pushed by the out set from those that wanted us to overthrow the iraq government and install themselves in baghdad. they got their way after a less informed president was george w. the kagans have been right there in the room with the the head of the afghan mission today advising him every step of the way. why? why did general patraeus assume the right to allow the people to advise him? what agenda was he seeking here? what was he buying into? why was he buying the hawkish agenda of those who advocated war in iraq in the first place. if so, why was he working for president obama who stood out there against that war. i have to think that patraeus doesn't understand politics or ideology or he shapes his ideology or accepts the ideology of those who stood against obama from the beginning. this is really strange. someone in the administration better start paying attention to who was getting into the tent and who they are indeed working for. backing the iraq war in the

mentality behind it is no small thing. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. politics nation with al sharpton starts right now. >> thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, take the deal. for weeks, republicans have been playing a juvenile game of chick nl refusing to give in on tax cuts for millionaires. demanded more cuts to the social safety net. today, president obama made it clear to the gop take the deal. >> you are hurting me in order to give another advantage to folks who don't need help. and we had an extensive debate about this for a year. and not only does the majority of the american people agree with me, about half of republican voters agree with me on this. so, at some point, there's got to be i think a recognition on

the part of my republican friends that take the deal. >> take the deal. it's just that simple. republicans lost the election. polling is against them. it makes you wonder, is political pettiness their only rationale for saying no? i hope not. so does this president. >> if you just pull back from the immediate political battles, if you kind of peel off the partisan war paint, then we should be able to get something done. >> the president has done everything he can to get something done. he's put forth a detailed plan. and, today, he spent a large part of his 36-minute news conference talking about how the two parties can come together on a deal. but speaker boehner, his

negotiating partner, he put on his partisan war paint in a 52 second press conference. >> i hope the president will get serious soon about providing and working with us on a balanced approach. tomorrow, the house will pass legislati legislation tax relief for every american. he can call on senate democrats to pass that bill or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in american history. >> 52 seconds. that's all the time he got. speaker boehner is taking his ball and he's going home. signaling he'll walk away from the deal unless democrats agreed to his plan, one that gives millionaires a $50,000 a year tax cut. i can tell you one thing, the president is not going to take that deal. it's a raw deal for the american people. with time running out for the new year, republicans are still

playing politics. joining me now is dana millbank, columnist for the washington post and anna marie cox, correspondent for the guardian. thank you for both being here tonight. >> hi, reverend. >> anna, will boehner take the deal? >> well, if i could answer that one way or another, then i wouldn't have to open my christmas presents, either. i would know everything. but i don't know. i do know that the plan be that he's put forward. it's an unusual thing to be in. but it seems like such a suicide mission in some ways. it seems like there's no win in that. it is full of not win. it is full of losing for the republicans on every level. i confess that maybe i'm of the mystic or naive, but i have to believe that there's a lot more going on underneath the surface. boehner is known for wanting to reach compromise.

and the president is a deal maker himself. so maybe there's some -- maybe there's footsy going on here that we don't know about. on the top of the table, it makes no sense what so ever. >> dana, what are we looking at here? fight within the republican party here? is it against the more moderate republicans? i mean, why are we seeing boehner take this kind of position. >> well, boehner is taking this kind of position because he's basically being held hostage by his very conservative house republican caucus. it's not entirely clear that he's going to be able to get enough of his republicans even to pass his plan be. then he's got to go to a plan c. it's not clear that john boener is able to strike a deal at least until things get a little more tense. i think you're seeing that frustration. that's what was boiling over today. it's going to be pretty ugly on

the house floor tomorrow. >> ann marie, when you look at some of the conservatives, they're saying exactly what dana is talking about. listen to the right wing activist. >> this is a terrible bill. this is a terrible box. republicans have painted themselves into in this corner. they've got to get themselves out of it. the void for higher taxes is the worst possible solution chblt it is embarrassing how badly this has been negotiated. real fiscal conservatives would simply walk away from this mess. >> now, anna marie, when dana was talking about tomorrow and you see bozel attacking, he's attacking boehner's bill. not the president's. he doesn't think boehner's bill is good enough.all of that vehe

