you don't want to impact the discussions over the cr that could trigger a budget shutdown, a government shutdown? >> well at this point, steve, i don't have an update in terms of timing. you did hear from the president yesterday where he reiterated strong commitment to take action within the scope of his authority, to solve or at least address so many of the problems that have created by our broken immigration system. this, there is legislation that has passed through the senate as we know, that would have addressed, so many of these problems in a way that would have substantial benefits for our economy. unfortunately we've seen republicans in the house, engage in a political strategy to block that piece of legislation from even coming up for a vote. the president is disappointed house republicans have pursued that political strategy. that is why the president resolved to use as much authority as he can muster within the confines of the law, to try to solve this problem on his own. he does that hoping that house

republicans will come to their senses at some point, and pass piece of legislation that would be even more impactful in terms of solving those problems and would supersede any sort of executive action that he might take. but the president is determined as ever, to take that kind of action on his own, simply because house republicans have blocked the ability of congress to try to solve this problem. okay? jim? >> josh, getting back to the comment we don't have a strategy, the president was talking about strategy for isis in syria in syria >> the president was talking military options for countering isis in syria. there are a number of things we have already done as it relates to the broader situation in syria to confront some of the challenges there.

the united states is the largest single donor of humanitarian aid to syria and dealing with the terrible humanitarian situation in syria, we have seen billions people displaced by the violence there. the united states has been engaged in an effort to support the moderate syrian opposition. there are a range in ways that support is provided and diplomatic support provided to them. there already has been work underway in syria to try to address some of the challenges there, but the president was candid about the fact the pentagon is still reviewing options that may be available to him, military options that may be available to counter isil militarily in syria. >> when you're the president, words matter. just getting back to that first question, does he wish he had articulated that sentiment differently? >> he was asked a very specific

question, asked a question, this is important, she was asked a specific question whether or not the president would seek congressional authorization before or any kind of military action in syria. the point of president made was that is putting the cart before the horse. the president has not laid out his specific plan for military action in syria. the reason is simply the pentagon is still developing that plan, still reviewing it and it would be putting the cart before the horse to talk about what sort of congressional authorization would be required for a plan that has not even been put in place yet. >> you came oh so quickly and try to explain but the president had to say to explain that what he said was not what he intended to say, or are you saying the rest of us t took it the wrong way? >> i do know what you mean.

the reaction that we had at the white house yesterday was not in response to the president's comments, it is in response to the way it is being reported. i don't mean it as a criticism of you while doing your job, but we do believe it is important for people, you and your readers and viewers to understand what message the president was trying to communicate and what strategy he has already laid out for confronting isil and what decisions need to be remained. that is a critique of the media, just an observation that we didn't listen to the president's conference and formulate a strategy for responding, we listened to the news conference, watched your reporting and recognized if we wanted people to have a very clear understanding of what the president is trying to communicate, we have to engage you directly to do that. >> getting back to the comments,

he said this is not some foreign conflict, thousands of miles from home, he seemed to take a tougher tone with respect to isis. some found it was not in sync with the urgency expressed with a joint chief describing it beyond anything we have ever seen, talking about isis in syria, cannot talk about it without dealing with syria, is the president on the same page as his cabinet? >> more important issue is there on the same page as the commander-in-chief and i am fully confident that is the ca case. i don't think debate is the way i would describe it.

providing a detailed readout of a private meeting in the president and national security council, but you have had the opportunity to observe the president's leadership style, and you recognize the president is interested in hearing the assessment of his senior advisors, that is true talking to the chief staff and military strategy, also true talking to his press secretary about our political strategy or communication strategy. the president is interesting in soliciting the unvarnished opinion of everybody around the table. if everybody had the exact same opinion, but not help the president. i am not reading out the meeting, but i'm in a position to convey to you the president is determined to get the unvarnished assessment of the professionals around the table to make with him as he makes important decisions. i have no doubt, and if you do, you should ask each one of them

