>> cenk: michael shure hosts "the war room" every day on current. mark thompson host of the edge. ana kasparian host of the point jackson, theyoungturks.com. youtube.com/tyt. we're here all week. >> john: good evening, i'm john fuglesang and this is "viewpoint." let the party begin. after months of study and debate president obama used a speech at the national defense university thursday to try to reset key elements of the war on terror. the president announced a scaled back use of aerial drones to target and kill alleged terrorists and plans to begin transferring low-level inmates

from the prison at guantanamo bay. neither change satisfied critics on the right in congress or on the left while he was speaking. >> why don't you sit down and i will tell you exactly what i'm going to do. thank you ma'am. ma'am, thank you. >> the second voice you heard there was code pink's medea benjamin, less than impressed with president obama's new drone policy or his plans for prisoners at guantanamo. >> there are 102 people on a hunger strike. desperate people. you are the commander in chief. you can release guantanamo today. >> john: medea benjamin was

escorted out of the event. we welcome her back. she's dough director of code pink and cofounder of global exchange. her latest book is "drone warfare," killing by remote control. welcome pack to "viewpoint." >> thank you for having me on. >> john: did you know you were going to try to interrupt the president's speech before you arrived? >> no, john, i really didn't know. i went in there with a positive attitude thinking from all of the media hype that this was going to be a speech where he was going to announce really significant changes like taking drones out of the hands of the c.i.a. stopping the signature strikes that are based on killing people on suspicious behavior, that he was going to announce people were going to start leaving guantanamo at a certain date. but when i saw it was toward the end of the speech and it was pretty much what i considered nice words but not real significant changes that's when i felt it was important to speak

out. >> john: were you surprised you were actually able to interrupt the president a number of times before you were finally escorted out? >> i was surprised but i did get a chance to talk at three different occasions. i was pleasantly surprised the president said my voice was a voice worth listening to. >> john: with your long history, of course, of public protests and interrupting speakers, a lot of people are wondering how do you manage to get into so many of the events, medea? >> i think there's something about the white middle-aged women cloak of invisible that perhaps is my secret weapon. >> john: okay. well then let me get to this one. what did you hope, going into that speech, that the president was going to say as opposed to what he did say on both guantanamo and drones? >> well, there were a couple of things on the drones issue that i was very concerned about. for example, he said the policy had been one of capturing not killing. that's just not true. the signature of this obama administration has been to kill

with drones instead of capture. he also didn't even mention the agency, the c.i.a., which i think has been on a killing spree and he should have said that we recognize that it doesn't make sense for the c.i.a. and intelligence-gathering organization to have its own fleet of lethal weapons and so we are, as of now or as of next month or some date set taking the drones out of the hands of the c.i.a. >> john: medea i hate to interrupt you but are you at all heartened by the fact the new director of the c.i.a., mr. brennan, intends to move the drone program out of the c.i.a. into the pentagon? is that a cause for separation on your part? >> when is it gonna happen? is it going to include pakistan? what is the -- what are the specifics behind those intentions? we've heard good intentions now for five years including the intention to close guantanamo but we need to see it done. in the meantime, brennan is the

same person that told us in 2011 there has been no civilians killed by droabs and then changed it to maybe a handful. from our estimates, there are thousands of people who have been killed by drones. there was no recognition of that in the president's speech. no sense of we are going to give you these figures make them public. we're going to make the legal memos public. we're going to apologize and compensate to the innocent people who have been killed by our drones. certainly none of that was said. >> john: as you know, we've talked about drones extensively on this program and been critical of the administration. for those who didn't get to hear your speech during the president's speech, is the president's drone war policy make the u.s. safe at all? or is it just putting us more at risk or is it a bit of both? >> i'm absolutely convinced that at this moment, the policy is totally counterproductive. there were just protests in pakistan today around the drone strikes. the issue in pakistan is so heated even the new president who is a close ally of the

united states, has publicly stated his opposition. the high court last month came out and said that if the pakistani government can't stop the u.s. by negotiations, it should shoot down the drones. in yemen it has certainly become a tool for recruiting new extremists. so it is absolutely counterproductive. >> john: you've said our drone policy is wrapped in the notion our lives are more important than the people in the country where is the drones are deployed. do you think the president's drone warfare is an example of american exceptionalism which to me is the new manifest destiny the idea we stand for liberty so we're better than other people and we get to do things other countries can't? >> just ask yourself, john, if the united states would tolerate any country using a lethal drone to kill somebody here in the united states. we would laugh at that because the u.s. would not tolerate that at all. so why should other countries tolerate that? might does not make right.