against boehner. they're not even considering the president. >> we used to talk about a sub rose war in the republican party. it certainly becomes rosa. part of me wants to believe that boehner is doing this plan b to force these radical tea party conservatives to vote against it. to make them come out and state that they're willing not to compromise at all. there's one thing that the american people want to see. it's that people want some kind of compromise. they're not too clear about what the compromise is or the sequestration is. but to make americans vote against even plan b, which is a terrible compromise for lots of reasons, i think the american people are not going to be happy about that. like i said, there's sort of no win at all in this bill. for boehner or the tea party republicans. i don't know exactly what's going on. i wish that i did. >> well, you know, dana, when

you look at the fact that we've seen bipartisan cooperation before, even gingrich worked with bill clinton. let me quote him. the impact will be some pain to a lot of people. but, in fact, we've survived the '90s paying clinton-level taxes. i'm just saying. clinton level taxes meant that the people at the top had to pay their share. and they were not getting tax cuts. >> yeah, i mean, reverend, consider this. you mentioned reverend norquist. he said it's okay. you can go with this boehner plan because we won't consider it a tax increase. he's given them a blessing. and even then, you have a significant number of conservatives willing to ball k at this. it's really not clear who's in charge, if anybody is in charge

in this environment at all. that's why it's very dicey to predict what will happen. in terms of the -- there was a plot of shouting back and forth between the white house and newt gingrich back in the '90s. they ult maltly got to a deal. we will ultimately get to a deal here. it's just not clear how much collateral damage needs to be inflicted on the economy first. >> let me be clear. this bill, as much as they are against it, it is no kind of way a progressive bill. let's be real clear that this bill would raise taxes on 20 million families. it raises just 50% of the bill the president asked for during the campaign. unemployment benefits expire for 2 million workers and it allows the gop to hold the debt limit hostage. so this is no progressive bill at all. that mr. boehner is proposing.

that they're voting on tomorrow, anna marie. yet, that's too moderate for some of the tea party and bozels in the world. >> it captures their insanity a little bit. maybe there is some kind of grand scheme going on here that boehner is pointing out. he has been sort of losing a lot of power to the tea parties in his caucus. he's really had a lot of trouble reigning them in. there's only so many power games you can play inside the congress in order to get people to go along. forcing them to come out might be something that he can use against them in the future. but, you know, it's two more long years before we have, yet, another election. he's a smart guy. i have to believe this is something that didn't come to him at 5:00 happy hour. that he's actually thought over. so we'll see what happens tomorrow. as dana said, it's really hard to target it out at this point. >> well, we'll be watching tomorrow. thank you both for your time this evening. >> thanks, reverend.

>> president obama promises action on guns in january. but republicans are offering more ridiculous comments. we'll talk about the chance for change with chairman barnie frank. also, president challenges republicans. we'll tell you why he's telling them to, "take me out of it." and the "politics nation" justice files. 10 years ago today, five young men were cleared of a crime they didn't commit. but their call for justice goes on. all of that plus we'll tell you what's going on in this picture. you're watching politics nation on msnbc.

it's what everyone's talking about. the president and a rather small spiderman one-on-one in the white house. what's it all about? stay tuned.

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today, president obama took a huge step towards preventing another mass shooting like we saw at sandy hook elementary. we announced that vice president biden would oversee a mass from across the administration to reform our gun laws. >> the fact that this problem is complexed can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing. the fact that we can't prevent every act of violence doesn't mean we can't steadily reduce the violence. and prevent the very worst violence. this should be a wake up call for all of us to say that if we

are not getting right, then nothing else matters. >> the president audit results by the end of next month. this is not an issue he'll allow to just fade away. >> this is not some washington commission. this is not something where folks are going to be studying the i shall shoe for six months and publishing a report that gets read and then pushed aside. this is a team that has a very specific task. to pull together real reforms right now. >> real reforms right now. the american people want this. our children deserve this. democrats and congress are working on it. some on the right just can't accept that everything is changed. just look at the headline from today. florida announced it has passed 1 million permits for concealed