about whether or not they are on the same page as commander-in-chief. i am confident it will. >> there was no update on timing, i want to read back to you earlier this month you said you're expected to review the summer, and you anticipate the president would act on those recommendations shortly after receiving them. the president attende intended t the relations without further delay to indicate you will get these recommendations before the end of the summer and act on them before the midterm elections. my question to you is is that still what we should be operating under? >> the president got honored a specific question about immigration today, what he did answer was if you would allow me to offer my own view on this, is

the president still committed to take action where house republicans won't and president is as determined as ever to make sure that he will use all the elements of his authority in the confines of the law to try to address the problems created by the broken immigration system be at there is a solution already passing the senate bipartisan support, it has strong support across the country, but house republicans are blocking it right now. disappointed they have pursued that strategy that may be in the best person political interest but not in the best interest of the country, that is why the president is determined to take the kind of steps available to him to address this challenge. a secondary legitimate question is what is the timeframe for that? >> the reason i ask "los angeles times" today reporting officials

consider splitting up recommendations that are more palatable to republicans and democrats to roll out before the midterm election and push off some of the broader things we have certainly heard. discussing until after the midterm elections, so can you talk at all about whether that is something you are considering or whether you expect when the president comes out to talk about immigration, foley layout everything he intends to do. >> i would say it this way, that is putting the cart before the horse. the president has interesting the final recommendation from his attorney general and secretary of homeland security for what options are available to him for acting unilaterally to address the problems of the immigration system. those who are spiked plating of how the recommendations might be

implanted are a little ahead of themselves at this point. >> those running on the claim to your decision you make a choice about when or if or how. >> what we have seen as i mentioned earlier is a conclusion reached by house republicans in their political interest to do something not in the nation's interest, to pass comprehensive common sense bipartisan legislation. that is unfortunate. house republicans making politically motivated decisions right now. what the president would like to do is have a fact-based debate about this current condition of our immigration system. there are problems in the immigration system, that may be the thing widely agreed-upon among democrats and republicans at our immigration system is broken.

what the consequences are for loan a broken immigration system to persist, and what republicans have done when this case not done to confront that problem. >> my last one on this, if the president is generally only considered with addressing the issue and we are hearing the fact they could delay and begging some of these recommendations coming to us to his desk, don't those seem contradictory in some way, but they want to eliminate everything they could help resolve this issue?

>> there may be some people spec plating the president is making a political decision as it relates to immigration. >> you're taking a look at josh earnest addressing the media regarding immigration at the moment also touching on the isis threat in the comments the president made on if the u.s. has a strategy for dealing with isis and syria. what the president meant was he is reviewing military options and a specific military plan. offering a back-and-forth over semantics. this is "outnumbered." here today, sandra smith, kiersten powers, stacy and today's hashtag one lucky guy, he is outnumbered. we're going to get to that. while the administration works on a strategy to defeat the

terrorist group, they were identified americans joining the rebels in syria including isis. as a result of the increasing numbers of men, isis is recruiting foreign men and wives did two more americans have been killed fighting for isis. and earlier today british prime minister david cameron saying the uk's raising the terrorist threat to the second highest level. give us your flavor on this, we didn't hear too much from josh earnest trying to quarterback it for the president because he dropped the ball yesterday. >> regardless of what the issue is, it was said. if you don't have a strategy, don't tell the enemy that. it feels like amateur hour. it is embarrassing, the talk about we are weaving a comprehensive strategy.

we know the pentagon has been looking at it, the fact is he will not be the decider. we need a decider. at some point have to make a decision because it fosters, back and then create chaos which is what is happening right now. >> they are very hellbent on a singular focus, they are not worried about sleeping at home or vacationing or hitting the back nine or a mulligan, they are looking to kick it. all of those things, which are very important. they undermine the precursor of everything that is happening. you have to see the enemy that way they are, not the way that need to be. between iraq and syria, don't

see that border. the white house is saying yesterday isis isn't even our enemy. >> they are confused about it, what team are we playing for. i'm going to see if you have the josh earnest decoder. >> he was asked to assess the threat here in america, following the prime minister of the uk, david cameron raising the terror level threat to a highly likely terrorist attack, josh earnest just now said that is not dissimilar to the terrorist threat they believe they pose here. we don't necessarily have a heightened terror alert threat level happening right now in the united states, but i wonder if what is happening in the uk and the urgency from david cameron is perhaps going to put more pressure on the united states.