the u.s. does not have the right to violate the sovereignty of other nations. the u.s. does not have the right to do something we would refuse other countries doing to us. >> john: medea what is your solution to fighting terror? >> well, i think at this point we should recognize that we have not used the most important way of fighting -- have not used -- to isolate individuals who have done harm, to work with the police of other countries, to use this as a policing issue to focus on our defense here at home. and to bring in the more rational elements of those extremist groups into negotiations, into peace talks. i mean look, after 11 years in afghanistan, now we're talking to the taliban. we could have done this a long time ago. >> john: absolutely. having seen the government of pakistan knew that splim -- blim was living there is it

realistic to think they would help them locate these guys? >> i personally don't have a problem with going after osama bin laden although i think it would have been much better to capture him and bring him to justice in a court of law. but i think in general when you look at what we're doing to pakistan, we are creating much more chaos there in a nuclear-armed country, in a country that we should be allies with. we should be reaching out to the tribal leaders in the areas where we're using the drones. i have been there myself. i have seen how they're desperate to be reached out to. for america to come to them and say we want to work with you against extremists, not only with the pakistani police but with the tribal elders who really control that area. but when we kill those elders, as we have done with our drone strikes, we are turning them against us. >> john: do you think if a democratic president followed your advice and tried to find nonviolent solutions to the

destructive problem of terrorism, he would be eaten alive by the republican opposition and quickly replaced by a more war-like president? >> no, i don't think. i think this nation is tired of war. i think after 11 years this nation wants to see us turn our attention into rebuilding here at home. and i think that if we focus on using our military for defensive purposes, to stop any attacks here in the united states, instead of creating new enemies overseas and keeping us in a state of perpetual war, i think the american people would be behind that. >> john: i think there is a lot of truth to what you say. president obama said at one point he was "willing to cut the young lady who interrupted me some slack." were you trying to reach the president or the people of the middle east? do you think anything you said got through to mr. obama? >> well, i was surprised, as i said and pleasantly surprised he made that comment and that he did give me the time to interact. in fact, after the first time i did interrupt him i felt like

it was more of a dialogue after that. and in terms of who i was reaching out to, i really think it is important for people in the muslim world to know that there are americans who do value their lives. i'm not only an american citizen, i'm a woman of jewish background. that's important too. when did i something like that, i was thinking of different levels of audiences i wanted to speak to and one of them was the over one billion people in the muslim world who think right now that we are attacking them because they're muslim and need to hear that a significant voice in the united states says we want to treat them with respect and equality. >> john: medea how do you feel about folks on the left including many who are seeking nonviolent solutions to the conflicts? how do you feel about these folks who believe that your interruption of the president's speech actually just provides fodder for the right and right wing media? >> i think they're wrong. i think my intervention actually had repercussions both domestically and globally that

are positive. it allowed for a more broad-based dialogue on these issues because it included a voice that wouldn't have been included before and i think that i've gotten a lot of people talking even among the right about the need for the president to take more actions to show the world that we do not want to kill innocent people with the drones and i think around guantanamo, it has been very important to show that the president is really using the cloak of congress to not do anything when he does have the authority to release the 86 prisoners who have been cleared for release. >> john: indeed, he. does i agree with you on that. this president ran in 2008 promising to close guantanamo, the american people elected him. he was blocked repeatedly by the republicans. have you ever confronted any of the republican critics who have done everything to stop him from

closing dpawn tawn mow. have you interrupted speeches by graham and mccain? >> we do protests in the offices of just the people that you have mentioned. on a regular basis. whether it is about guantanamo or it's about the drones. and we also have discussions with their chiefs of staff and sit down and have long talks with them. so we certainly do that. but it is much easier to talk to our elected officials in congress than it is to reach the president. we sent in 300,000 signatures to the president just last week around the guantanamo issue and you never hear a response even to that kind of overwhelming number of signatures. and on the drones issues, we have been out there in front of the white house on a regular basis doing protests. so it is very hard to reach the president but i think you're right. it is important for people to know that we are constantly trying to put pressure on the republicans in congress who are