weapons. the most in the nation. a virginia state lawmaker is introducing a bill that would require schools to arm teachers. and ohio's governor says he'll sign a bill expanding the use of concealed weapons in that state. we cannot continue to be a nation where there are more guns than people. and where the worst among us have access to these kinds of weapons. we can't wait and the president knows it. joining me now is congressman barney frank, democrat from massachusetts and former chairman of the financial services committee. chairman frank, thanks for joining me today. >> let me ask you, will this time be different? do republicans understand we have to change our gun laws now? >> i'm not sure they do. but the democrats do and it is different. i've been in support for tougher

gun laws for some time. but i've got to explain to my liberal fans that we haven't always had the vote. there are parts of the country where, unfortunately, the support wasn't there. newtown has changed that. the majority of people who wanted unrestricted gun ownership and ammunition ownership cared so strongly about that that they had more points than one group of people through a high priority issue. now it's a high-priority issue. and a large number of democrats say we're going to do the right thing. and the fact is now they'll have the courage of their convictions. some republicans will also agree to that. i believe you're going to see early in the next congress, a few legislative successes. >> but the nra will be fighting strong. do you think they are power and influences over estimated as mayor michael bloomberg said? >> no, it wasn't. i think at the time, mayor

bloomberg, a few years ago -- you know, i'm a little puzzled by mr. bloomberg pointing fingers at everyone else. the assault weapons ban expired in 2004, which was the result of the republican congress. that was around the time that mike bloomberg was giving money to republicans. i don't remember him telling tom delay that he wouldn't contribute to delay's organization at that time. newtown has changed things. what it has done is given those people who agree with us that we should regulate guns more motivation. they're more likely now to vote that way. so two years ago, yeah, the nra was very powerful. and it could defeat some people. but the newtown mass murder that the -- the unspeakable horror of that, has changed the equation. >> it is so e gree jous, when

you look at florida and ohio, ex-felons never allowed to vote again in their life. but after five years, they can carry a gun in their hand. how do we have states where you cannot vote for the rest of your life but you can be a convicted felon, ex-felon, and i believe redemption should certainly go -- but you can carry a gun and not vote. >> even there, the nra people are hypocrite kal. there are some people who are seriously mentally ill, for instance, who shouldn't be allowed to have a gun. but they are opposed allowing a check system. they have these gun shows that pop up. and you can go into a gun show and, no matter how mentally and emotionally deranged you are, there's no waiting period. you're right. it's totally inconsistent. and it is also, even where they do say okay, there are limits on

who can buy a gun, they make those limits totally unenforceable. we will be putting legislation through to make that possible. >> what do you say when you say putting legislation through? >> reinstating the assault weapons ban, banning the large clips, the large number of bullet that is you can fire in such a short period of time. and adding other places where you can buy guns to this requirement for a waiting period. it should not be possible to buy a gun anywhere in america without a waiting period during which we check to see if you are in these categories. so we talk about severe, thorough checking before people can buy guns. assault weapon ban and a situation where the ammunition is banned. we also want to have what they've been trying to do in the nra's pocket, a registry where

you can see what guns do so you can look for commonalities in the bullets that are fired from guns. and that because it's not just mass weapons or handguns, are also a problem. but assault weapons, large numbers of bullets, those big magazines of ammunition and a full check system. we should be able to get all three of those. >> now, newt gingrich says that sandy hook shooting happened because god was driven from public light. let me show you what he says. when you have an anti-religious, secular bureaucracy and secular judiciary seeking to drive god out of public life, something fills the vacuum. i don't know that going from communion to playing war gamies in which you practice killing people is necessarily an improvement. >> that's just an example newt gingrich will say anything to get attention. from the standpoint of god, by

the way, god wasn't just driven out of public life. god appears to be driven out of mr. gingrich's private life, if you look at his marital history. he's very selective about where he thinks fundamental religious tenants ought to be followed. somebody once say we drove god out. we must be very powerful. if you believe in god, you're believing in an omnipotent, omi present god. if anyone thinks that means that an all-powerful god loses, it's sack raly jous. >> mr. chairman, thank you for your time tonight. best of luck in your next endeavor and please come back on the show any time. any time. >> absolutely. thank you. thank you. >> still ahead, a powerful new documentary about five young men cleared of a crime they didn't commit. that happened ten years ago

today. now, the fight for justice is heating up. plus, what's really behind the gop's opposition to president obama. is it politics? or is it personal. stay with us. what's next? he's going to apply testosterone to his underarm. axiron, the only underarm treatment for low t, can restore testosterone levels back to normal in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact.