very stark contrast to what we saw from the president yesterd yesterday. >> when you compare the two leaders, we are hearing one leader speak very strongly and decisively, what about hours? >> i just want to know where the all-powerful oz is. he is all in one. needs a brain, a heart and nerves. he will do nothing. i can't believe he says we don't have a strategy. i am not in the military and i know you don't say on national television you don't have a strategy. not with these militants. >> we are going to go to the pentagon, john kirby is making remarks, listen in. >> any military operation requires knowledge of a situation on the ground as the best you can get it. we need to have as much information and as accurate

information as you can possibly have, and so i think you can expect without getting into specific type of hypotheticals that whatever options we prepare and are prepared to conduct will be relied upon getting d obtaining and analyzing the best information on the ground. >> when the congress was asking with united states can do to block isil in iraq the chairman was clear the times that we don't have a complete their patriot, as will take a while. is it fair to say yo your gatheg complete picture of isil in syria may take several weeks before you are comfortable having this? anytime you are going to

conceive of military options anywhere in the world for any number of missions, you want as much information. they would expect us to do this thing as we get asked to do anything, to do it with as much information as possible, but again i wouldn't speculate about how or when or how long. >> worried about u.s. flyers being shot down. >> without talking about potential future operations and speculations, what i'm about to say is not validating the premise of the question which is it is able to conduct strikes within syria or we will conduct surveillance one way or the other, some of that requires the

use of air assets, others don't, and it will leave it at that. >> having accurate information about isis capabilities, would you prefer isis have joint capabilities measuring this issue this morning? >> if isil has drones of their own, have seen a press report, but i have nothing that would back that up at all. >> yesterday president obama said some dates are benevolent about dealing with isil, some of them are financial, could you elaborate on that, can you say some states on one hand facing isil and the other hand finance them? >> no, i will not elaborate on

that, not at all. >> talk about going ahead, pentagon's role developing that strategy presumably the president will talk about this in turkey and nato with the partners, so talk a little bit about what are the plans you are looking at, talk about training moderate levels, create a role in that effort, train and assist mission in iraq, presumably would be part of that strategy. >> if i tried to answer that question in every aspect i would be basically laying it all out right here at a press conferen conference. i am sure you guys would greatly appreciate that, to make yours easier and mine pretty much nonexistent. i think the way i would think

about this is the president said this, this is about degrading isil's capabilities to operate and continue to conduct a brutal violence that have been doing inside iraq and the threat of a region. if that is where you are going, there are many ways to do this. but all of them are military, so let's talk about the military ways you can do that. some of the motorways he can do that are the ways we are doing it in iraq. we know that inside of iraq in a technical issue we had an effect, being disruptive to their own commanding controls, their ability to move around. so you can have an effect in

that way, we call it can addicts, it basically means we have a precise effect, we can do that. there are other ways you can from a military that way, we call it can perspective for the manchurian assistance provides and assist. the secretary is committed to this, trying to move forward for a moderate opposition. we've asked for $500 million in congress, we hope to get that appropriated for 2015 which is coming up pretty soon to move out on this and a lot of hurdles that remain to be leaked in terms of getting us there. get a moderate opposition you can rely on, one willing partner to help sponsor some of the sites for training. we are working our way through

that. there is an element of national power, they don't all include aiairstrikes, and if we have learned nothing, and you have covered this longer than i have in the pentagon, if we learn nothing over 13 years at war, you can completely eliminate extremism anywhere simply connecting through airstrikes alone, so while we must be ready for that option and we will be prepared at the appropriate time to discuss those kind of options with the commander-in-chief, that alone is not going to be the answer. >> we have dueling press conferences right now, we want to go back to josh earnest for the president speaking at the white house specifically on isis and its threat. >> even if isil is routed they