obstructionists on this issue as well as the democrats because let's remember, when the vote came for confirming john brennan as head of the c.i.a. who is the mastermind of the drone program it was the republicans who voted against john brennan and the democrats, even all of the progressive democrats in the senate this voted for him. >> john: it was john brennan who said he wanted to move the drone program out of the c.i.a. before we go, according to your web site, your programs are mostly funded by individual donors. code pink has a tax-exempt 5013c and a 50134 organization. 501(c)(4)s don't have to reveal their donors are. are you transparent? >> our funding comes from the grassroots. in fact, this weekend we put out a call to our 200,000 people on our mailing list and said we need to take a citizen delegation to yemen. will you help us? and as of today, we've got about $15,000. most of them in $25 donations.

>> john: i will be writing a screenplay called tyler perry's medea heckles the president. medea benjamin, cofounder of global exchange, many thanks for your time and for explaining why you did what you did. >> thanks so much for having me on john. >> john: a panel joins me after the break to talk about the questions of national security. will we really change what we're doing with drones? that's ahead. now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking? (vo) later tonight current tv is the place for compelling true stories. >> jack, how old are you? >> nine. >> this is what 27 tons of

marijuana looks like. (vo) with award winning documentaries that take you inside the headlines, way inside. (vo) from the underworld, to the world of privilege. >> everyone in michael jackson's life was out to use him. (vo) no one brings you more documentaries that are real, gripping, current.

very very excited about that and very proud of that. beltway politics from inside the loop. we tackle the big issues from inside our nation's capital, around the country and around the globe. >> bill press opens current's morning news block. >> we'll do our best to carry the flag from six to nine every morning. >> think conservatives have a stranglehold on the morning news? bill press invites you to think again as he tackles the hot issues on capital hill and beyond. >> just bringing you exactly what's happening in politics today by people who have a lot of experience, who know what's going on and who know what

they're talking about. i'll tell you what energizes me to get up every morning is to get the first crack at the news, the first crack at the newsmakers. i know this stuff, i know what i'm talking about and i love it and i try to bring that to the show. only on current tv. >> john: for more on the implications of obama's national security speech and impressions of my interview with medea benjamin i'm pleased to be joined by harris zafar joining us from portland. michael hastings, "buzzfeed's" correspondent at-large, author of the essential new ebook panic 2012 the sublime and terrifying inside story of obama's final campaign. and democratic strategist and contributor to forbes.com, rick ungar. good evening gentlemen. thank you for joining us. i want to begin by talking about the interview i just did with

medea benjamin. what were your feelings as you watched president obama's speech and witnessed ms. benjamin's interruptions. i'll start with rick. you're the big democrat here. >> the interruptions are kind of weird. in a sense, i guess they're a little bit annoying but you know what? she serves a very valuable role. i listened to what she said earlier on your show. there wasn't much i could argue with. i actually thought the president would have done well for himself letting her talk and not interrupting her. >> john: michael? >> i agree. what medea seized upon in the speech is it lacked a moral vision. we're not accustomed to that. he usually has a moral vision. even if you disagree, there is an attractive vision he lays out. in that case, the moral vision was brought by medea and the crowd by interrupting the president. >> john: you don't think the notion albeit vague of scaling down the war on terror compromises a moral vision? >> i don't. after you've spent five years

invading -- afghanistan and then a pretty sustained drone campaign, i think sort of now trying to justify every illegal thing you've done for the last three years is not that impressive. joan harris, you heard ms. benjamin speak about her feelings on obama's drone policy. did his speech do anything toes assuage your concerns? >> our biggest concern really is the loss of innocent life. even our prophet has spoken out against collateral damage. our biggest concern is using these -- this form of attacking foreign targets but in a way that puts other people at harm. and so there wasn't really anything he said that really rested our concern. our concern is still there. if they have a way of surgically going in and minimizing any and all damage and finding just their target, then perhaps that's a good start. but i still see the statistics