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president obama is poised for an unprecedented push forward for america on guns, taxes, immigration, voting. he can make the country so much

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relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. when president obama was reelected last month, americans sent a message to washington. they believe in fans. they believe in progress. republicans have done nothing but drag their feet. today, the president made it clear he is trying to do what is best for the country. >> i'm often reminded when i speak to the republican leadership, that the majority of their caucus's membership come from districts that i lost. and so sometimes, they may not see an incentive in cooperating with me. at some point, you know, they've got to take me out of it. and think about their voters. and think about what's best for the country.

>> this can't be personal. this has to be about policy. it has to be about what's best for the country. there's a job that has to be done. and americans stand behind what president obama is trying to do. a new poll shows the president's job approval ratings at 57%. the highest ratings since the death of osama bin laden. but only 11% of americans approve of what the congress is doing. 11%. americans believe in the president and are sick and tired of gop failures in congress. joining me now is bob strum, senior advisor to the kerry and gore campaigns and now a professor at nyu. and visiting professor of journalism at the university of georgia. thanks to both of you for being here tonight. >> glad to be here, rev. >> good to be here, reverend.

>> will public opinion force the republicans to get out of the way of the president? >> i think it may. it's going to be tough. it's going to be the perils all the way. but the republicans are on the fiscal cliff, they're on the gun cliff, they're either going to move and come to some degree of cooperation or they're going to stay in this extremist cul-de-sac. if they move, the president is going to have some landmark achievements. if they don't move, as a prominent republican, they're in danger of becoming functionally a third party. that is a permanent party in presidential politics. but boehner, in particular, has people who are crazy to deal with. they dislike the president so much that if he proposed something they had been for a year ago, they would now be mightily against it.

>> listen to him today as he made these appeals. >> if there's one thing we should have after this week, it should be a sense of perspective about what's important. i would like to think that members of the caucus would say you know what, we disagree with the president and a whole bunch of things. we wish the other guy had one. but, right now, what the country needs is for us to compromise. make sure middle class taxes don't go up. all the things that will make a determination as to whether or countries grows over the next 10 years, 20 years, 40 years. >> cynthia, do the republican

leadership have the ability to compromise? they so much vetoed inside their own caucus by the right right w that they are jammed from anywhere to be making compromises? >> earlier in the show you were talking about in the fiscal cliff, the barrier seems hemmed in. this plan b makes absolutely no sense except for the fact that the man is unable to get his right wing republican caucus to come to its senses. we spent last month after election day debating whether republicans had final ly learne their listen. surely, the majority of voters did not like what republicans stand for. that their brand was damaged.

surely they would change before they found themselves a third party or extinct. it does not appear they have yet gotten the message. maybe they will eventually, but it doesn't look like they've gotten the message on taxes. i'm not sure that they've gotten the message on gun control, either. we'll see. >> you know, bob, the president recording to the new york times, he faces a critical choice. >> the agenda has changed and today the times says he's got to deal with whether he should tackle gunl reform in the next term.

>> what does he do, bob? >> well, some deals are going to be made in the back room, frankly. if there's a fiscal cliff deal in the end, it's going to be boehner sitting there to sign onto what the president has proposed. but he's going to move forward with gun control. if you look at the numbers on that issue, if you ask people do you think there should be a lot more gun control, it's a very close question. should we close the gun show loophole? there are big majorities in favor of that. i think the president is going to put it in the state of the union message. i think republicans are going to be in real trouble if they block that. they're going to face the same problem on immigration reform. as we just heard, and i think it's a brilliant analysis, their brand is damaged.