can't make significant gains in iraq or anywhere else for that matter, and that is why the strategy the president has put forward at the top of that list unified successful sophisticated integrated and iraqi government that can unite the country to face the threat posed by isis and ensure the iraqi people can take responsibility themselves for the security situation in their country. that is how we will be in a position to deny isil the ability to create a safe haven where they can threaten other countries in the region were eventually around the world. >> i appreciate you saying that, is there any risk for this president to see complexity and it become an excuse for paralysis? people who look at this region say if you solve this militarily, other issues can be addressed but you can't address these other issues if it

presents an ongoing expanding terroristic and military threat to ever larger pockets of space in iraq and syria. it took each and every one of them more technically and operationally sophisticated bid theto have fun shown a depth one battlefield, use sophisticated techniques and gain space they believe is important to their overall territorial objectives. those who would say yes, the military issue before you now, you better deal with it. >> vastly president has been very clear about the idea have to move together. that is why the president as they have made progress in forming the kind of government calling on them to adopt for any number of months now has moved

side by side with the president's plan to authorize military action in iraq. imagine earlier there were a number of things that had been accomplished by the security forces with the support of the u.s. military. >> yesterday they will be limited proposed little risk of exposure to u.s. forces. it is still a minor-league effort. >> i would not describe it that way be at that have been stressful and supportive and successful on the offensive underway against them. that would not have been possible without the american military intervention. the president has also determined not in yesterday's in their briefing room is the commander-in-chief, using that in support of the iraq scary forces to accomplish these goa goals. ultimately a situation with the

iraqi people and security forces taking responsibility towards their own security and this president is willing to devote resources to assist and support iraq's government and iraq's people as they take that responsibility but we can't do it for them. >> absent the array of other issues. >> if it takes the iraqis to do this since we will not do the iraqis air force and other partners in the region don't come in, isil gets to stay. is it defeating them lead in and make with these other things that make the complex overtime? >> the overriding dynamic is making sure the national security interest of the united states of america is protected. >> i said consistent with isil

existing or not? >> that strategy requires iraqi government to do the right kind of things that will help based on the threat. i was speaking to you three weeks ago the prime minister was still prime minister. he is stepped aside and iraq does seem to be pursuing the kind of governing agenda we like to see them pursue. they still have to form a cabinet but that work is underway. we saw iraq's security forces were being overrun, but thinks the intervention of the nicest monetary and the bravery and courage and service of american service men and women, they have turned the tide in support of iraq's security forces. never before has it been so clearly in the interest of the regional government to combat this violent extremist organization wreaking havoc in

their neighborhood. we're optimistic about the success we may have in this cause as well. we have made important progress over the last few weeks but make no mistake, the president does not believe just pursuing a military strategy is a substitute for the markup has a strategy that will be required to arrive to a solution for this problem. >> this being the labor day weekend lot of americans travel. monitoring these americans and westerners with passports, any evidence of the tsa from the fbi, cia, any resources that any of those people with a lesser passport have been on planes on the way back united states already in the united states? >> getting the most detailed assessment i can offer is there is no evidence or indication right now that we are actively

plotting to attack united stat united states. that is true right now. that said, it is important we take the steps necessary as part of the president's comprehensive strategy to deny them if they've haven giving them what they need to consider those kind of atta attack. we must be very vigilant about the threat posed by foreign fighters and individuals with western passports fighting alongside that may be considering returning to the west to carry out acts of violence here too. we are vigilant about those things and set his work that often takes place behind the scenes as we calibrate our security posture and have the kinds of discussions about intelligence and national security matters that are important to the safety of united states of america, they're not often evident to the

american people but people can have confidence the administration and our national security professionals and law enforcement professionals are very vigilant about the threat we face in this regard. >> are we confident we know all of the americans who have gone to syria to fight next to isil and are we confident we know they're still there and not here? >> i can offer an assessment about the depth of our intelligence as it relates to this specific question, i can tell you this is a challenge that our national security apparatus intelligence apparatus is very focused on and why we are working so closely with our partners and allies around the globe to mitigate this threat. >> in june there are 350 for unaccompanied minors coming across daily to cross the border into the united states. the latest figures for august

