this is awkward. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed. if we can't offer faster speeds or save you money we'll give you $150. comcast business built for business. headlight low. i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. we begin with the latest act by the terror group known as isis and a report that britain's prime minister knows the identity of the man who actually carried it out. over the weekend, isis posted a video of the beheading of david haines. they called it a message to the allies of america. is the u.s. on the right path right now. representative elliott eng l of new york is joiping us.

thanks very much for coming is. in the u.s. on the right path right now to destroy isis? >> i think we are. i don't think we have a choice. i think the way the president laid it out the other night in his address to the american people was quite right. it's not simply a matter of choice. isis is very dangerous. they're at least as dangerous as al qaeda was. al qaeda perpetuated the attracts on september 11th. >> how long's it going to take? >> i don't know. i'm not a military planner. but i think as long as it takes, we need to do it. we need to have allies. we need to have arab allies. this cannot be the united states going into a country again for a regime change. >> the u.s. has been trying to destroy al qaeda since 13 years ago. the leader of al qaeda, he was number two to bin laden, he's

still at large. all of these other offshoots are still there. >> it could take a long time. fighting terrorism takes a long time. ask israel. i don't care who it is. they're all terrorists and they want to use it to achieve -- >> so this is like the war on poverty or the war on drugs, this is going to go on and on. this three-year notion that the u.s. can destroy isis in three years which the obama administration has been laying out, that's unrealistic? >> i don't know if it's three years or two years or four years. i don't think it matters. i think what matters is that we are going after them. i think the public opinion shifted with these beheadings. it shows how brutal they are. they kill people for the wrong religion or even the right religion. i really believe that they pose a direct threat to our homeland, so it's in the american national

interest to act. >> why just with air power? why not go in there on the ground and crush them? >> well, because i think americans are war weary. >> if it's such a big threat, the united states has got to do that, right? >> no. i think as the president originally laid it out, right now, we can start with air strikes. >> they have a real army over there. they've got tanks. they've got armored personnel carrie carriers. they have military officers who are trained. some trained by the united states over the past decade. the u.s. trained them, armed them, financed them, sunni ir i iraq iraqis, they defected because they don't like the shiite-led regime. you can't defeat a real army just by the air. >> i think we should take these steps which are very prudent. if we have an international coalition as the president is trying to do, i think we can defeat them.

we do have troops on the ground. we have the kurds. we have the iraqis. there may be more down the line with special forces. right now, i think -- >> when you say special forces, u.s. special force sns that would be u.s. combat boots on the ground. >> i'm not for boots on the ground right now. i think that no one's talking about an invasion of iraq the way we had in 2002 or 2003. we are trying to remove cancer. as you mentioned, they're absolutely formidable and i think every day of delay is another day they're there beheading people and doing things. i think we really need to act. i think it's very compelling. i was creating the free syria army two years ago. i'm glad we're finally going to finally aid the syrians in syria. you cannot go after isis just in iraq. they're also -- >> but is it too late? that free syrian army is pretty

weak. they don't even control much of the area. right now, they're fighting isis. but that's a spinoff of al qaeda. you feel comfortable giving weapons to the free syrian army that could end up in the hands of al news ra. >> we're going to vet them and train them. >> u.s. vetted the iraqi army. all those weapons are in the hands of isis right now. >> we've made mistakes for sure in the past. >> but you feel comfortable with the president's strategy. >> yes. and i think they are very tou choices. the worst choice would be to do nothing. >> are you and the chairman of your committee on the same page? >> you'll have to ask him. >> based on your conversations with him. >> well, i think he understands that there's a threat, that isis is a threat and america cannot

just allow people being beheaded and all kinds of brutality that will affect our homeland. i would assume -- >> i'm just trying to get a sense if there's a broad consensus in the house of representatives. will you vote for the $500 million to fund the moderate syrian opposition? >> i absolutely will. we have been trying to run it in the most bipartisan way we can. foreign policy needs to be bipartisan. i think every member has got to do what he or she thinks is best. for me, it's an easy choice. >> thanks for coming in. >> thank you, wolf. the french president says there's no time to lose in this fight against isis. france today hosted an international conference on confronting the terrorist group. john kerry attended the conference. he says almost 40 countries have agreed to contribute to the

