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welcome back. we were talk before the break about what it will take to locate inventory, ultimately neutralize syria's arsenal. as the chief u.s. weapons inspector in iraq ten years ago, a member of the state department's international security advisory board joins us now. david, we were talking last night, you were saying 500 to 1,000 inspectors would be needed to secure these sites. you have now revised that number up dramatically. >> well, after discussion with colleagues and trying to think through the process that you'd have to go through, and i think our estimate is a reasonable estimate is you're probably talking upwards of 2,000 people.

>> are there that many qualified inspectors available? >> no. no, there are not. i'm sure it probably will not be that large simply because of that bottle neck. in the american case, the largest number of qualified personnel to serve as inspectors are actually in the military, and in the military they're in the special forces, which as we all know is overstretched there. so you're going to have to do it with less than i would like and less as desirable. and you're not going to do it with any of the american military personnel so you've got to find these people in other places. >> so play out the scenario, david. let's say kerry and lavrov have a very successful meeting. they've got their technical experts with them. tell us what the technical experts are doing with them right now. and what is it going to look like on the ground? >> well, i think the americans, at least i hope the americans are stressing that the inspectors have got to have an unfetterred right to intervene, to inspect, to move freely, to bring the equipment they need, that the syrians have an

obligation that the russians have got to insist that they honor of providing the physical protection and security for the inspectors, because they're not going to come with arms if their own troops to guard them. that this will be intrusive. and that they're going to move quickly. and let me emphasize that. look, anyone who's ever done this understands that you have a limited window of opportunity. and you do as much as you can in the first three weeks to three months. because sooner or later, the people you're inspecting are going to decide you're too intrusive, they're giving up something they didn't intend to give up, they didn't realize that's what the russians meant, or they really would like to keep this. >> is your correlation of forces immediately around the good feeling and security council resolution generates. you've got to take advantage of that. you surge and do as much as you can in the first three months. >> you're suggesting a supreme irony here, right? which is that if we bomb, obama

guarantees there will be no boots on the ground. if we don't and try to security weapons, we guarantee that there will be american boots on the ground for a very long time in the middle of a civil war. is that the choice we're facing? >> no, you've misunderstood me. i said if i could pick my ideal inspectors who are trained, i know where i would go. i don't think i or anyone else will ever have that right. so you're going to have to pick up people, quite frankly if i were doing it i would be starting looking right now at resume's from people who work in chemical pesticide facilities. >> what about the security force? >> look, be realistic. in iraq in '91, we insisted that the iraqis provide us security. because we can't introduce the u.s. military doesn't want to go back into iraq. you're not going to introduce a security force now. now, the difficulty of that is at some point as we saw two weeks ago with the chemical

inspectors that went in there, the syrians will say, it's too dangerous to go someplace. at that point as an inspector you have two options. maybe it is too damn dangerous to go someplace, or they're trying to keep you from going to a place they don't want you to go. >> david, how many inspectors do you think are there qualified in the world? >> look, it's in the hundreds. it's not in the thousands. >> you're saying you would start looking at resume's from people like pesticides? are you saying exterminators? this is a dumb question. >> no. i certainly wouldn't -- >> are we in that bad of shape here? >> i'd like to see the translation if i told the syrians i was coming with exterminators. >> that would not go well. >> no. i'm talking about process engineers who work for companies like dow who know how the -- the first thing you've got to do, the first piece of information an inspector wants in this case is show us the records of your production. we know the facilities they designed in the 60s and 70s. they were designed with the help

of the soviet union. they now have a chemical inventory that's a result of 45 years of producing chemicals. the only way you can compare what they say when they hand off and say this is what we've got, secure it, whether that's even close to what they actually have is by looking at those production records. >> i'm just going to jump in. we were reporting or the "washington post" was reporting earlier cnn has now confirmed the "washington post" earlier reporting that cia is now providing weapons to the syrian rebels. >> just an interesting nugget, david, to all this talk about the stockpiles and the fact that actually one of the successes is now that they've admitted to having it. but i'm so fascinated by syrian ministers who seem to be falling over themselves now to give more details. it's almost like tmi. today one of the cabinet ministers said, you know, we've got chemical weapons and those were our strategic calculation as a strategic balance against israel.

i mean, he actually said that out loud. >> do you have any doubt that some of the islamists, the extremists, would use chemical weapons if they had access to them? >> no doubt if they had access they would use them. one of these arguments that cuts both ways. we're worried about whether if by intervening we're going to make the situation worse. again if by not intervening some of the extremist rebels take over some of the areas where these chemical weapons are being held they would most certainly use them if they had the opportunity. we've had nonal qaeda members, the man who has made infamous he attempted or did eat the heart of the lung or one of the fighters that he killed. that's a nonal qaeda member who stooped to those levels of depravity. if al qaeda got hold of those weapons they most certainly would use them. >> it's been one of their key goals since 9/11. the first thing we heard after 9/11 was that they were after chemical weapons. >> it's fascinating.

they seem almost relieved to unburden themselves. it depends what -- we have to think about what's going on in their heads. >> i think the poor man's nukes, the same minister said chemical weapons are the poor man's nukes. >> his comment is really interesting but it illustrates the problem i'm more concerned with. the ministers are the people who are divulging the information. they are not the key people key players in producing those weapons. within and after this initial wave of good feeling, if this scheme goes ahead, the people in the military, it's the syrian revolutionary guard who guards those weapons who in fact were designed -- their whole mission has been the strategic deterrent against israel. if they suddenly see this most valuable thing we have, the unique thing we had is starting to disappear, i suspect that is the resistance you'll run into. you mean we can't hide them?