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♪ 20. >> welcome back to "outnumbered." we're hearing from the white house clarifying the president's remarks about a lack of strategy against isis in syria. josh earnest said the president was reviewing military options and there are other crises as well including the conflict in eastern ukraine. president obama is accusing russia being responsible for the violence there, saying they are backing and funding the separatist it is. but the united states won't take any military action in that part

of the world. as we're getting new polls on america's foreign policy. a pew research "usa today," finds percentage of americans who believe the united states is doing too much to help solve world problems has fallen from 5% last november, to 39% now. and the share of americans who think the u.s. does too little has nearly doubled in that time frame from 17%, to 31%. that same poll finding just 3% of americans think that the president is tough when it comes to national security while 54% say he is isn't tough enough. that is pretty significant shift in numbers for those pollsters out there that love the up in members and crunch them. this is plus or minus three percentage points for the margin of error. that is movement in terms of the american people and how they are viewing the situation, the leadership role of the president and involvement of the united states in affairs overseas. >> not tough enough? not even clear enough.

there are mixed messages coming out left and right. kimberly, i'm looking out for statement from the department of homeland security, fbi and department of homeland security are unaware of any spe threat t. homeland from isil. wait a second. didn't you just hear rear admiral john kirby from the pentagon deferring to the department of homeland security, at the same time, josh earnest at the white house, when he was asked about this specific threat to the american people from isis, he said it is not dissimilar to one just identified in the u.k. they just identified that it is highly likely that they will see a terrorist threat. those are more mixed messages from the white house. how are the american people supposed to digest all of this when they're getting different answers from different sources within the administration? >> seems like david cameron is doing his homework and up to speed. our guy who stills have to develop a strategy is not, pete. >> major garrett spot on. called it minor league effort. that is what people sense.

in the poll, number of people we're not being tough enough, 54%. 51% of american think we're too involved. president leaning on fact that america after 10 years of war and 9/11 and is war-weary. i take issue with that. bring in kirsten, do democrats feel there is no strategy, nothing going on? what is the reaction amongst president's supporters right now. >> i think some supporters feel he is taking a cautious approach to it and they think that is good compared to the way george bush handled things. some people think he is not being aggressive enough. same pew poll showed only 35%, i think we have to go to the white us. >> let's go to the white house. ed henry is questioning josh. >> to talk through with his top national security advisors including a top officials from the pentagon, about our more broad, comprehensive strategy against isil. that included a discussion about the military options that are

available to the president for dealing with isil in syria. that is the responsibility of the pentagon. there are dedicated professionals there, who are responsible and take seriously their responsible. >> go out and raise campaign money? i asked last week made the statement about james foley's beheading within minutes was on the golf course. is he detached, does he feel like critics coming after him, it doesn't matter anymore? why is he still raising campaign money, playing golf when he acknowledges he doesn't have a strategy to deal with this? >> well, ed, the job of any u.s. president is to be able to handle a lot of different responsibilities at the same time. that is why the president has a national security team and whom he has a lot of confidence. it is also why he, you know, works closely with his advisors on a range of issues, to make sure that he is leading them in the right direction, that he is setting a vision for the future of this country. that is what allows him to handle a lot of responsibilities at the same time. one of his responsibility as the

head, the head of the party is to support democratic candidates who are on the ballot. that is why the president is spending a little bit of time supporting their efforts but the president, there is no doubt, anybody looked at the president's schedule understands he is devoting significant more time and energy to important responsibilities he has to insure safety and security of american people. >> on substance of his comments yesterday, you today and president yesterday are trying to make broader argument that media pundits and others were suggested we were inching closer to airstrikes against syria. i wonder if the president himself didn't set that expectation on august 20th, when he commented on james foley's beheading, quote, this shocks conscience of entire world. when people harm americans anywhere we do what is necessary to see that justice is done and we act, he said, we act against isis, standing alongside others. was that just an empty threat? >> no, ed, as we discussed, the president ordered military action in iraq, in pursuit --