fight. middle eastern countries are willing to help with strikes against isis, he says. iran says it will not cooperate with the u.s. and the u.s. says it will not cooperate with iran. our correspondent is joining us now from paris. do we have a clearer picture of what role these countries are willing to play other than just uttering lip service in support of the u.s. strategy? >> reporter: well, there certainly is a lot more than lip service. it certainly seems this coalition against isis is something that seems to be coming together. secretary of state kerry's work was absolutely instrumental. all of his trips to the middle east over the past couple of weeks. what we're getting is very little more than general statements. but we are getting the feeling that this coalition is really coming together. one of the things that came out, they said they would do everything in their power to help the iraqi government lead to some sort of stability

including appropriate military measures. the french president said some countries would contribute humanitarian aid, other countries would be crucial in drying up finances for isis, then there would be those that would have military support in line with the united states. we know that secretary of state kerry said there were arab nations willing to conduct air strikes on iraqi territory. it's not clear how far along those discussions are yet or who they are. you heard that again and again in the statements, is that the support, especially of sighny majority countries is absolutely vital. we are talking about the sunni heart land of iraq and syria where isis is spreading. so it's very important for the people there on the ground to see that it's not just the u.s. and western countries doing the heavy lifting, but these arab nations. that was certainly a point of emphasis today in paris. it does seem as though this coalition against isis is really

coming together at this point, wolf. >> has any of the countries represented there where you are in paris, european countries, middle eastern countries, agreed to put combat forces on the ground in iraq or syria to try to destroy isis? >> reporter: well, there's nothing official so far. apparently the u.s. -- this is something else secretary of state kerry said. apparently the u.s. has gotten offers for combat boots on the ground. it's not clear whether or not that's something that's actually going to happen. so far what we're getting from european countries, they don't want to put boots on the ground. the frempbl have said their planes have started reconnaissance admissions. it's not clear whether they'll be willing to go into air strikes. the germans are supplying weapons, but have also said they're not going to put combat forces on the ground except for the ones that would be add vie

vors. that's something the australians are doing as well. this is something that the u.s. has been saying the entire time, they berea believe all the heavy lift something going to have to be done by the kurds and by the iraqi military. there's very little at least on the outside of what we're getting from the communications being relayed to us of any other countries willing to put boots on the ground. >> we'll stay in touch with you. thanks very much. >> coming up, he's advised six secretaries of state. as far as the middle east is concerned. in just a moment, aaron david miller will join me. he'll explain the newly aggressive strategy on isis maybe isn't so new. and the 2016 race for the white house already getting a little hotter. what hillary clinton has to say about her plans. she spent the weekend in iowa. that's the first time she's been there in nearly seven years. co: sometimes you don't know you need a hotel room until you're sure you do.

bartender: thanks, captain obvious. co: which is why i put the hotels.com mobile app on my mobile phone. hotels.com i don't need it right now. suddenly you're a mouthbreather. well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38% more than cold medicines alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. ♪ honey, we need to talk.

we do? i took the trash out. i know. and thank you so much for that. i think we should get a medicare supplement insurance plan. right now? [ male announcer ] whether you're new to medicare or not, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. it's up to you to pay the difference. so think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. i did a little research. with a medicare supplement plan, you'll be able to stay with your doctor. oh, you know, i love that guy. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] these types of plans let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. and there are no networks. is this a one-size-fits-all kind of thing? no. there are lots of plan options. it all depends on what we need and how much we want to spend. [ male announcer ] call now to request your free decision guide.

it could help you find an aarp medicare supplement plan that's right for you. what happens when we travel? the plans go with us. anywhere in the country. i like that. you know what else? unitedhealthcare insurance company has years and years of experience. what do you say? ♪ i'm in. [ male announcer ] join the millions already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. remember, all medicare supplement plans help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay and could really save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. you'll be able to choose your own doctor or hospital as long as they accept medicare patients. and with these plans, there could be low or no copays. you do your push-ups today? prepare to be amazed. [ male announcer ] don't wait. call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp medicare supplement plan to go the distance with you. go long.