>> would you hope israel got rid of its chemical weapons? >> tarik hazziz told me after my second mission in 1991. he said, dr. david, we didn't think you're not behaving like a u.n. inspector we expected. you go into these agreements thinking one thing will happen, and something else happens. and we're going in, i hope if we go in, to seriously seize control of these weapons with the ultimate purpose of destroying them. i can guarantee you today there are a lot in the syrian military that aren't committed to that scenario. >> how long would that take by the way? the assessment, securing and destruction? how long is that? >> it would take years. >> just break it down. >> it's going to take decades if you go to destruction. >> the assessment and securing. how long do you think that would take?

>> depends on how many people you have and how you craft the security nut. what you've got to do when you secure thesis provide 24/7 security. now, are you going to depend on the syrians to do that? i rather think not. but on the other hand, inspectors are awful people for securing sitting around 24/7. >> i'm sorry, david. i didn't mean to interrupt you. david we've got to take a break. i appreciate you being on again. it's always fascinating to hear from one with so much experience on the ground. coming up next, the backdrop to so much of this conversation today, the tragic events of 12 years ago. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] campbell's angus beef & dumplings. hearty cheeseburger.

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vo:remember to changew that oil is the it on schedule toy car. keep your car healthy. show your car a little love with an oil change starting at $19.95. welcome back. here with our panel. majid, i wanted to ask you where were you on 9/11? what did you think about 9/11 today? i know today you visited the site. obviously you've had a sea change in your mind frame. >> i was in egypt. it was just before my arrest and detention. >> at that point you were an

islamist extremist? >> i was. and i was very indifferent to the suffering caused by 9/11 to the american people. since then i've gone and spoken at the 9/11 memorial. i visited ground zero today. but at the time it happened i was so full of rage and anger towards democracy, the western america, that it didn't touch me whatsoever because i was consumed by what i had defined as my own people's suffering. >> so how do you -- now you lecture people go, to people, argue with them of trying to change islamist extremists' minds if this is a long war and i war of ideas as well as military war how do you change people's minds? >> picking holes in what i call the islamist narrative. that says there's a war going on against islam and muslims. the genocide in bosnia was a recruitment tool for extremists because of the fact it was so easy to make that point with bosnia as it is with many other conflicts across the world. now, importantly when i go to pakistan and i say look you guys are upset about say u.s. drone strikes which i too oppose, but

ultimately more pakistani muslims have died because of taliban attacks and al qaeda attacks than they have by u.s. drone strikes. >> as christiane knows, u.s. did get involved in somalia where i was at the height of the famine. we did get involved and americans were killed. >> if you now speak to kosovos and libyans where there have been intervention strikes limited and not troops on the ground, they are still to this day despite the assassination of chris stevens by a faction, al qaeda, not the people of libya who protested against that assassination, they're still very u.s. and pro nato as are the kosovos. the thing we're intervening in syria, if it's done in the right way, in a proper way, without troops on the ground, without toppling the regime, disabling assad's capability to strike at his people with chemical weapons it dents the narrative there's a global war going on against islamists by americans. that is crucial. [ overlapping speakers ] >> that's an overwhelmingly naive thing to say. i'm not saying he's not a muslim.

try to make that case to the overwhelming majority of the syrian people. >> shia. doesn't it depend who you're making the argument to? the soon is in or the alowites or the christians? >> the main gripe with assad began because he was a dictator who tortured. >> why do the christians now fear the opposition more than assad? >> they fear the jabat faction of the opposition. >> they're right to. >> we don't use the word opposition in that generalized way. >> talk about libya, syria, egypt, there was a feeling during the arab spring that the narrative of al qaeda was fading, that the whole idea of violence in order to get democracy was fading and they were doing it by uprising and et cetera. syria has now brought back the narrative of al qaeda. where do you think al qaeda is?

>> they are more effective. we've got to keep one thing in mind you just mentioned, this comes off the back of the egyptian militaryover throwing -- i spent time with their leaders in prison. i know them intimately. i've been critical of the ideology per se. i've been critical of the muslim brotherhood's track record. at the same time, i don't believe it military dictatorships. so at the back of a democratically yet liberal regime being overthrown by a military regime in egypt we now have the syria scenario. it's easy for al qaeda to say look we tried democracy in egypt. we used to give flowers to the syrian troops and we're being killed. the only thing that works is violence. that's a recruitment sergeant to al qaeda. >> i want to bring in the literary editor of the new republic he joins us now from washington. i know you've been listening to this. you support military action. why? in syria?