>> already been doing that before that statement. before the beheading you were already acting with military in iraq. general dempsey said we have to go into syria if we take isis out. so my question sis, is there a way to get justice as he told the american people and world he was going to do without military action in syria. >> ed, the president will get justice. the. >> how? >> president promised to do that. >> is there way to get justice out without military action? >> we talked about the president ordered military action in syria. >> no iraq. >> the president ordered military action in iraq to go after isil elements threatening americans. we talked about how substantial and important those military actions have been in support of protecting american citizens in iraq. so the president has not shying away at all. he already demonstrated that he is not going to shy away at all from using all of the elements of american power, whether it is

military might or diplomatic influence to represent american interests and to protect the lives of americans in that bartpart world. >> two quick once, what he said, what he meant. simple question, why does he not have a strategy? >> because the pent bonn is still developing military options for the president, for the commander-in-chief to use against isil in syria. there are some who probably would make the case that it is okay to not have a formulated, comprehensive strategy but just as one pundit i know recently suggested, that we could just drop some bombs and see what happens. that is not what the president believes is a smart approach. the president believes it is important for us to pursue a comprehensive strategy where military action one component of that strategy. >> how can pentagon still not have strategy? you're saying pentagon's issue, they haven't put the strategy? is the commander-in-chief not saying that he want this plan on my desk tomorrow?

>> what the president is saying he will be deliberate about which components of our strategy can best be employed to protect the national security interests of the united states of america. he wants the point gone to be deliberate as they develop the kinds of options that may or may not be available to him. and the president will consider them and he will act in a timely fashion as he assesses the best interests in the united states of america. >> in terms of timely fashion, last one, august 2013, a year ago this month, the president had a news conference here, john karl of abc asked a question whether the president dill believes al qaeda has been decimated. the president said, core al qaeda as he said many times has been decimated we're seeing these other groups metastasizing into regional groups that can be dangerous. the president went on to say, didn't name isis, but groups like isis. that requires us to make sure we have a strategy strengthening those partners to they have their own capacity to deal with what are potentially manageable regional threats.

august 2013. talking about how we need to be putting together a strategy. one year later, how can he not have that strategy? >> ed, as we've talked about quite a bit the president has been very explicit what the comprehensive strategy is. that comprehensive strategy -- >> i understand that. you we said i don't have that strategy specifically for syria. >> but, ed, what i'm trying, let me answer the question here, the point of that statement and this is a, this is a sentiment, strategy the president reiterated this on number of occasions, he reiterated at west point when he spoke may 2th this year. we must shift our counterterrorism strategy drawing on shortcomings and success in afghanistan to more partner with countries where terrorist networks seek a foothold. he rerated that strategy when he spoke to the nation in the state dining room earlier this month where he talked about how the core component of our strategy need to be building up regional partners so the united states isn't, isn't responsible for, in

this situation, providing security for the people of iraq. we need to build up our partners and make sure we have cooperative government so the iraqi people can provide for their own security. that is the way we will find an enduring way to deal with the threat that is posed by isil. if we rely only on america's military might, there is no question that because of the bravery and skill of our american servicemen and women, that they can have a substantial impact on the battlefield. they could, as the president said yesterday, route, isil on the battlefield. there is no question about that. if we want to make sure isil doesn't come back we need to make sure we have effective partners who can provide for the security of their country and prevent isil from making a return. now there is a role for the united states to play and both diplomatically an even militarily to support those efforts. we will not be able to solve that problem for them. i recognize some. president's critics don't agree. some of the president's critics think we should act militarily to solve the problem for them. that will require substantial

equipment and military force and occupation of another strategy. that is not a strategy the president doesn't succeed. it didn't succeed in the iraq last time around and president doesn't believe it is recipe for success this time earlier. kristin. >> following up on military options you said this during the meeting the president's possible options with the national security team, to be clear on this point, the pentagon presented any military options at this point? >> i'm not in position as we discussed a cowell times this week, i will not get into detailed play-by-play back an forth between the president an his senior military advisors but i will tell you as a general matter it that the president has been discussing -- >> that is josh earnest still taking some heavy questioning from the media there regarding the situation, the crisis in iraq and syria and whether or not all military options are available in syria as well, trying to skirt the issue. fox news's ed henry repeatedly questioning him whether or not they would consider that. that the president in fact suggested that airstrikes in