speaking for themselves of the innocent loss of life just being horrendous. >> john: in poll after poll, we see americans support the use of drones. does the fact alone that they will continue to be used as -- does that mean they'll continue to be used as long as public opposition doesn't grow? >> it depends on how you ask it. do you support the killing of -- if you ask the question do you support the bombing of groups of men who you don't know their identity of but lethal bombing and you may kill americans while you're doing it, you don't really know. if you ask that question, you get a much different response. >> john: if you tell americans do you support the new normal keeping boots off the ground, they'll say yeah. do you support a male killed whether he was and a militant or not? i think you would have a different result. >> it was interesting. i've read michael for a long time. it is hard to argue with his

logic. he's got a pretty strong case there. on the other hand, you've got the stress that always exists between long-term and short term there. is no argument that long-term this is not in our best interest. short term, the president might have a point. >> look, i think president obama and you talk to the people who surround him they have seriously grappled with this on a moral level. i've talked to his advisers. but in the end they love the drone program. they don't want to use it and i think obama views himself in this lincolnesque mold of a benefit -- benevolent dictator because i will make it stronger. that's why he's instituting the legal frameworks under the -- that didn't exist under bush administration. >> john: can ya west will buy 700 for himself. we've seen a rise in ultra nationalism throughout europe. the most recently in london in the wake of the killing of the soldier last week by what

appears to be terrorists. there have been marches at mosques throughout the u.k. how concerning is ultra nationalism and islam ma phobia to the people you talk with? >> it is very concerning because you never really know at any given moment what you may be a target of some retaliation. even though you have nothing to do with it. i think we need to remember muslims are not monolithic. it is not that they attacked us or they killed this poor soldier in the london streets. muslims are also victimized by the same ideology. today, tule, incident he will, the anniversary of when militants marched into two of our mosques our community and indiscriminately opened fire. they had automatic weapons and 8 34e6rbs of our -- and 86 members of our community were slaughtered, my cousin included. we're victims of the hate ideology. we're partners with nonmuslims in trying to eradicate. we're being lumped in with the

same lunatics that are committing the acts even though we're victims of their acts as well. >> john: how sick of you are hearing questions about when are the decent muslims going to do something to separate themselves from the radical elements within their faith. why didn't the good christian stop hitler or why don't the good white people do something about the olsen twins? >> i've asked that question. >> absolutely. the fact is there's two sides to this. side one, we've been speaking out for decades not just since 9-11, even before. we were speaking out tremendously against the taliban, against all of these militant muslims even if they're lone rangers. on the other side, we have to remember that why should a peaceful -- respond for the lunatics. certainly, we would ask every jew in america to respond for example of israeli aggression because it would be lewd crews for us to do so.

they have to respond and certainly that's just not seem like a rational course to take. >> john: it is ever so common. another unsettled matter from obama's speech is guantanamo bay. an attorney who represents 11 detainees will join us next. is this personal, or is it political? a lot of my work happens by doing the things that i'm given to doing anyway, by staying in touch with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. in reality it's not like they actually care. this is purely about political grandstanding. i've worn lots of hats, but i've always kept this going. i've been doing politics now for a dozen years. (vo) he's been called the epic politics man. he's michael shure and his arena is the war room. >> these republicans in congress that think the world ends at the atlantic ocean border and pacific ocean border. the bloggers and the people that are sort of compiling the best of the day. i do a lot of looking at those

people as well. not only does senator rubio just care about rich people, but somehow he thinks raising the minimum wage is a bad idea for the middle class. but we do care about them right?

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alright, in 15 minutes we're going to do the young turks. i think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they know that i'm not bs'ing them with some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us. >> john: welcome back. okay, another focus of president obama's national security speech was, of course, his continued call on congress to close the military prison at guantanamo bay and release prisoners that have already been cleared.

it is a call he's continued to make since he became a national figure and -- and anyone who's been paying attention --

