let me be clear. the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. by any standard, it is inexcusable, and despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable. >> now some of the grisly details of those attacks were captured on the front page of the "new york times" today, a painful reconstruction of strikes that left thousands of sick and dying syrians in the suburbs of damascus before dawn. their bodies convulsing and mouth foaming. their vision was blurry. many could not breathe. one doctor on location likened the images to a horror movie with cars bringing in entire families, fathers, mothers, children, all of them dead. syrian leaders, however, continued to deny using chemical weapons this morning and faced with reports of u.s. strikes that could come as early as

thursday, according to u.s. officials. syria also stressed it can defend itself using all available means. still, no formal decision has been announced regarding a u.s. military response. the u.n. chemical weapons team when visited the site of the alleged chemical attack yesterday said it's not too late to collect and analyze the evidence and is expected to resume inspections tomorrow. u.s. officials say they do not need to wait for a u.n. report before taking action. joining me today, politics editor for "business insider, "josh barrow. peter binart, "daily beast" editor and "washington post" columnist and msnbc contributor jonathan capehart, and senior editor for "the atlantic," and former fellow on the press. and diplomatic correspondent for the "washington post," ann guerin. and joining us from cairo, nbc news foreign correspondent amman mojadin. when we look at the rising

crescendo of a potential strike as early as thursday, as i mentioned, are we understand to understand that most of the diplomatic solutions are off the table from the u.s. perspective? >> yes. i mean as far as a diplomatic solution that would avert a military one. as a component of any military strike the united states were to initiate, it is trying very hard to get diplomatic backing which is a different thing. so you've seen some of that happening over the last couple of days, and you saw an important element in that recipe coming today with the arab league saying that chemical weapons were used and appearing to back some open international response. stopped short of saying that bombing military sites in syria was acceptable. but it's exactly the kind of regional backing, important backing that the united states would want if it was to undertake the action. >> and amman, give us perspective here on what game syria is playing. obviously, some sort of punitive

cooperation with an investigation. but it seems that diplomatically things are closing in around them with multiple independent accounts of this being a pretty atrocious chemical weapons attack on their own people. >> well, the syrian foreign minister held a press conference in damascus today in which he thanked regional partners including jordan, surprisingly. he said that he thanked jordan for its position in not allowing western countries it use its territory for any possible aggression against the syrian people. more importantly, he said that syria had a host of surprises to defend itself should there be any type of military aggression on its territory. and more importantly, he tried to describe this as a plot being hashed by israel and the united states to weaken syria and for them to expand their reach and control over the middle east. so the syrian government is definitely using the pressure that is intensifying internationally to fit its narrative. that this is a conspiracy that is being backed and fueled by

gulf-arab countries that have been arming the rebels and more importantly that it serves the interest of the united states that wants to see a weakened sooerc syria. that's what he put forward and one that syria has been maintaining all along. as we have been say, the interior foreign ministers said the government had the right to defend itself, that it would defend itself. more importantly, that any military act on syrian territory would lead to a regional confrontation that would not end favorably for the united states or its allies. >> stay with us as we turn to the panel here. peter, you've looked at these issues a lot from a middle east perspective. and israel which ayman mentioned. i want to read something that ambassador sam power wrote last night close to midnight in looking at the humanitarian costs. she said, "haunting images of entire families dead in their beds, verdict is clear -- assad has used chemical weapons against civilians in violation of international norms." is it possible when you look at the policy question here to feel

terrible about those people who have been hurt and killed and murdered while also questioning whether there's anything good that the united states can do? i mean, aren't people right to be initially skeptical of hearing humanitarian arguments for military action? >> yeah. i mean, the argument for it is that there has been a norm against the use of chemical weapons which are a particularly horrendous kind of weapon. and that if you don't send any message, then the next step -- dictator with his back against the wall is going to do the same thing. the argument against it is to say is it really worse to kill people this way than some other way? 100,000 people in syria have died. we're going to go to war because 1,000 were killed with chemical weapons? and what was interest interesting was kerry said almost nothing about the larger serious situation. he seemed clearly to be saying we're going to stay out of this larger conflict, but specifically respond only to the chemical weapons used. one can argue that morally that doesn't actually make sense. >> yeah. i mean, josh, it's a very

difficult question. and as peter mentioned, 100,000 dead or also 1.9 million refugees. this humanitarian crisis has been going for some time. >> right. and while it's a very severe crisis, what we haven't heard from the administration is a clear story about what our involvement is supposed to do to alleviate it. i think when weather we went into libya last year, there was this fairly compelling story about how you use some air power and it weaken the regime so that it will fall to the rebels who will provide a somewhat better government than the gadhafi government had been. that was a plausible story about how u.s. intervention would make things better. i don't think we've hear that story in syria yet about how our involvement is supposed to do anything to alleviate the massive suffering that obviously is going on there. >> and ann, let me bring you back in on that. we talk about other countries. the obama administration has been assertive in multiple countries without congressional authorization including pakistan and yemen where we've seen drone strikes which have of course generated a lot of controversy. although the administration says they've been targeting killings that have saved a lot of lives,

as well as libya where you had one of these limited operations of air, no ground troops, and ultimately regime change. does the administration to some degree neil it has a good record of operating without explicit congressional authority? >> yes. and this action assuming it comes would look very much like the very first days of the libya operation in 2011. also going back a ways like somewhat like the kosovo, the initial stages of the kosovo operation in which there was u.s.-led military action with a moral and legal justification according to the white house if not -- even if it doesn't fit all the four corners of international law or carry a u.n. mandate. that's what we're likely to see here, too. the administration will say that because it is a very, very short campaign, maybe as short as two days, for that and other reasons