>> i support it for a variety of reasons. i support it because i'm quite confident that if we do nothing, the following will happen. the mass slaughter will continue into the hundreds of thousands. there will be 3.5 million refugees outside of syria's borders by the end of this calendar year. jordan will be destabilized or destroyed, lebanon will be redestabilized and redestroyed. turkey will be severely damaged. the moderate opposition in syria will get weaker and weaker and more and more demoralized. the chemical weapons will fall into the wrong hands or continue to be used by the man who's used them for at least 35 times that we know of. and eventually when assad falls, we will get al qaeda. he will bring us al qaeda the way mubarek brought us the muslim brotherhood. >> is this in the interests of the united states? and why? people in the united states say why is the u.s. having to be the world's policeman. you look at congo. >> we are in no danger of becoming the world's policeman. an intervention in syria at this point would be consistent

firstly with our values. we should do it because we believe it certain things. we do not believe that the humanitarian element or i hope we don't is invalid in american foreign policy. we should do it because we're the only country that will do it -- >> aren't there a lot of humanitarian places? >> yes, there are. >> i bring up congo the deadliest conflict since world war ii. >> yes, there are. that is a perfectly fine alibi for helping exactly nowhere. as importantly, strategically there is nothing more important to the united states in the middle east than to damage the strategic position of iran. in my view. if assad persists in power, the iranians and assad and hezbollah could continue in this growing position of strength. it is something that -- it is enormously in our strategic interests to do.

now, nobody, nobody is suggesting that 100,000 plus troops be introduced anywhere. but we are now so interested, we are now so actively looking for ways not to intervene in this problem, we are doing everything we possibly can to have no impact on this. >> let me just jump in here. i'm a broken record on this. >> i am, too. >> there are plenty of wars that get started where no one expects it's going to become that. no one expected there would have to be a surge in afghanistan what ten years after small groups and special forces on horseback helped overthrow the government there. >> i understand that. but let me say first, we are a famously war-weary country. and with good reason. but history doesn't take timeouts. >> i don't know what that means. >> what that means is that our exhaustion may not be a sufficient reason for the united states not to muster the energy to intervene in a conflict for sound moral and strategic reasons.

secondly, i do not know for certain what the outcome of the limited but vigorous intervention that i advocate -- and by the way, i'm under no illusions that the policy i propose has a chance of ever being adopted by this administration. >> what is the policy you propose? >> what exactly are you proposing? troops on the ground? >> no. the policy i propose is since the syrian population is the no entirely composed of sectarian loon ticks and jihadist maniacs but consists largely of people who would like a dignified life, and since there is a moderate opposition in syria, and since where as the jihadist fighting force there is powerful but remains distinctly in the minority, i propose the following. that the united states aloner in concert with its allies begin to develop this opposition first politically. the same people who are telling us not to do this now were telling us not to do this two years ago when a lot could have been accomplished. hold on, andrew. second i propose that we help

these people military by arming them and destroying assad's monopoly of the skies which is the only thing that is keeping the opposition from making any real military advancement. >> exactly his point. >> exactly what mr. noar is saying. >> for me having been in bosnia and elsewhere and seen all this, and actually obviously seeing what majit has said, in libya, kosovo, bosnia still, people are grateful for what the united states did. and that is in the united states' interests! [ overlapping speakers ] >> andrew go ahead. >> i just think these arguments sound as if the iraq war never happened. >> andrew, the iraq war is not the only thing one need to know about the american foreign policy. >> biggest disaster in american foreign policy which you have supported and not recanted from. >> hold on my friend. you know very well when i learned there were no weapons of mass destruction i recanted my support of that war very clearly and immediately. however, that does not mean they

do not believe that no good may have come out of that war. >> really? >> that's correct. however, this is not about iraq, believe it or not. >> it is. >> no, it is not. it's about an actually -- [ overlapping speakers ] >> go ahead,najit. >> i was in prison when iraq happened. i opposed it. if you're worried about regional war it's already happening. if you're worrying about -- those reasons happen in both cases. we've got to think about our prince and why we need to act. >> enmeshed in a struggle. >> we'll be right back. ness 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.

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that's all the time we have for this ed edition of "ac 360."

from vladimir putin later and john kerry meets his counter part from moscow a few hours from now in geneva. will it solve president obama's syria problem? >> we won't play games here. >> who the russians proposed may be the best thing to come out of russia since vodka. >> this is receives from the president's serious speech last night, definitely not a hit. >> he just cannot follow through. he cannot speak to the nation as a commander in chief. >> i'll talk to many who couldn't disagree more. rick santorum and bill richardson and dean on the left and tom on the right, why the

president needs to heeds the lessons of iraq and my prime team interview with dianna nyad. we begin with the big story tonight, syria, the talks in geneva and how the white house handled the crisis. joining me is chief congressional correspondent, dana bash. this is a bit of a mess for president obama. now you have vladimir putin taking over "the new york times" pages to give the latest mission statement to the american people. >> it is really remarkable. just when you think the story can't change any more and get any more, frankly, sometimes weird, it has the. the idea that vladimir putin wrote in the new york times is fascinating because he knows how to get to the american people, but the idea of petting something like that really, and the substance of what he's saying really does hit home to