as the world reels from yet another horrific isis video leaders from almost 40 countries have been meeting today in fran france. they're discussing how to deal with the threat isis poses. kerry stressing that european countries are willing to help. with us here in washington in aaron david miller, vice president at the wood row wilson center, also the author of a brand new book. let me put a cover of it up on the screen. why america can't have and doesn't want another great present. we'll talk about that on another

occasion. congratulations on the new book. let's talk a little bit about the president's strategy. you wrote a pro voktive piece suggesting that the president wants to kill isis before they kill us. you think he's got a reasonable strategy? >> well, yeah, because there really is no other alternative. he's a risk averse president except in one area and that's when it comes to protecting the homeland. he's killed more bad guys that threaten the united states with predator drones ten times the frequency of his predecessor. killed osama bin laden. i think this is quite consistent. he's not interested in another social science experiment by invading iraq, but i think he's prepared to willfully and

purposefully pursue this. >> so it's realistic will think he can diminish isis, but it's unrealistic to think he can ultimately destroy isis? three years. that's what they've been saying, they can do this in three years. maybe the next president will get a year to finish the job. >> 13 years after 9/11, 13 dwree years, what are the most eminent threats to the united states other than a lone wolf attack, they're not going to say isis, they're going to say al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. they have demonstrated bomb-making capacity. no, it's not going to be three years. this -- fighting terror is like breathe lg. >> it's like as i say, it's like the war on drugs, the war on crime, the war on poverty. it's been going on for decades

and decades and it's going to go on. >> the fact that they don't want to use the word war maybe has to do with congressional equities. >> he got reelected on this, we ended the war in iraq, we're ending the war in afghanistan, but maybe that war has not been ended. >> i think he has to be very careful when he talks about traumatici i drawing a red line. we already have 1,800 special forces in iraq. i'm not sure you can do the syrian thing about special operators there too. >> if this is such a threat, why not coordinate with iran? the u.s. has in the past coordinated at times with iran. why not coordinate with the regime there? >> implicitly, there may well be an indirect con inflation of interest here. look, $200,000 dead syrians, you cannot for political reasons for

moral reasons and humanitarian reasons, you can't formally doorpt with bashar. the motion that the enemy is my friend doesn't really apply here. >> what does iran want out of iraq? it seems that they're getting a lot of what they want. the shiite-led government, the new one is going to be pretty close to iran. >> in fact, isis presents a pair ra docks. it forces the majority of iraq's population to basically depend on iran as a consequence of the sunni threat. so, no, they'll play the long game. we play checkers while they play three-dimension l chest. we need a strategy not measured in four to eight-year increme s increments. >> all right. thanks very much. i want to talk about the new book, the end of greatness, i'm

intrigued by this subtitle, why america can't have and doesn't want another great president. i would like another great american president. >> i would too. >> don't tell me now. it's going to be in bookstores shortly. just ahead, while world governments are trying to figure out how to defeat isis, the u.s. government is asking you for help right here at home. we'll explain. eenie. meenie. miney. go. more adventures await in the seven-passenger lexus gx. see your lexus dealer.

big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern.

with the top speedou compare of comcast the top speed of business dsl from the internet... phone company well, there's really no comparison. why pay more for less? call today for a low price on speeds up to 150mbps. and find out more about our two-year price guarantee. comcast business. built for business. the battle against isis isn't just overseas, it's also right here at home. today, the justice department here in washington announced

pilot programs in cities across the united states to tackle one of the most urgent threats around, american extremists trying to join the ranks of terror groups including isis around the world. eric holder laid out his plans in a speech on the justice department's website. >> today, few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent em streamism. with the emergence of groups like isil and the knowledge that some americans are attempting to travel to countries to take part in on going conflicts. the justice department is responding appropriately. through law enforcement agencies like the fbi, american thosht authorities are working to de similar nate information on foreign fighters in syria and iraq. >> our justice reporter evan

perez. what does the attorney general want to accomplish? >> they're trying to figure out how to get early warning signs when young people are being radialized. over 100 americans have travelled to syria to join various groups. and over a dozen are believed to have joined isis. so the fear is that more of these people will travel from the united states and join these groups or perhaps do it here, carry out an attack here in this country and we won't know about it until it happens. >> like that lone wolf fear is enormous right now whether nadal hasan, like we saw in texas, that lone wolf is someone that justice department, the fbi, they really worry about. >> right. exactly. they have a good handle on people who might be communicating with groups perhaps online. they can spot those people, i think, fairly well. the problem is people who you don't know about.