>> we heard he was going to charge somebody in the white house with actually closing guantanamo and if he takes that step then that certainly means something to us. >> john: we all know there's 86 prisoners who have been cleared for release. millions of americans don't know that. i guess they do now because they all watch current. carlos, how much action can the president take by himself without approval from congress? is the president scapegoating congress or can they really stand in the way of this? >> no. he has absolute authority right now to transfer the 86. that's one of the first things medea said in her protest. that's absolutely right. under the waiver restriction -- the waiver authority in the

current ndaa, he has the power to authorize transfer in the interest of national security. so and he explained eloquently why transferring prisoners in the interest of national security. he just has refused to do that politically so far because like you said, much of the left still believes gitmo houses the worst of the worst. that's just not true. >> john: that isn't the real reason he's not doing it. were he to transfer, the right would crush him and crush him in the midterm elections in 2014, arguably ushering in a much more right wing militaristic congress. >> i'm not sure about that because the bottom line is if the public understood we're holding innocent people there even the right-handers like john mccain believes that the 86 should be transferred. so it is a matter of him spending some capital to educate the american public. certainly, this is a good form for people to learn about it but he's got to really go down on the street and tell the average

person that we're talking about innocent people that were releasing here. we're not talking about the worst of the worst and when the right stands up and says these are 1 2k3450*eu6r7bg9s terrorists in the world that's just wrong. >> john: in the short term, carlos, what is the condition of the prisoners currently on the hunger strike? are they still being force-fed and have their demands changed? >> the demands have not changed. since the speech, the numbers have gone up. at least now the military is saying 35 people today were being force-fed. at least six are in the hospital. so the speech didn't really move the needle for the men because he wasn't specific enough. guantanamo really was a throw-in at the end. i listened to the whole speech. i had a text of it. it was at the very end, it is not enough to convince the men individually they should stop striking. but you know, it is the same words. if he takes some action, if he demonstrates that, you know, there is somebody in the white house who is going to shepherd this along and in fact, we're going to start transferring

these innocent people, i think the strike will end. at least that will help. the military, as we said on previous occasions can end itself too. but the military refuses. i don't know why. >> john: assistant federal defender who represents 11 of the guantanamo detainees carlos warner. >> joy: i'm rejoined by my panel. gentlemen, you just heard what mr. warner has to say. do you agree with his assessment that president obama could do more to shut down guantanamo on his own? >> if carlos says he has executive authority to do it and is not doing it, then i trust carlos who represents 11 of them which makes me more disappointed about by it. i bought into that. i bought into the idea maybe there was this congressional pressure. >> john: don't you think the political reality is he doesn't want to see a more right wing congress in 2014, rick? >> i wish i could have asked

carlos a question. this is on my mind. i think the president does have the authority. what sticks with me is where are they going to go? we know that a chunk of these 86 people who should already be out of there their countries won't take them back. this is -- this is vexing to me. i don't see how the president can solve that kind of catch-22. >> john: harris, this is the big debate. what do you do with these men where do we put them? one thing i haven't heard anyone bring up is why don't we ask the men where they would want to go? if you're innocent and america has put you in a cage for ten years and they're finally letting out don't you get to be a little bit demanding as to where you wind up going? i haven't heard anyone solicit the thoughts of these men. >> you would like to think they would have some say especially if they're free men. i'm sure they don't have a desire to come to the united states after this episode. this leads to -- we keep talking about how we're going to win this war on terror and succumb terrorism. but this is what feeds terrorism. this is what feeds the angst

because a lack of peace is inherently and entirely tied to a lack of justice. this perception there is injustice, then there's chaos and disorder run rampant. that's what the international khalifa, that's what he was talking about as well is these powerful nations as well as weak nations, if those governments continue to instill injustice this will continue. this is just a prime example of something unjust that's happening and no one seems to be wanting to help these gentlemen out. >> john: let me expand it to terrorism. if we turn against our ideals, are things like public support for a drone policy and are these signs terrorism is actually perversely having its desired effect? obama is dead but is his agenda being proven right? >> we've gotten to this point

where we think terrorism is the horrible death of some thousands of people. no. that's what sets off terrorism. terrorism is forcing an entire people to wake up afraid every day. that's terror. >> john: is it for the purpose of political change? is terrorism violence in the name of instilling fear to change policy? >> i think it can be. in this case, from my perspective, i am much more -- there's much more likelihood of my civil liberties being violate and my phone being tapped than me being killed in a terrorist attack even if i go to iraq and afghanistan. i think the threat is so, so small yet it gets magnified into such an important factor that it is going to shape the tenor of the second term. and i think we have to get back to pre9-11 thinking. we're stuck in post--9-11 thinking. he should say john kerry was right when he called it a law enforcement issue. >> john: before 9-11, george karl-a routine about airport security. the only purpose is to give white people the illusion of