syria would be an option available. we'll take it around the couch to discuss some of these options and kind of a mixed messages we're hearing from the white house. kirsten, your comments. >> well i think obviously the president made a mistake when he said they didn't have a strategy. at the same time they are clearly developing a strategy behind the scenes and they're not going to hopefully, tell the whole world what it is going to be. you know i think what ed henley really hit on which is important, why didn't they already have a strategy? why is it just being formulated right now when we know this has been going on a long time and this is something they should have been prepared for. >> there was no answer to that. >> he was reading time after time, statements white house made we see the threat, we know what is happening we're going to have a strategy, there is no strategy. what else can you say about that? you hang your head and say this is jv team. >> stacy, you brought up an important point yesterday when you talked about the status of forces agreement, a lack of a viable structure and framework to help the iraqis succeed,

really focusing let regional partners provide and sustain their situation for themselves but they can't do it. when they have this chaos. >> his intelligence community told him to do that. if they had done that they would have intel. we would have known about and he couldn't use the excuse, oh, i didn't know that they have been putting together this militia for four years. because we could have been there, able to infiltrate and get the information. >> more of a stable environment. >> partnering with the iraqi security forces. we would have diplomatic pressure. talked about a sophisticated iraqi government and how they need that. they need that working with them and shepherding them in the pros' along. i take great issue josh earnest said, iraq was failure. iraq in 2009 was not a failure t was heading into the direction that could have been stable, moderate, quasi-democratic country the middle east would need. >> only if we were able to stay there for the next 20 years. the american people did not want to do. >> we're still in germany and south korea.

>> you're comparing germany to being in iraq. >> why can't you? >> germany is stable country not in the middle of the war. >> it wasn't stable country. >> that is way it is right now. it wasn't in the middle, you doesn't have radical jihad its run around the country. >> it took decades. that is the wages in iraq because it is more complicated quit on it, give it away. >> should work with iraqi pores forces laid down the weapons and isis showed up. they're not perfect. just like maliki was not perfect political partner. he went to iran because we left. >> i can't work with them. he has our weapons because they laid them down and walked away. >> because we weren't there to see through the investment that we made. >> be. >> no one is talking about babysitting. i want my national security is secured. am not interested in nation bidding too. >> you are you're right about that. stick with us here. stick with us on "outnumbered." we'll be back right here after the break.

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>> welcome back. this isout numbed per. you are welcomed back -- "outnumbered." a very spicy conversation, white house briefing where press secretary josh earnest most recently was pressed by a round of reporters on the president not having a strategy to strike

isis in syria, pete, and kirsten. >> conversation continued after break. reality, this is complicated because it is iraq. there is so batchingage associated to iraq. we were talking about staying or not staying. there is nothing that would have said it worked out perfectly if we would have stayed. i fully acknowledged. when we're involved we're able to steer interests with resid all force. >> control the situation. >> control the situation. you can empower moderate forces. kill which we need to do radical islamists. get intelligence. that is why it is important to be there. >> one thing we talked about during the break though what we don't know, a lot of people say oh if we stayed, that would have happened, that would have happened, everything would be great. maybe not. maybe which would get pictures of soldiers heads being hung up by these crazy jihadists and people would say -- >> not give inch the strength, skill, expertise of our fighting forces. >> but kimberly, they were there, isis has been there since

the beginning of the war. >> they were key defeated. al qaeda in iraq was defeated. >> iraq was in far better situation. all we're saying give them a fighting chance and show them leadership because you want become war-weary dealing with enemies like this. everything we did was for now then, then why all the military forces and men an women served in this situationangry because has been allowed to devolve to the point of crisis. >> don't you think, don't you think that if we had stayed, it is more likely that isis would have just stayed in syria? >> we'll continue this conversation on monday, folks, on labor day. back here at noon eastern time. "happening now" on the other side of the break, stay tuned.

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a fox news alert. we are waiting a new's conference from tony stewart. the nas-car driver set to return to racing for the first time since the fatal crash. this is "happening now". >> isis terrorist boasting of a bleed massacre. releasing images of terrified syrian soldiers forced to march for their death. but the white house is not ready to step in. >> we don't have a strategy yet. >> so when will the president decide what to do about isis? >> we have to make sure plans are dev