people sitting at home in the basement of their mom's home talking or reading about isis, what they're doing in syria and getting radicalized in that process and you don't know anything about it. >> that article that's in the inspire magazine online, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, how to build a bomb in the kitchen of your mom, that's precisely the fear that generates these kinds of threats. >> as we saw in the boston bombing, these people can just come out of nowhere. never heard of them or saw them, never had any indications and then you have an attack like that. >> and they're taking a preimtive step. they put out a video to try to discourage people from going over there and joining isis or al qaeda. thanks for much for that report. coming up, did general motors underestimate how many deaths were tied to its faulty ignition switch.

we're going to tell you what a new report says. and u.s. boots on the ground in ukraine, but it's not necessarily what you think. will you help us find a new house for you and your brother?

♪ ♪ ♪ woooooah. ♪ [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow. welcome back. i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. let's check headlines here in the united states. there have now been 19 deaths tied to the general motors ignition switch flaw. that according to the attorney overseeing a gm compensation fund for victims. the company has said 13 deaths

were tied to the problem which wasn't reported until ten years after engineers actually discovered it. a pennsylvania state police officer is conscious and speaking for the first time since being shot in an ambush friday night. he was one of two shot officers outside police bear racks in rural pennsylvania. police are hopeing to interview douglas to see if he can provide information about the shooter. ray rice is expected to appeal a suspension to the nfl. he was banned indefinitely after a video showed him punching his then fiance. if you think you're being vigilant enough in securing your personal data, you could be wrong. a security hold is now being discovered that could be described as one of the biggest ever. jake tapper is following this story. you have breaking news on this

very disturbing information. >> it comes from two ethical hackers. they are individuals who use their computer schools to find these vulnerabilities and tell the companies and fbi about them. so the black hat hackers can't access that information. they found a hole in the systems from oracle that or call discovered in 2012 and sent out an alert saying, if you have our system, please get this patch. but a lot of government agencies did not manage to get that patch. they have identified more than 50 educational institutions, 20 government-related organizations and five different school districts each with 20 schools minimum in each one in three different states. and you can access -- here is just one of example. i'm not going to identify this obviously. but this is a young girl's information. her social security number, birth information. in other records, i've seen bus routes. the fear of course is that any

of this information can be used at the very least for identity theft which is a massive problem. that's why they say this is even worse than the credit card breaches. you can always get another credit card. but you can't get another date of birth and social security number. we have reached out to two of the organizations that have already patched this hole. one of them, the texas department of child protective services, says that there were up to 30 breaches meaning it's not just that the vulnerability was there, somebody went in and got the information. some of the other organizations that we're not i identifying because the holes are still there, the names, photographs, bus routes, social security numbers, dates of birth, medical information of students k through 12 in a large county mid-atlantic public school system as well as parent social security information, addresses, names and marital status. in a court system, convictions,

dockets, dui arrests from a big ten school, applicant information, student's name, social security numbers, schedules, grades, test scores. it's all really rather shocking. i have to tell you, i was acc s accessing some of this with the help of this ethical hacker and it's horrifying. you see a photograph of a student, you see bus routes, you can go into area where's you see excuses for gym for not making gym. it is the most sensitive information. if you think the government is protecting it, you could be prong. >> so they advise even, you got to get this patch, fix it. otherwise you could be endangering all these people. why wouldn't every one of these organizations do what oracle told them to do? >> well, i don't think when it comes to software in this country that there is the same kind of alert when you find out for instance if there is something wrong with your car.

you might get an e-mail. i don't know that oracle, which would not comment ft. story, we fight add, i don't know that they reached out to every customer and made sure in every school district, every college, government organization, there was the homeland security area that's very sensitive, a major port and top secret defense intelligence agents visited this port. they left their names, their driver's license numbers, other information, diplomats, foreign dig tears have visited this port. all this information because the port is not guarding it, they still have this hole right there for the taking. there are questions about whether oracle was vigilant enough. >> and to fix it, the patch, is it complicated? >> no. not at all. and i believe it's free of charge. but because people are not as vigilant the government agencies that we're talking about, the school districts, the counties,