safety. taken as a whole harris, what did you think of the president's speech? did we learn anything new? did the war on terror as it is called, i hate the term will begin to wind down or is that just the new normal we have to get tuesdayed to? >> we certainly learned his mentality over why he's done what he's done. most of the speech seemed to be justify case for what happened in the last several years. i think it did give us an insight but in terms of the war on terror, i just don't see how if we continue doing what we're doing, and i didn't hear any substantive argument for a change in policies, then i'm afraid it is going to continue. we can't just say that terrorism is a muslim problem that requires a muslim solution. certainly we are trying to attack the ideology that these people stand on to make that crumble as a platform so they have no islamic basis for this. we know without the religious

justification, it will still continue. it is a political economic, socioeconomic issue that is plaguing the world. so unless the governments of all of these nations take to more justice and speak out against these regimes that even treat their own citizens so poorly, until we speak up for that and instill justice and equality, this will continue. >> john: harris zafar. michael hastings and democratic strategist and contributor to forbes.com ruck ungar, thank you for your brilliance. wait until after the 2014 midterms and then obama can finally go bullworth. for my next panel i need comedians to help me figure out john mccain's secret macho mission to syria. that's ahead. laughing and the thinkers

thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking? [ male announcer ] this is the age of knowing what you're made of. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action.

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(vo) later tonight current tv is the place for compelling true stories. >> jack, how old are you? >> nine. >> this is what 27 tons of marijuana looks like. (vo) with award winning documentaries that take you inside the headlines, way inside. (vo) from the underworld, to the world of privilege. >> everyone in michael jackson's life was out to use him. (vo) no one brings you more documentaries that are real, gripping, current. >> john: time for senator john mccain international man of

mystery. the 76-year-old vietnam vet evidently snuck into syria on your dime for two hours monday to meet with rebel general and other leaders of the free syrian army. mind you, it wasn't some rogue journey as it has been described. president obama reportedly knew all about it in advance but it still looks like a characteristic john mccain moot. answered the rebels are pushing the president to intervene more in syria. if the white house wanted to chat with rebel leaders, they could have sent a guy named john kerry. let's figure this out with a nice panel of comedians. christian finnegan's latest cd available on itunes. buy it now while you're watching this show. elayne boosler is founder of the nationwide animal rescue group tails of joy. and we have jimmy who is performing. i might perform at a couple of those myself. great to have you all here. thank you. okay, john mccain flies to

syria on the taxpayer dime and comes back believing exactly what he believed before he went there. that this president is wrong for not intervening. just as he was wrong for intervening in libya. is there any value to anything he did christian? >> what was he expecting to hear? that's like going to a frat party and finding out they want beer. of course they want weapons. i don't think that's been the problem here. what what do these rebels want from us? is it worth it? is it worth the currency and treasurer and blood essentially to actually put boots on the ground. so it seems to me it is like going around obama's back to embarrass him. like mcnulty from the wire. >> john: so out of touch, out of character for john mccain, god knows. elayne boosler, it is mavericky to fly over there on our dime and come back and say what you said before you went? >> can do that right here. he was supposed to have lunch with dennis rodman. he got the restaurant wrong.

>> john: he did meet with an al-qaeda member. can you imagine scott if any democrat, if nancy pelosi whereas on a fact finding noise syria and broke bread with an al-qaeda member, would the right wing crucify her before she got back? >> even during the run up to the war in iraq, democrats reached out and they were vilified. this is one case with syria the carnage there that a panel of nonexperts such as all of us as well as a panel that will come to the same conclusion, there is no good, easy solution. one horrible solution is arming the rebels. a mistake for the countries doing so. there is no military solution. what is happening is russia is selling s-300 missiles to syria which will endanger israel and the rest. if you arm the rebels, it will magnify it and more people killed. had it been nipped in the bud there would be less carnage. john mccain is wrong. he is wrong.