the american people how difficult it is going to be for john kerry to go on this trip where he's heading right now to meet with his russian counter part to find common ground because at it's core, what his message is in the new york times is the whole idea of military force is bad, is wrong. i mean, he's made very clear he's opposed and doing that again in this paper, and that's the opposite of what we're hearing from the president, both in private and public he says you need to keep military action on the table as the teeth to getting any diplomatic solution there. >> he says in this piece there is growing trust between him and president obama, but at the same time he also attacks him for using this phrase that america was exceptional because of the policies it follows and says almost bordering on arrogance is the way putin seems to read this, says it isn't exceptional and shouldn't be exceptional like that. it's a very strange piece when you read it from start to

finish, but you can't help thinking what it shows the american people is that the man calling the shots here is not their president, but it's the russian leader. >> that's exactly right. it really does remind you that this off ramp or lifeline that everybody went for immediately from administration to members of congress who are being asked to vote on something most of them didn't want to vote for, which is authorization is in the hands of this man who nobody trusts. you saw the senate majority leader on the senate floor today reminding everyone he was headed to kgb. on that issue of congress, this whole issue with regard to the president has scrambled party lines more than anything i can remember in recent history. and the president is getting blow back big time, even from those republicans who have been supportive of him like bob corker who helped write the resolution for a military

action. i talked to him today and he not only questioned what the president said last night but questioned him personally and his abilities as commander in chief. listen to what he told me. >> i really do think they hurt our credibility around the world, just in the muddled way that they have dealt with this syrian issue. it's just a complete muddlement, if you will, and i don't know the president just seems to be very uncomfortable being commander in chief of this nation. >> what makes you say that? >> it's just the results. we have these conversations. it appears that it has an impact. i would think that most republicans who are at the lunch yesterday would have believed last night he was going to make the greater case, the strategic case for us in syria. i heard no word, not one word of it.

these very good in an inner personal setting. he just cannot follow through. he cannot speak to the nation as a commander in chief. he cannot speak to the world as a commander in chief. he just cannot do it. i don't know what it is. >> a remarkable attack there on the president. dana bash, thank you very much indeed. i'll bring in two men that disagree on syria. rick santorum the author of "american patriots" bill richardson former energy secretary and former new mexico governor. welcome to you both. extraordinary development front with this piece by vladimir putin in the new york times. i'll read you, if i can, first of all, bill richardson what he says about american exceptionalism. i would rather disagree on a piece he made, stating the united states policy is what makes america different. it's what makes us exceptional. putin says it's extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional whatever the motivation there

are big countries, small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic situations. their policies differ, too. we're all different and when we ask for lord's blessings, we must not forget god created us equal. tough piece here. what do you make of it? >> well, putin is playing games. he's playing to the congress, to the american people in a way he's in the driver's seat but, you know, it also a product this president obama and president putin have bad chemistry and i think putin is playing a dangerous game. here is a guy that lately has gone after gay people. he's muffled the press. he's jailed the opposition. his old kgb self is coming forth but the united states and russia need to work together to rid ourselves of these chemical

weapons and i believe we are in a way in a driver's seat by keeping the military strike option on the table, and we should go further. we should insist on dismantling these weapons, time certain. we should also move forward in other areas, one potential seize fire, mind ways to discuss a political settlement that involves -- that involves assad leaving, a weapons embargo. i know i'm getting greedy here but i think the security counsel debate -- >> okay. >> allows us to bring the issues up. >> let me bring in -- let me bring in rick santorum you heard what bob corker said earlier, a stinging attack on the president personally for the leadership he's shown over there. did you agree with it? >> the president's leadership failed in this regard and we're not in a position of strength. to suggest the speech last night was anything but another, you

know, obvious delaying tactic to something he doesn't want to do and is trying to find a reason not to do it has created putin the peacemaker out of -- here in the new york times today. this is -- this is what happens when we have weak leadership out of the united states and try to lead from behind, we allow others to take the stage and lecture us about what american exceptionalism is and who in fact should be leading the world. the bottom line is america is exceptional and we're created equal by god but not every country is equal because not every country is good and just and moral and has the laws we have in the constitution we have and the track record of enforcing those human rights we have. certainly, russia is no model for any of those things and is not equal to the united states -- >> it may not be. it may not be. where putin has got the upper hand here i think is in terms of

the clarity of his own message. he says very clearly that no one doubts poison gas was used in syria. there is every reason to believe it was not used by the syrian army but opposition forces to provoke intervention by the powerful foreign patrons and would be siding with the fundmentalists. reports that militants are repairing for another attack, this time against israel cannot be ignored. putin is saying no, it definitely wasn't assad, it might have been the rebels. is there evidence to the satisfaction of impartial observers saying it was definitely assad that ordered this chemical attack? >> yes, i believe there is incontrovertible evidence, our intelligence which i trust. assad and these people used these weapons. assad recently admitted he add

