. if intelligence were a fact, it would be called a fact and not intelligence. i think when colin powell went before the united nations with geor george tenet, the director of intelligence, talked about the intelligence they had in great detail and then it turned out

that stockpiles were not found, that people were cautious and began to recognize that intelligence is intelligence and not necessarily a fact. but i don't think that's what's going on here. i think what's going on here is almost any president in my adult life, i think, would have provided stronger leadership and greater clarity and as a result generat generated broader support in the international community and congress. >> is it fair criticism for you to put it all on the president when as you well know in the united kingdom and russia they talk about not that the intelligence was wrong, it had been manipulated and now talk about being suspicious of the u.s. motives when they said they had proof. isn't that just the fact? >> i think not. i have not heard people say that responsibly. if you'll recall, the congress looked at the same intelligence and came to the same

conclusions. there were democrats who supported it, including very prominent democrats who enthusiastically supported it. president clinton had signed a resolution supporting regime change in iraq. the international -- the united nations had 17 resolutions against saddam hussein. i think there may be people on the fringe who say the kind of thing that you're saying, but i don't think any responsible has said anything like that. >> just to be clear, you believe it's a fringe notion that the perception of how the u.s. handled intelligence getting into the iraq war, you think that's a fringe notion, that their suspicion about it, concern we didn't have it right and we had it wrong for the wrong reasons? ? you don't listen carefully. i didn't say that. i said there are people on the fringe who say what you said. >> right. >> but i conceded the fact that that experience unquestionably has affected some people's judgment and attitude and impressions during this situatio

situation. >> good. thank you for clarifying it. appreciate it, mr. rumsfeld. let's move on to something else. you know better than anybody else the toll military action can take on the country. we're still dealing with fallout on iraq, we all know that. given that, do you think it's the better course to use military action in these circumstances or would you advise the administration to think about going heavier arming the rebels, letting them fight for themselves and heavy on humanitarian aid and wait in this situation? >> it seemed to me the time to have helped the rebels would have been a year or two before, before 100,000 people were killed. the effect might have been greater. where we are today, my personal view is, that what he has proposed is not something that will have a sufficient effect, that it's worth doing. i would personally not be in favor of supporting what he's proposing. >> that's an interesting perspecti

perspective, in terms of what the effect will be. what about the notion how do we get out? obviously another part of the legacy of the iraq war? what's your advice, we haven't heard a lot about how we get out of this situation. do you have concerns if the plan goes forward the way we're hearing it being articulated in the senate right now the u.s. may be too optimistic how easy it may be to stop this type of action. >> i don't know that i agree with that. i think that dean acheson said all the easy decisions are made down below and the tough decisions are always reflect and represent uncertain outcomes. war is the use of military force is a terrible thing. it does result in uncertain outcomes. you can't be certain because the enemy has a brain and adjusts and adapts. and plans, have to adjust with first contact with the enemy. you can't predict what's going to come. the question is, what's the right thing to do?

and absent resolute leadership, it seems to me, the right thing to do is to not get engaged. >> tune in to "new day" tomorrow for extensive coverage and the latest overnight developments on the crisis in syria. up next, was syria's bashar al assad born to be a dictator? we'll take a look at his family roots and it is very revealing. . 9 out of ten? that's great. ♪ nothing says, "i'm happy to see you too," like a milk-bone biscuit. ♪ say it with milk-bone.

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we have an update now to this breaking news we brought you moments ago. at least 13 children have been hurt in norwalk, connecticut, after an accident on a swing ride in the city's oyster festival. most of the injuries are minor and the children were treated and released from the scene. at least two were taken to nearby hospitals. and of course, we'll bring you more information as soon as it becomes available. was bashar al assad raised to create a dynasty? those that study him say his father set him on the path of dictatorship from the time he was a young boy. brian todd traces the roots of the syrian leader. >> reporter: recognize the boy on the swing? it's bashar al assad. as he looked on, his father many