but they can't repair their brand with some kind of pr campaign. as i said earlier, the republicans are going to move or they're going to be blamed for lack of progress. one other thing, if they think they can hurt democrats by slowing this economy as much as possible, they already tried that. it didn't work out very well in 2012. >> in november, the new york times reported that the president wanted to be a transformational figure. but that's a very, very tricky thing. and it's a hard mountain to climb. let me read what they wrote. the president once envisioned himself in the pant on and the president enters his next term

far more than he intended to be. it faces what may be the climatic challenge of his political career. without a mandate, a healthy economy or willing republican partners. is it obama keeps facing the immediacy of the political hour situations behind his control? where he has to deal with day-to-day combat with the repub lip c ly cans rather than deal with some of the transformational issues that he was sho committed to? >> he can hardly transform republican politics. what can he possibly do with republicans who are still committed to his failure.

it didn't work for them in the election in november, but we are still committed to his failure. we are getting to see republicans who are still opposing the president on every term. and that is i think progressives may now have more realistic expectations about what obama can deliver. he was doing everything he possibly could and i think he will continue to do so in his second term. >> bob and cynthia, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> coming up, the politics nation justice file.

the central park case that's revisited. why is new york still fighting these men who ten years ago today were cleared of that crime. it's a matter of justice. stay with us. [ male announcer ] coughequence™ #8. waking the baby.

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>> why is the president going on and on with this pint-sized story on spiderman? while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you.

have you joined the "politics nation" conversation on facebook yet? on our page, this photo was the big hit of the day. it was taken right before halloween. it shows the president pretending to be in the web of a pint-sized spiderman. this photo got a big response on the "politics nation" facebook stage. >> linda calls him the father in chief. and jenn says he's a great president and a great parent. we want to know what you think, too. please head over to facebook and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends.

it was known simply as the central park jogger case. the terrible 1999 rape and beating of a new york jogger in central park. it became a flash point for questions about justice in america. five teenagers were convicted of the crime and went to prison but ten years ago today, those men were cleared of the crime. another man actually confessed and a judge overturned their convictions. i've had rallies about this case because these young men should have been presumed innocent. i even helped raise money to get them out of jail. 10 years ago today, these men were cleared. to get on with their lives. but, since then, the city of new york has fought their claim for restitution for the mistakes made by the city.

i's police and prosecutors. the question 10 years later is why won't the city do the right thing. joining me now is attorney jonathan moore who represents four to five men in their suit against the city of new york. thank you for coming on the show tonight, jonathan. >> thank you, reverend al. >> this was obviously a joyous day for the central park five. but your case has been going on for years. what are you asking for? and why is it still going on a decade later? >> well, the case is about really two things. it's about compensation for the fact that these young kids, 14, 15 at the time, spent the best part of their youth locked up in prisons in the state of new york for something that they didn't do. but the case is also about accountability. and about holding these detectives and the district attorneys involved accountable for their misconduct.

they had hard evidence that was not used, am i right? >> they had any reasonable detective or district attorney looking at this evidence at the time. especially when the evidence came back with no dna connection between these kid and the unfortunate victim in the park that night. they should have been looking at evidence for who really did this. they had the name, the ultimate perpetrator. they had had it before april 19th. had they done the basic investigative detective work, not only would these young men be spared the indignity and humanity of going to jail and rupture their family lives away. but several victims who were raped and murdered might have been spared that indignity as well. >> now, you're referring to the fact that raus, who ended up

years later confessing to this, in fact, went onto rape other women and kill one. he raped three women, raped and killed one woman, who was pregnant. >> who was pregnant. so that's two deaths. >> so he was ablg to do this because he was not charged, even though the police had the where with all to arrest him when all of this was going on? >> the police have his name as a result of identification of him by stitches on his chin. and a rape that occurred in the park in the very vicinitity where the central park jogger was raped. >> april 17th, 19 9? >> and he did not know that any of these young men were connected in anyway. >> there was absolutely no evidence that he was connected with a district attorney win when a district attorney concluded there was no evidence that he knew any of the people

in this case. >> jonathan moore, thank you for joining us tonight. we'll have you back on the show as we follow this case. >> my pleasure. >> now with me is pulitzer prize-win i prize-winning columnist and sarah burns who directed the new documentary the central park five. thank you both for being here. >> there's always been so much wrapped into this case. in your mind, why after all of these years won't the city step up and come to some settlement. after all, the guys were cleared. >> i think the same reason that the case moved forward as more investigation was done, i think people got stuck into their positions and they never got unstuck. and that continues to this day. >> but we're talking, sarah, about law enforcement.