chemical weapons when in the past in the last few days he said they didn't exist. there is a credibility gap. and -- but at the same time i think this is the time to rally around as a country, forget the politics, forget what happened. i think the president, in my judgment, i disagree with senator santorum, has shown leadership and prepared to use military force. a surgical strike at a time when the american people are war weary. he says it's not national security interest. i believe him. it's for human rights, establishing international norms, war crimes are reason to take such action -- >> let me jump in governor because i watched the speech last night, and i couldn't really work out what president obama really wants to do, and that seems to me to be his problem. he says on one hand assad is a terribly evil man like the nazis and so on and on the other hand, the talk of regime change and

getting rid of him is gone and now the peace plan to the russians who want to keep assad in power. if i'm an american citizen, i would think what does he want to do? does he want to get rid of the guy? keep him there? attack him? does he want peace? does he want us to sign up? >> and the problem there -- >> well -- >> he doesn't know. he doesn't know what he wants. to make the case as he did last night that the humanitarian demand for this, the fact that this could to lift rate other attacks and must be responded to and say yet, i'm going to wait and see if the russians can negotiate removing the chemical weapons from syria, which everyone knows will take years to remove and destroy and he's willing not to do military action if he gets deal he said he's willing not to strike syria. well what kind of message does that say that we should but if i

can find a diplomatic solution, then we don't need to. well, let's find a diplomatic solution, i'm all in favor because i don't think we should be striking syria when we don't have a horse in this fight. we have al qaeda on one side. we have hezbollah and russia and assad on the other side. this is a no-win proposition. as you know, i said that 18 months ago but now it is too late. we missed our opportunity. the president has dillydallied and we're digging a deeper hole. >> governor richardson, the other point putin makes in the piece, the rebels, nobody knows the constituent and he is worried about the rebels embolden themselves and perhaps coming to russia and attacking him and his forces or whatever they may go. and he's got a point, doesn't he? we don't know who the rebels are, do we? >> well, we do. >> i believe that general, the

leader of the rebels is not al qaeda. he's an ally of the united states of the international community of the european union, and what i think we need to look at here is taking this military strike is in the national security of the united states. it's important for israel and not to give iran a foothold in the region and what the president said he's ready to do and said that in a speech, is the russians suddenly for a reason with the syrians probably because they didn't want a military air strike have said they are ready to pursue a diplomatic solution. we should focus on that. we should look at ways to not just eliminate, eliminate those chemical weapons from the region, have international inspectors, not politicians looking at those sites but also go one step further and arms embargo, finds ways for a political settlement, because the russians maybe are getting

tired of assad. he's a loser. it's a matter of time. >> i got to stop you in mid flow there, governor. terrific debate we'll carry on after the break. howard dean and tom ridge. they will give me their thoughts. also, new york's top cop ray kelly will give me his thought on chemical weapons and their threat here in america. brand is so effective... so trusted... so clinically proven dermatologists recommend it twice as much as any other brand? neutrogena®. recommended by dermatologists 2 times more than any other brand. now that's beautiful. neutrogena®. ♪ neutrogena®. homehome. something you can be proud of. home. safe. comfort. worthy of protection.

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divisions in the senate on syria have been fueled by a piece by vladimir putin in the new york times. joining me is presidential candidate and the first homeland security under president george w. bush. welcome to you both. you heard the earlier debate

there. obviously putin's piece tonight will get everybody going. what did you make of it? >> i think the story is over. putin now wears this and we won't attack. if they do use chemical weapons, putin will look terrible and we will attack and go to congress. i think this is over. >> what happens if he's really doing is buying time for his mate president assad and as the weeks and months drag on, it turns out that was the real game plan? >> he can buy time for assad to stay in power but he can't buy time for assad to use chemical weapons again, that won't happen. if it does, we'll do something about it. >> it will take months, years to deal -- >> the first half of the putin piece was right there are blocks of al qaeda who are on terrorist lists fighting with the rebels. that's a danger. the rest of the piece was russian propaganda.

a good analysis on who could use chemical weapons and concluded that only the government could have used chemical weapons because of the vast amount they were used and the way they were delivered. you can't takes a sad or putin seriously when they said they didn't use chemical weapons. >> nor should we take the intelligence reports 100% given the problem with iraq. >> iraq is a huge problem. >> i'll come to that. tom ridge, this is from putin's piece. a strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism and undermine multi lateral efforts to restore the iranian nuclear problem and the israel palestinian conflict and further destabilize the middle east and north america. does he have a point? >> the last individual in the

broader world community that the united states, our president and republicans and democrats should take advice from is vladimir putin. he has the audacity to talk about trust and unrest in the middle east. at the end of the day, i think that it's a failure of the -- our approach over the past two years and it began with the moral indecision or indifference of the broader world community when we let the assad government for the first six to 12 months use weapons to kill a lot of people. now suddenly, the moral ambiguity changed and now the world is concerned about the chemical weapons and at the end of the day, if you take this to a logical conclusion and let's say there is some kind of diplomatic resolution, where is the accountable? where is the punishment? it's the extent the little boy in the neighborhood has a slingshot and busts windows along main street and find him

and he says he's not my slingshot and admits and it you take the slingshot away, what have you done? what's the accountable? i don't think we should take this very seriously. i think putin filled a void. unfortunately, the world and president obama created this situation but their indifference and when you draw a line in the sand, you have to defend your word and -- >> president obama talked about the red line being crossed and regime change and getting rid of assad and this week john kerry saying an unbelievably small strike. what message does that send from the american military, never mind anything else? >> things changed a great deal. as this started out. the general clearly prowestern was leading the syrian free army. today he may lead it in the name but the bulk of fighting is being done by other al qaeda