believe envisioned a dynasty and wouldn't have imagined it taking the turn it has. is this a design city and crumbling right now is. >> it's a mafia dynasty and definitely crumbling. >> reporter: experts say to understand what's happening in syria now it helps to know about the strange regime built by the current dictator cease father. >> he was the most mock velian leader. >> reporter: from a poor backgrou background, he rose through the ranks of the syrian air force, but it was hardly that straightforward. the man thrived in the back rooms of syrian palace intrigue where according to most accounts betraying friends, killing and banishing enemies put you on the fast track. in syria, there's more than 20 successful and unsuccessful coups when he took power. he was involved in three of them. through the '70s, '80s and '90s

he played the mideast power game like a fiddle. that was the contradiction. he stayed in power torturing and killing his enemies from within. by making friends with terrorist groups like hezbollah but in 1990 and '91 when president george bush needed to build a coalition against saddam hussein, look who was on his side. >> bush even met with syria's president assad despite the fact that the u.s. considers syria a haven for terrorists. >> reporter: how did the dynasty unravel after the death in 2000? analysts say it's partly because they ruled brutally as a minority. over majority sunnis that resented them and bashar al assad's had other difficulties changing the ways of his father. >> he stabilize syria. they couldn't travel.

when bashar came to power, he lifted the restrictions on travel, allowed people to read international newspapers, satellite television and the internet and opened the minds but how do you control the system? and how do you basically perpetuate rule? >> reporter: bashar al assad was apparently warned hecht dopt that. annual itselves say when he brugt the internet in to syria, it was against the advice of the security staff, the father's old cronies. they told him it would be dangerous, would have trouble controlling it. they were right. brian todd, cnn, washington. president obama has received very little support from around the world for a military strike on the assad regime in syria. saudi arabia is one important exception, however. secretary of state john kerry met with arab league ministers this morning and then said saudi arabia agreed to support military intervention. but in this case, political supporter won't necessarily translate in to actual military support. as tom foreman and general marks

explain. >> hey, fredericka, the arab league is a little over 20 countries and they have sent a clear message saying that the international community should take the necessary measures to deal with the suspected chemical attacks in syria. that's widely seen as a green light for an american missile strike upon syria but if the nations are in favor of this, i don't don't they join in in a military sense? there's culture. many arab nations feel that they're all part of the same community. all arabs are brothers they'll say joined by culture, by religion. they don't like the idea of a sanctioned attack of one arab nation upon another or anybody else upon an arab nation. second, there's u.s. ties, involvement in the region is long and controversial. many leaders do not want their soldiers photographed next to u.s. soldiers. even if they like the idea. they're afraid their people will not and they could be in trouble

as a result. and lastly, you can never talk about any of this without talking about israel. the idea is that many arab nations feel if they help the u.s., by proxy they're helping israel and lot not stand for that. put that aside. say for some reason the countries did side to get involved. general, what sort of military might would they bring to the game, particularly someone like saudi arabia? >> saudi arabia has a very modern military, long-standed relationship with the united states. the air force is what i talk about. it has a very modern, capable air force so all air missions to expect associated with a strike against syria, saudi arabia could provide support. >> not so much with a missile mission, though. what about united arab emirates? sma smaller. >> it's a small, nice military, modern, but the defensive, focused against iran. >> what about the more unusual players out there, in particular i'm thinking about jordan. >> jordan is a really good case. very modern military, special operations command. have grown over the course of

the last decade. their intelligence is what i would pay attention to. they also have history of superintendent p supporting the intelligence community. >> it's not surprising if they were right now helping pick targets in syria if there's a missile strike. >> i expect they're across the border in to syria. >> anybody else in the region? >> you have to talk about iraq with a military over a million folks. we, the united states, helped train the military and involved and distracted in their own sectarian missions and challenges. egypt is displaced on the front page by syria and in the middle of a coup and government transition but a modern, capable military. a country that's not a member of the arab league is turkey. turkey has a modern military, member of nato and in the neighborhood and borders sir why. >> and vested interest in the region. i'm certain we'll talkut