>> john: he's sucking up to the tea party. i'm surprised the media made this about mccain and not about the fact that putin has come down. we've been saying where does putin stand? we know what he's going to do. he's going to arm assad to slaughter his own people to keep his figure head in power. >> that's how putin operates. >> john: to me, that's the real story. at this point, is this over? is it possible for the u.s. to arm the rebels or is what john mccain is doing at this point is fighting for another cold war, this one with camels? >> what is possible is people say -- i would say -- let's have -- naive and crazy. you know what's naive and crazy is arming the no-fly zone. couple of weeks to be held as liberators. senator kerry does have a good relationship with his russian counterpart. only solution is to have -- >> you can't really pick a side because you don't know who you're getting.

you might be arming people who are worse than what's there now. >> john: the mentality of the enemy is my friend has never gotten us in trouble with the middle east before. besides saddam hussein and osama bin laden. >> the same weapons they used in afghanistan, there's not too much. >> it always baffles me we don't seem to exact any leverage in these situations at all. i'm not saying that you know, syria -- is there anything you can sort of get them to commit to like show us a little leg rebels. maybe recognize israel, perhaps or you know, just show us you're cool. do a harlem shake video. if they were to give us a little bit, a lot of the american public might come around to helping them out more. >> john: in fairness, i've seen good coverage of the rebels on al jazeera english. >> great. >> john: mainstream media all we've seen is the crazy guy eating the heart. when they show the video of the crazy syrian eating the heart is john mccain still good for comedy?

christian? >> he's sort of -- almost we're past it at this point. john mccain being old stopped being funny but it is still true. the cranky guy at thanksgiving. all right uncle kevin. >> john: is it true he's doing this to suck up to a tea party base that despises him? >> he still hasn't gotten over losing. his way of going look, i'm doing the right thing. i think ted cruz is the guy we need to focus on more. >> he lost his credibility when i don't mean to go back in time but when he did present sarah palin as next in line to the presidency of the united states. that blew all credibility out of the water with me. >> john: elayne boosler wins basic cable for the night. after the break we're going to look at another old school republican named bob dole who is hitting back at other republicans. >> i'm a slutty bob hope. >> you are. >> the troops love me. (vo) tv and radio talk show host stephanie miller rounds out current's morning news block.

>> you're welcome current tv audience for the visual candy. just be grateful current tv does not come in smellivision. the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo) only on current tv. they think this world isn't big enough for the both of them. but we assure you - it is. bites. little greatness.

this show is about analyzing criticizing, and holding policy to the fire. are you encouraged by what you heard the president say the other night? is this personal, or is it political? a lot of my work happens by doing the things that i'm given to doing anyway, by staying in touch with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. in reality it's not like they actually care. this is purely about political grandstanding. i've worn lots of hats, but i've always kept this going. i've been doing politics now for a dozen years. (vo) he's been called the epic politics man. he's michael shure and his arena is the war room. >> these republicans in congress that think the world ends at the atlantic ocean border and pacific ocean border. the bloggers and the people that are sort of compiling the best of the day.

i do a lot of looking at those not only does senator rubio just care about rich people, but somehow he thinks raising the minimum wage is a bad idea for the middle class. but we do care about them right? >> john: welcome back. former senator and 1996 g.o.p. presidential nominee bob dole was on fox news on sunday. he was as caustic as when he was senate majority leader. what you might not expect from bob dole and from fox is that he aimed most of his fire at congress and at his fellow republicans. i never knew how much i missed bob. here's a little bit. >> it seemed almost unreal that we can't get together on a budget or legislation. i mean we weren't perfect by a long shot but at least we got

our work done. >> what do you think of your party, of the republicans today? >> i think they ought to put a sign on the national committee door that says "closed for repairs." >> john: there goes your invitation to speak at the next convention. christian finnegan, elayne boosler and chris blakeman. >> i didn't realize if you live long enough, you turn into strom thurmond. >> people say with obama why doesn't he compromise? you can't compromise with insanity. bob dole and his ilk were people we disagreed with. they argued during the day and had a beer at night. they were public servants. they wanted to get things done. so that's the huge difference right now and you know, back in '94, dole, the republican plan for healthcare was the individual mandate which is vilified as unconstitutional. >> john: very good point. back then, they were the most