affiliated. things changed dramatically. although i supported the president when he called to go to congress, which i thought was a good move, i actually think that armed intervention would be dangerous because i don't think we want to pick sides. imagine a government over throwing assad having al qaeda in it on the boarder of israel -- >> if you don't take any action -- let me ask you this, tom ridge. if you don't take any action having said my red line is the use of chemical weapons. if you as the leader of the united states of america then don't do anything when somebody crosses that line, you had said where does that leave your authority? >> well, it diminishes whatever credibility you may have had or may have build up over the past five years and one can argue he hasn't been as assertive on certain occasions as some of us wish he had been. i think the president backed himself into a corner. at one point in time, he

expressly gave the impression that he was prepared to act alone, and then suddenly, obviously his consultation perhaps not with the military advisors but political and domestic he chooses to go to the congress of the united states. one question that needs to be ask is you did not seek the endorsement of the congress when you went with france and libya, why now? i tell you what, there is a subplot nobody is talking about and that's the expanded influence not of russia, they are filling the vacuum, the leadership the united states provided but iran. iran, you take a look at the map. go east to west. iran, iran is now more influence in iraq than we do. we spent $2 trillion and 4500 men and women dead. they are controlling and working with assad providing weapons, flying over iraq even though we asked iraq to deny them access to the air space and by the way, they are helping with hezbollah and go inside the map into lebanon and look at the other countries in the region and

nobody wants to talk about the bigger issue, the expansion of iran's influence in the region and that's that's a significant plot in this. >> i totally agree and one of the things the president must do is cut off arms to who we disarmed who were our allies ed essentially and he's getting away with impunity. we may be occupied by syria but have to stand up for people who can't defend themselves when every single one has updates. >> give me an update -- >> the state department did help negotiate a solution that removed the 50 or some odd people that survived. six were kidnapped and will probably be extradited to iran where they will be tortured and murdered. we owe these people. when we disarm them, we promise them in writing, each one has a piece of paper in writing that said that the united states would protect them.

we have not done that, and why we are arming a stewing of the government, i have no idea. >> final word to you, tom? >> the 52 people that were basically political assassinations, piers, shot with their hands tied behind their back, at the end of the day, every one of them may have been buried with a written guarantee from the department of defense when they surrendered means of self-defense sometime ago and 3200. here is where the u.n. can do something, they ought to put blue helmets until the united states knows how to get these defenseless prodemocracy iranians out of iraq because sadly, iran has more influence in iraq than the united states of america. >> okay. well, the state of affairs, thank you very much indeed. what about chemical weapons

here in the u.s.? i'll ask new york's top cop next. and later my prime time exclusive with diana nyad. she beat the elements and take on critics who cast doubt on her extraordinary achievement.

michael scott carlo. >> my uncle, i was only three when you were taken from us and we love you and miss you very much, and president obama please do not bring us to another war. >> an extraordinary plea to the president during the 9/11 victim's ceremony. today marks 12 years since the

terror attacks and comes as america is facing new threats and the possibility of a confrontation with syria. joining me is police commissioner ray kelly. welcome to you. what are your thoughts each year on 9/11? i know you weren't the commissioner when it actually happened but what do you go through emotionally on this day? >> there is a lot of different emotions. i lived there on 9/11 and a block away from the world trade center site. certainly the moments at 8:46 and 9:59 when the building fell. i actually saw the south tower and the height of the floor and i saw the south tower fall. i was a police commissioner and i was sitting in the basement on the world trade center and

having. i thought about that, just a horrendous site and there were thousands of people dead or injured. >> that kind of thinking, the unthinkable goes with the territory of your job and people had never predicted what may have happened on 9/11 with these planes being hijacked being used as bombs bringing down huge buildings. did you expand when you came back to run the police department in new york, expand that thinking, the unthinkable element of your work? i mean, did you have a whole lot of people now who literally just sit there trying to work out any possible way that an attack can come? >> in a sense, yes. we brought in experts from the federal government. we have also created a group of first-class analyst from some of the top in the country.

we think about a nuclear event or a dirty bomb. that's what we're paid to do. we've had 16 plots against the city since september 11th. >> remarkably, i would say remarkably there is not another attack since 9/11 but looking at syria and the chemical weapons and the possibility they have a lot of stuff and could get in the wrong hands and how this stuff gets moved around, how worrying is that to you as the police commissioner of new york, a terror target, sarin glass and stuff like that that may well lurk from syria could get into dangerous hands? >> it has to be and is a concern for us. we have table top exercises, that sort of thing to attempt to plan for it. we have chemical detection devices deployed in the city to