the major american port, this information is all right there for the taking and it is very alarming. we'll have more at 4:00. >> i hope that after your report on the lead later today and the other reporting you're doing, these companies and oracle will get the job done. >> i hope so. i still can't believe they wouldn't comment on this. you'd think they'd say we're going to fix this, this is shocking, just a no comment. declined comment from oracle. >> by 4:00 p.m. eastern they will have a comment. >> maybe. another horrible execution video from isis. are we at least able to gather more intelligence? we've been reviewing all three of these horrible videotapes to get some answers. $21. could something that small make an impact on something as big as your retirement? i don't think so. well if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time,

for twenty to thirty years, that retirement challenge might not seem so big after all. ♪ sweenjoy it all...ry! 'cause red lobster's one and only endless shrimp is now! endless choices! endless variety! kick it up with our spicy new wood-grilled sriracha shrimp and it's back: parmesan crusted shrimp scampi! the year's largest variety of shrimp flavors! so many to explore! as much as you like, any way you like! endless shrimp is here! but not for long. so hurry in and sea food differently.

big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. used daily, it exfoliates, smoothes, softens. 90% saw smoother, softer skin in one week. gold bond. ultimate lotion. ultimate skin.

90% saw smoother, softer skin in one week. that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization.

i'm looking at you phone company dsl. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed. if we can't offer faster speeds or save you money we'll give you $150. comcast business built for business. the terror group isis has beheaded another western captive. and there are reports the british prime minister knows the identity of the man who actually carried it out. isis posted a video showing theby hethe beheading of the british aide worker david haines. they called it a message to the allies of america. this one may provide important clues about the group's activities, the people responsible. we have been going through with experts on these three videos now. what are you learning?

>> a couple of clues that reveal something about isis that you may have not seen in the foley videos. first, most people believe it's the same person in each of the three videos. the same militant speaking. the voice, the way he tilts his head, that's pretty obvious at this point. this video of david haines, they give away kind of a time period as to when this might have been done. the militant mentions the bombing of the dam which was on sunday, september 7th, indicating it was made some time over the past week. we spoke to a former cia officer. he says this one is different from the others because if you look at the backgrounds, and i think we have a still picture of the three backgrounds. there they are. look at the foley one top left, top right, then the latest one

of david haines. it's much more generic. it's just dirt and sky. the others, you can see certain cuts in the terrain. in the foley video, not shown here, you can see at the end of it, you even can see a little bit of human habitation like up on a ridge somewhere. if you look at that video of david haines, it looks as if they are trying harder here to mask their location meaning they may be feeling some heat now with the pressure on them from the u.s. campaign. it may be that at least this cell, this unit of isis might be on the run a little bit. so that's something telling there. and as you mentioned, our national security analyst, he has written this morning that david cameron, the british prime minister knows the identity of that militant. >> why wouldn't they reveal the identity of that individual who makes the statement with that british accent, what would be the downside of doing that? >> analysts tell us it's for

security reasons. and peter drills down on this a little bit more saying they may be planning a rescue operation or some other kind of commando type operation now and giving his name might make him go underground more, maybe not make them as apartment t to come out another video with more clues. >> that one i don't necessarily buy because he's hearing us talk presumably right now saying they know the identity. so what's the difference if they say what his name is as opposed to this guy being told. >> sure. it's one of these cat and mouse games between the two sides as to who knows what and who's planning what. it's a dicy and very delicate business. >> all right. i know you'll be working the story. thank you. coming up, we haven't made it to the midterm elections, yet 50 days from today, but there

are clear signals the 2016 race for the white house could be heating up. one of those signals coming in from hillary clinton. >> but first, some historic signatures are on display at the national arrest could i haves. we take a closer look at some of the most notorious people in the world have left their mark in this american journey. in the heat of war, in the cool of peace and in the daily strug wl life, great souls have left their marks. and now at the national archives those marks are getting their due in a show of historic signatures. jennifer johnson is the cure ya tore. >> i think the power of the signature can't be overemphasized. whether it's a letter from an individual who had a question from a government or a president signing an act of congress and making those words law, the power is hard to walk away from. >> dwight eisenhower traveled much in europe in world war ii

collecting these signatures from people he met all along the way. there is much joy, this is michael jackson's patent for a dancing shoe as did magician harry houdini. >> it was truly part of his personality at the time. and that is his signature. >> there are surprises too. like a calling card left for vice president andrew johnson by johns wilkes booth, the very day he assassinated president abraham lincoln, or the wedding registry of adolph hitler. >> i think the most powerful ones are the examples you might not expect to find. >> jackie robinson and so many others pulled from the billions of papers in the archives, each making a mark in history. tom foreman, cnn, washington. i make a lot of purchases for my business.