evil right wing guys in the world and now they look like the burning man cast. now it seems like they're moderate. >> when i look at this bob dole, what is he talking about? the republicans have totally won by doing this. basically, the last ten years has been republicans is like our position we should get to stab you and democrats say we don't think we should stab you. democrats are like you should punch us in the face. by sending the goalpost out into wacko land, they've moved the argument to the right. >> john: but they've lost five of the last six presidential elections. >> these older men were legislators who believed in the greater good. however their own pockets got lined, that wasn't the main goal. it was the by-product. now, it is like show business. it is playing to your constituents and it is not about governing any longer. only the american people suffer. >> john: that's the war on the g.o.p. while some worry about appeasing the tea party, some don't. that's the wedge obama is trying

to drive. that's what the fake scandals are all about. theory trying to unite the establishment. one of the things the tea party said is he and reagan and nixon probably wouldn't make it into today's -- >> they would have had a great reality show. >> john: i kind of think young nixon would have fit in well with the current g.o.p., what do you think? >> definitely in this mccarthy era. who's to say at this point. i think people are as evil as their opportunities allow them to be. and so i mean i love the bob dole saying all of these things now. i'm a little suspicious if he was a 52-year-old senator in 2013 that he wouldn't in lock step with all of these guys. >> about governing to them. the republican party in presidents' day, they want to destroy the federal government. and you know, it is beyond destruction. it is anti-american unpatriotic and it is anti-democratic. bob dole and those people were -- working with a different point of view who wanted to make

the country mark. these guys want to bring the country and government down. >> john: i don't really know if they want to destroy the government. that gets them votes. >> they're doing a good job. inadvertently, it is going down. >> ted cruz is also off his meds. dole said mainly that the president is a bad communicator. do you think that's true? >> i do, actually. i think he's a very good communicator in terms of talking to people who are willing to think and hear him out but the problem with obama is white people in general are not used to being condescended to by a black guy. >> john: do you think it is condescending? >> yes. he's aware he's smarter than you. i think it comes through his pores. >> john: what do you want him to do? say y'all? >> there is a baseline rejection of his personality. >> because he's black? >> yes. if obama was who he is as a white guy, i think republicans would deal with him.

>> you're actually right but that's not the fault of obama. that's the fault of the republicans who hate him because he's black, sadly. i think president obama is a great communicator. as we would say, a very funny president and great -- but i think he communicates well. >> john: why do so many people despise obamacare despite the fact when you quiz them individually about the elements -- >> the personal hatred. >> not only racially but democrats have not learned to do what the republicans do which is to get a perfect sound byte and repeat it endlessly until it is seared into your brain. they don't have the sound byte. >> i think it is called shame. >> just get rid of shame. >> he's a great communicator. elderlies ton what he says and follow through on it, it would be fantastic. that's the problem. >> john: after the break, we have news from pope francis. apparently some atheists can actually be good people. this comes as shock news to the rest of the vatican.

my commentary coming up next. that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they know that i'm not agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

you know who is coming on to me now? you know the kind of guys that do reverse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking?

>> john: it was a big week for atheists in the media. in the wake of the oklahoma tornado, wolf blitzer on cnn interviewed a survivor and asked are you thanking the lord. the survivor shocked the whiskers off of wolf when she replied actually i'm an atheist. the twitter verse went nuts. she was so sweet and likable a not of my atheist friends questioned her authenticity. i love atheists. and i love people of faith. and both groups have one important thing in common. nobody really knows anything. so when they say mean things about each other, it is kind of hilarious to watch. now, i'm not an atheist but i believe in them. i also believe in god because hey, you gotta blame somebody. i believe that nonbelievers who champion reason and science and common sense and love over fear and superstition of bad religion will find there is a very special place in heaven for them. i can honestly say my friends some of the best christians i've ever known have been atheists which brings us to the other big

name in the news of the week, pope francis i. he is first new on the job. things are a little shaky. he resents that pope benedict makes him wear that train yes badge but he upset the routine when he did something that popes almost never do. something cool. he said everyone is redeemed through good deeds even atheists. using scripture from the gospel of mark, francis explained how upset jesus' disciples were that someone outside their group were doing good. he was preaching to people outside of hur exclusive club can be cool, too. that's why there's no scenes in the bible of jc in high school. if you think he got hassled by romans as an adult imagine how the jocks reacted. francis said all of us have this commandment at heart. do good and do not do evil. but father this is not catholic. he cannot do good. yes, he can. the lord has redeemed all of us, not just catholics everyone. father the