we're talking about people that are supposed to objectively look to evidence. they have the power to stay. >> they didn't do their jobs. their jobs is to get justice, right? that's what they're supposed to do. and they failed in this case. they let the right man get away and they put the wrong people in jail. >> you said in the documentary, they could have had the real criminal. let's take a look at what you said. >> by prosecuting the wrong people for the central park jogger case, raus continued to hurt, maim and kill. and they could have had him, but they're stuck with a mistake. and they're still invested in that mistake. >> and as disturbing as raus continued killing another women and rape three other women. >> that's right. obviously, whenever they put a

wrong man or a wrong person in prison, the right person is out on the street continuing to hurt people. so you may feel no sympathy for the five teenagers who were wrongly confused -- accused and convicted. but don't forget, you're letting a criminal go free when you put the wrong person in prison. if you don't -- if it doesn't bother you, all right, that you -- you know, that you're destroying these boys' youths, at least think about the other people on the street who are going to get hurt. >> one of the things -- and i've been very open that i was involved in this case in '89, one of the things that was most fwriping was when i talked to the young men and you recently, they're talking to you about the interrogation. why they were forced to make confessions and why they did that. listen to some of that interview. >> none of us, including our parents, had ever had any involvement with the law. >> since we were kids, we were very fragile at the time.

>> once a juvenile is broken down, you can basically tell him anything. >> just the amount of tricks they were using was so devious, that it caused our parents at the point of saying, you know what, maybe if we just go along with it, we'll be able to get out of here. >> tired from lack of sleep. lack of food. lack of showers. we just wanted to go home. we wanted it to go away. >> they brought another detective in, he sat close to me and yelling in my face. >> they were just holding me, holding me hostage there. >> it all seems like a blur. it all seems like this one nightmare that you can't wake up from. >> they wanted society to kill us off, as well. never in a million years did they want us to be able to succeed and be here before you today telling the truth about this matter. >> i knew a lot about the facts of this case. until i saw burns mcman's movie,

i didn't know a lot about these young men. i felt what reflations were extraordinarily powerful for me to meet them through the film. it's really a fabulous -- >> and it is a fabulous film. and the motivation for you and your partners and your father to do this, they couldn't even get a job. one of them ended up working for me. good, young men whose whole lives have been turned around. what was the motivation why you wanted to do this documentary? >> well, part of it was simply setting the record straight. i think people didn't know that the convictions have been vacated. it wasn't the big story that it was in 1999. so many people were still walking around thinking oh, yeah, that case and assuming they were guilty. so part of it was less informed of what happens. i think it's important how this happens and why it happens. because something like this could happen again today.

>> and ro evi think that's the . if we do not correct how the system works, if we do not think how prosecutors and police work, then it can happen again. and i would argue that it is happening again, gym. . >> well, i think it's both a system question and almost a spiritual, cultural question. one of the things the movie shows very well is the incredible antagonism of that moment in 1989. people calling for the death penalty for teenagers. you know? we have to think about these things a little more deeply about how we respond to them. just as humans. forget about where the cops -- the cops have got to do the right thing. the prosecutor has to do the right thing. but we're the public. we have to think about these things. >> no, they were calling them. because all of us that have been active have believed in things and said things that maybe others felt was over the line. i'm not talking about the advocates.

and i could call some famous names that were on the other side. but they've had the right to believe in things like i have had the right. but i'm talking about law enforcement. we're not talking about believers here. we're talking about the power of prosecutors and the badge that use the power of the state and ignore evidence and still won't make it right now. >> that's what your film does for us. >> yeah, they have a duty. they're supposed to look for the truth and get the right person. and they didn't do that. >> do you think this film will open up a lot of eyes on the prosecutors around the country? i'm talking about in police side, that they have an obligation to be more cautious? i think it will. a lot of prosecutors do a great job. and getting over them takes a long time. you've got