and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. like 50,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards, even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning a business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can.

it is true, i am thinking

about it. >> all right. not much surprise there, she's thinking about it. thinking about running for president of the united states again. her comments at a fundraiser in iowa over the weekend for senator tom harkin, the retiring democrat. there are more signs the race is starting to heat up a little bit. the independent senator, bernie sanders of vermont says he's thinking of running as either a democrat or independent. that could complicate hillary clinton's path to the white house. >> the issue is not hillary. the question is at a time when so many people have seen a decline in their standard of living, when the wealthiest people are doing phenomenally well, the american people want change. let hillary speak for herself, i know where i'm coming from. >> another sign that the race is

ramping up a bit, chris christie is taking a trip to new hampshire on wednesday. with us now to discuss our chief political analyst. i don't think anybody really doubts hillary is running for president ent president. >> no. is she giving any sign that she's not running? she isn't. it's clear that she intends to go back to iowa. the interesting thing to me in watching this from afar as i did, i wasn't there, is that it seems to me that she's traveling around with the greatest transactional politician of our time, bill clinton. every time you compare to bill clinton, he's chatty with reporters about the senate races and what's going on in the country and how the country needs to be brought together, and she gives a very rigorous speech. and he's the one people are sort of flocking to still. >> he's bill clinton. >> he is. he is. >> arguably the greatest

politician that we've covered at least -- at least around -- >> >> let's talk about hillary clinton. it's been almost seven years. last time they was in iowa was january 2008 when she was running for the democratic presidential nomination. she came in third behind barack obama and john edwards by a little bit. she came in third and now she's running once again. what do you make? >> there's no mystery in politics anymore. she's running. she comes out and says i'm back. basically she's in. i think the biggest problem for hillary clinton is going to be the fact that she has no opponent in the democratic primary because there could be this clinton fatigue that sets in. there's been criticism of whether hillary clinton should have acknowledged she's running for president even earlier than what we saw yesterday but the fact of the matter is when you're running for two years, you're at the top of the mountain. we'll will take pot shots at you. the clintons have tried to stay

out of the limelight but stay in the limelight but having bill clinton as your wing man, there's no one better at that point. >> he's a great politician. what about bernie sanders? how does he play into this? >> he's 73 years old. >> barry sanders represents one wing of the democratic party that is very disappointed in president obama and is just as disappointed in hillary clinton. they believe that not enough has been done to raise people out of poverty. that they are too hawkish. that hillary clinton certainly is too hawkish and so for a certain wing of the party and many of those people reside in iowa i might add, he can have a little conversation with her. over the long-term though, i think that could be good for her to have that conversation. but over the long-term though is joe biden going to challenge hillary clinton? >> he's on his way to iowa in

the next few days. >> once hillary clinton says she's running, i don't think joe biden will challenge her. i do think you're always better when you have a little competition. >> i think joe biden is too loyal. in the fact for the party moving forward for him to try to challenge hillary clinton in 2016. >> he's going there in a few days. >> who isn't going there? >> martin o'malley says i can't wait for hillary clinton to make a decision. i have to put building blocks in place. you would be foolish not to do so. >> it's only a little more than a year from now from the iowa caucus. they come up quickly. >> inevitability has never been a good campaign strategy. if it was up to hillary, she doesn't want to be inevitable again. it didn't work for her last time. she wasn't. the more people get in the race, i would argue it would make her a better candidate. >> chris christie on his way to

new hampshire. >> he already has three former staffers working in new hampshire. one on the gubernatorial campaign and one running scott brown's campaign. the bottom line is people left chris christie for dead, seven, eight, nine months ago but he's still in the high single digits at this point which isn't a bad place. trying to raise as much money as he can. i wouldn't count chris christie out. i think his politics -- i think his politics being from new jersey fits well in with new england. >> and that works for him because it allows him to travel saying i'm not doing this for myself. i'm doing this to raise money for other people. new hampshire is a lucrative spot for chris christie because independents can vote in a republican primary. we know what happened with john mccain. we know that lots of conservatives believe that chris christie is too liberate for them and so this is -- if you were going to run and you were chris christie, i think you would log some hours in new