help us, but quite frankly, if in fact some sort of chemical agent is used, the first thing you would see is people falling and we have an extensive system of cameras that may help in that regard. definitely, a chemical attack something we have to be very much concerned about. >> one of the key strengths of america is when america is perceived to be very strong. are you concerned, as some people are, that the president's apparent wavering of what action to take in syria, sends the wrong kind of signal and message and therefore makes cities like new york perhaps a little more vulnerable? >> our job is to prepare. the president makes those decisions. our job is to be prepared as best we can in the event there is any blow back from actions taken overseas, taken in syria. that's what we're doing. we have contingency plans that if in fact, we do go forward in syria, that we will deploy

additional resources to protect key locations. >> what is your sense of new yorkers that you built up in your time working in the police department? >> new york is very resilient. they are tough. interesting, someone told me, and i've heard it a couple times, the population of new york city has basically turned over. like 50% of the people who live here were not here ten years ago. so there is an influx of new people. but i think the spirit is strong. new yorkers pride themselves on being tough, resilient people and i think god forbid there is another event, we'll rebound and, you know, if it's such a traumatic event on september 11th, now it's a little bit in the back of people's heads that we'll be able to rebound very quickly. >> final question, commissioner, did you believe that new york is a safer city than it was on september the 11th? >> oh, undoubtedly, no question about it. we invested a lot.

the federal government invested a lot. we've been able in someway shape or form with the federal government to prevent these attacks. we're much stronger. there is no guarantees. there is always a possibility of something happening here. >> commissioner, good to see you >> thank you, piers. good to see you. i want to turn to howard who dropped his son off before heading to the world trade center. they lost 658 employees that day, including his brother and the if i were reopened two days later. this is what howard said at the time. >> it's going to be a different kind of drive than i've ever had before. it's not about my family. i get to kiss my kids tonight, but other people don't get to kiss their kids. and i just have to help them. >> a global work force nearly 12,000 people and the chairman and ceo. howard, good to see you again.

>> great to see you. >> when i see that clip, the raw emotion you must have gone through and the families involved, so many lives wrecked that day and you said before you weren't sure you could ever rebuild it. i was at your offices. you had a charity day where the trading profits around the world go to charity. how much have you raised? >> we raised $12 million today for 100 charities around the world and remember, i was here last time and said we would go to oklahoma with the money. so september 23rd we're going and take care of those families. >> amazing thing, dr. ruth, king, julianne moore, prince harry. amazing coming together but the reaction to fitzgerald since you took charge and said i need to rebuild this company. i need to pay the families of those who died and look after them and you've done it. >> think about 658 people you can't -- there is nothing i can

personally do that will make a darn bit of difference if you divide by 658 so we had to have a company, a serious company and that was the drive we had and set out to rebuild the company for a pure purpose and i think the only reason it worked is because it was a pure purpose. >> a new documentary, "out of the clear blue sky." what did you make of it? >> when somebody makes a documentary, you sit around. obviously when this was a family member of one of our senior executives that got killed, we weren't able to defend ourselves. just around with a camera and she just did it. we really had no control what would come out or how it would work out. what it is is a raw story of what happened. it's extraordinary because we made it through. if we fell over in the middle, it would be a different ending. because i'm sitting here talking it's an extraordinary tale he we

came together. >> amazing film. one point before you go, america's place in the world right now, you have a global business with 12,000 employees, are you happy about where america is in terms of it's authority? many questioning it at the moment. >> i think america has given up a lot of ability to stand strong on fundamental points. they allow things to waiver. i mean, is chemical weapons allowed or not? if it's not allowed, then why are we talking about it? he choose not to act. i think ultimately what america is supposed to go back to is the lines in the sand and bring the world along with them or let the world lead. i think america has led in the past and it would be great to see america lead again. >> great to be at your firm today. incredibly inspiring. thank you for having me a. great honor and congratulations to what you do. amazing and to think where you

were september 11th all those years ago and now it's a remarkable thing to watch. good to see you. >> thanks, so we had our memorial at the 9/11 memorial this evening and all together as a great group of families. it's 100% real milk that's easy to digest so you can fully enjoy the dairy you love. lactaid®. for 25 years, easy to digest. easy to love.

tonight a record inspired american and under scrutiny, 64-year-old dianna nyad swam from cuba to florida in 53 hours without a shark cage. he made history and then the questions started. >> people, people's individual reactions mean everything. so i'm sure this swim will the ratified in due time, and that's fine, but just don't care about it. >> tonight she's here live and unleashed to defend her open water record and tonight, dianna nyad the prime time exclusive. welcome to you. >> piers, i appreciate it. i wondered if you would allow me a brief moment to say on behalf of my team we express our sincere respects to those who suffered their losses on 9/11, let us say that first.

>> absolutely can and good of you to say that. here is my take of this. you're 64 years old and swam for 53 hours, 110 miles and there are people banging on about whether you touched another boat for a few seconds. i mean, i couldn't swim a mile. so what is your reaction to the critics you've come out chomping at your record? >> well, you know, i guess it's two-fold. number one, fair enough. you set a big record like that, i mean, my god, not just me, people have been trying since 1950 to get across. it did seem nearly impossible. most of my crew thought it was impossible, so someone does it, whether me or somebody else, it better be vetted. it better be vetted right down to the end degree. was it fair? it fair and square? we have done that. we provided now all our logs. there is just no -- no doubting. it was clear that we went from

the rocks of cuba to the sand of florida without ever touching that boat without ever getting out on the boat, without ever using fins or, you know, anything that would be untoward. our team is squeaky clean. i'll tell you the negative reaction i have to being scrutinized and that's my team. i have my head handler bonnie the most ethical person on this planet and our navigator is a clear genius and our doctor is the number one boxed jelly fish expert in the world. we had 44 people out there and for them to be cuted we would do anything against the rules, that irked me but i think we're getting past it now. >> let's go through the cheat sheet and i want you quick and foirm responses to these. first and foremost, did you get any assistance? did you have anybody help you touch a boat to get a rest or anything of that nature?