hampshire. >> senatorial race in new hampshire is close as this new poll shows. they are basically neck and neck. >> and most disturbing is barack obama approval rating if you're a democrat not only across the country but in new england. >> you might expect to see that in other parts of the country. when it's in new england, it's telling. >> a state that he carried decisively both times in 2008 and 2012. so you think the announcements of who is running for democratic nomination and republican nomination could come shortly after the midterm elections, right? >> the first one back in 2007 was the first one in and first one out was tom vilsack. >> hillary's timetable is the new year. i think you'll start seeing people -- i think jeb bush has to make a decision. i think a lot of people who are raising money want to know whether he's in or whether he's

out. and i think so that's going to be important on the republican side. who knows. you could end up having hillary clinton/jeb bush -- >> and mitt romney? >> no. >> definitely not. >> you have spent time with him. >> i don't think so. i don't think the family would want him to. i don't think his wife would want him to. this is redemption for mitt romney because he's in demand on the campaign trail. he didn't just go away. he lost and he was not a great presidential candidate. and i think so now if he can make a difference and be a king maker in a couple senate races, he's doing it. >> there are a bunch of senate races that will determine as you know who will be the majority. will democrats retain the majority. will republicans be the majority. one of the things hurting the democratic candidate whether a challenger in kentucky or some of the other states, the incumbents, is low job approval

number that the president has nationwide. let's say it's 40%. in some of these states in the mid 30s, low 30s, some of them even high 20s and that's not helping these democratic candidates. >> certainly not helpful in states such as alaska, arkansas, kentucky, new hampshire as we've seen today. and all across the country. >> i want to switch subjects. importantly the president is about to bestow the medal of honor on two veterans. two americans who work brilliantly, courageously. let's listen to the president. >> american squad in vietnam sent out on patrol. they marched down a trail past a rice paddy. shots went over their heads. a booby trap. a grenade rolled toward the feet of a 20-year-old machine gunner.

the pin was pulled and that grenade would explode at any moment. a few years earlier on the other side of the country deep in the jungle, a small group of americans were crouched on top of a small hill. it was dark and they were exhausted. the enemy had been pursuing them for days. they were surrounded and the men i was closing in on all sides. two discrete moments but today we honor two american soldiers for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty at each of those moments. specialist donald sloan who stood above that grenade and command sergeant major benny atkins who fought through a ferocious battle and found himself on that jungle hill. nearly half a century after their acts of valor, a grateful

nation bestows upon these men the highest military declaration. the medal of honor. normally this medal must be awarded within a few years of the action but sometimes even the most extraordinary stories can get lost in the fog of war or the passage of time. when new evidence comes to light, certain actions can be reconsidered for this honor and it is entirely right and proper that we have done so and that is why we are here today. so before i go any further, i want to thank everyone present here today whose research and testimonies and persistence over so many years resulted in these two men deserving the recognition they so richly deserve. i especially want to welcome members of the medal of honor society and two american families whose love and pride

has never wavered. don grew up in oklahoma. he grew big. to over 6'4". he loved football. and played it for a year at a junior college and then he decided to join the army. but when he went to enlist, he didn't pass his physical because of high blood pressure so he tried again and again and again. in all he took the physical maybe seven times until he passed. because he was determined to serve his country. in vietnam, don became known as one of the most liked and reliable guys in his company. twice in his first months his patrol was ambushed. both times don responded with punishing fire from his machine gun leaving himself completely vulnerable to the enemy.

and both times he was recognized for his bravery or as don put it in a letter home, i guess they think i'm really gung ho or something. then they went down that trail when the shots rang out. when the lead soldier's foot tripped that wire and set off the booby trap, the grenade rolled right to don's feet. at that moment he could have run. in that moment he could have ducked for cover but don did something truly extraordinary. he reached down and picked that grenade up and he turned to throw it but there were americans in front of him and behind him inside the kill zone so don held onto