>> never, never took a rest, never touched a boat, never got out on a boat. >> okay. unequivocal. >> out in the open ocean the entire time. >> that's the first question. you couldn't have been more unequivocal. after 27 hours of swimming you went from 1.5 mph to more than 3 mph which many marathoners say was deeply suspicious. >> you know, it's just pure math. i can't imagine. i can see from a lay public who doesn't understand currents but people from the marathon swimming world, you have to know you're in the gulf stream, you can pick up the navigational charts and any website available that shows these things and sometimes you're going with in current whatsoever, so then of course, you're just going the exact speed you swim. other times you're going north against an eastern faced current and now you're going with a little bit of your own speed added with a tiny bit of an interest earn current.

now you go north with an exact current, if you got lucky, which i did that day, then you add those two vectors together. if i'm swimming at 1.7 miles per hour and i have a current at let's say 2. 2 miles per hour you add them together and you're close to 4 miles an hour. it's easy. >> i did see an ocean expert confirming it was all most the perfect conditions for you, that the currents were aligned in the way you described. so let's leave the viewers on a cliff hanger. we'll come back with two more issues. is it true you didn't eat or drink for seven hours, which people say is impossible and second you're wearing a wet suit and some people saw that's naughty. we'll find out after the break if that's naughty or not. ♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked.

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that was diana nyad's arrival in key west after swimming 110 miles from cuba. she's back with me now. number three point we left the viewers on this cliff hanger, they say you didn't eat or drink for 57 hours right in the middle of three. what's the truth?

>> piers, never happened. we've got careful loggers out there. apparently a doctor said from the university of miami she had terrible stomach issues because of taking in the salt water. she had a lot of trouble taking in solid food. that doesn't mean you don't eat. my handlers, bonnie, they make me nutritional supplement drinks. i'm always taking in food, every half hour, 45 minutes, every hour. seven hours never happened. pure fiction. >> the last one says that some are questioning that you violated the traditions of the sport by using a specialized mask and wetsuit to protect yourself from jelly fish? >> they're the most dangerous jelly fish in the world. they're fatal. i didn't use any neopreen because that's against the rules. but i used this to protect myself life and death.

it's not an aid believe me. you wish you didn't have this thing on. so difficult to swim in, cumbersome digging in salt water. but you need to be protected. in many areas of the world those types of suits are allowed, just not in the english channel. so i tell you something, piers. we swam fair and square squeaky clean across that thing. and no one's going to take our joy and our moment that the world was inspired by away from us. nobody. >> it's very generous of you to say we but i had nothing to do with it nor did anybody else. you were the one doing the swimming. it was a absolutely extraordinary feat of endeavor. you'll be pleased to know that edward morrison one of your early critics has apparently done a u turn tonight and now accepts you did swim from shore to shore. that's quite good news. looks like some of the critics who have the old green-eyed element monster to their work are beginning to realize that maybe, just maybe, diana, you are as extraordinary as it seems.

>> perhaps the dream really did come true. i tell you, piers, it did. >> well, all i can say is, i couldn't do it in a month of sundays what you did. i think the 64-year-old -- you don't look 64. you look great. it's an astonishing feat of endeavor. i'm delighted you've come on the show. what's next? any new big plans in the pipeline? >> piers, to hearken back to 9/11, as we come on the anniversary of hurricane sandy in new york city, we have built a pool. we're going to put it in harrold's square. i'm going to swim around a bunch of new yorkers and i'm sure a couple of londoners such as yourself are going to dive in the lane next to me and we're going to raise a whole bunch of money for those people still put out and homeless after hurricane sandy. >> well, good for you. you are what i love about america, diana. and i'm thrilled to have you on

the show. thank you very much indeed. >> thank you, piers. appreciate it. >> great woman and a great effort. and just stop being so damn churlish out there trying to sniper her. this is an amazing achievement. we'll be right back. there are so many things that we do on a daily basis.

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jennifer aniston, the story has been done more than us on any two people but it's not true. >> the best of her loves. >> the best in my book. but nobody did! >> sheryl crow highly entertainment. that is tomorrow night. that is all for tonight. "ac 360" starts right now. good evening everyone. a busy night on syria, political push back and doubts about the reliability of russia and the shaky practicalities of kiss arming a superpower during a civil war. senator john mccain joins us and the man that led the u.n. weapons inspection team in iraq. later developments in george zimmerman's confrontation with his estranged wife that ended like this. now shellie zimmerman stepping to the spotlight and her lawyer speaking out about the angry incident and christopher story murdered executionle