it falls below the legal requirements of the war powers act, and there will be some congressional complaint about that, but basically those kinds of operations have gone ahead before, and they -- it will probably go ahead now. >> sure. that's an important point. but also a disputed one because most modern presidents don't accept the war powers act as a limitation on their war-making power, right? >> no. absolutely. and we've gone ahead and done military strikes in other countries without that. and certainly in libya. i think one of the things that's clear is the way this is being put forward by the administration is that this is not a humanitarian intervention. this is going to be a strike in defense of international norms that have been in place since world war i. in defense of those and then get out of there. and i think there seems to be a reluctance to predict what could happen and to get more involved in the way that would be possibly destabilizing. even more destabilizing. >> let me give ayman the final

word out there. do you think that this discussion that's unfolding here in the united states about intervention is well understood abroad? is there a feeling that now with the talk of as soon as thursday there's a credible threat and it could impact the government's activities or are we really coming in late here? >> certainly the critics of u.s. foreign policy in the region who have advocated for stronger u.s. intervention, among them some of the u.s.' closest allies have been saying this is a little too late. that the united states, as we heard, has been waiting since the conflict now has reached 100,000 people, has touched every country in the region. effectively neighboring syria. that why wasn't more international pressure done to put an end to the assad regime's killing machine. there has been very sharp criticism over u.s. policy. but the other thing to keep in mind is that the region is very fatigued and mistrusts u.s. intentions when it comes to military interventions in any country. that is a double-edged sword that is used by both sides in

the debate as we mentioned. the syrian government is using this as an example of how the u.s. wants to control the region. certainly a lot of people even here in egypt are saying that they reject any type of u.s. intervention against another arab country given the fact that the country and the region have suffered from previous u.s. military intervention. it really cuts both ways. and that really is one thing that also widens the divide among countries allied to the u.s. and those who oppose its operations in the region. >> all right. ayman, thanks for your reporting. stay safe. thanks to anne. the panel stays. we are going to talk after the break about president obama's special award to the nation's highest -- the nation's highest military award, i should say, to an afghanistan war vet who the president called a true american hero. army staff sergeant ty card is' bravery in combat might be eclipsed by the courage he's showing in a more personal battle. > people come up to me at parties all the time and ask,

"do i really need to add downy every time?" and i say, "yes. you really do." [ sniffs ] just toss downy unstopables in before the wash. then pour downy infusions right in here for scented softness that helps reduce pilling, fading, static, plus fresh scents that last up to 12 weeks. that's as long as bears hibernate. sure, you could go without it, but do you really want to be that person? downy unstopables and downy infusions in every wash. you'll be unstopable.

before he came, ty said he was hoping to take his children around washington to show them the sights and the history. but jay, madison, if you want to know what makes our country truly great, if you want to know what a true american hero looks like, then you don't have to look too far. you just have to look at your dad. because today he's the sight we've come to see. >> president obama has called this one of the most humbling privileges as commander in chief, presenting the congressional medal of honor. yesterday he bestowed that on

staff sergeant ty carter for his courage defending an outpost in afghanistan. carter is the second soldier to receive the military's highest honor from that battle. 300 taliban fighters surrounded soldiers leading to a fire-fight. during the battle he ran toward enemy gunfire, dodging bullets and motorors, and rescuing a -- mortars, and rescuing a fallen soldier. as the citation notes, "carter fought with complete disregard for his own safety, and in spite of his own wounds." today, carter says he wants to use the distinction to raise awareness for others and the battle millions of soldiers are waging back at home. >> know that a soldier or veteran suffering from post traumatic stress is one of the most passionate, dedicated men or women you will ever meet. know that they are not damaged. they're simply burdened with living when others did not. >> now coming up, as president

obama prepares to commemorate 50 years since the march on washington and martin luther king jr.'s dream, there's a new fight for rights brewing in states across the country. we'll discuss that with the nation's ari berman next. when we made our commitment to the gulf, bp had two big goals:

help the gulf recover and learn from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do.

we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. our commitment has never been stronger. 50 years later, if dr. king could pakistani to us, he would say we've come a distance, we've made a lot of progress. we're in the process of laying down the burden of race. but we're not there yet. >> tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the march on washington, since martin luther kingstad before the lincoln amendment -- martin luther king stood before the lincoln memorial. we take great pride in america from social integration to recent political breakthroughs. many inequalities obviously persist. the event was titled the march for jobs and freedom. today, unemployment for black

americans is double that was whites. our range of inequities continue in the criminal justice system as well despite similar rates of marijuana usage. black americans are about four times as likely to be arrested for that activity. and while many welcome the era of a black president, civil rights leaders say there are still too many barriers to being a black voter. according to findings by republican and democratic judges in the years leading up to the last voting rights renewal in 2006, there were 66 discriminatory voting rules proposed per year. that doesn't even count new hurdles created since the supreme court knocked down part of the vre this year. the president discussed this with faith leaders in a meeting yesterday. tomorrow, president obama will of course deliver a highly anticipated address. his take on the anniversary and the work left to do. joining us to discuss this from washington is contributing writer for "the nation," ari berman. what's up, buddy? >> good to see you. >> good to see you. glad we're doing this. i want to ask first and foremost

about voting rights. you've been covering the story for a long time from the voter i.d. perspective as well as the voting rights act which i know you're writing a book on. when you look at jim sensenbrenner who's been a republican ally turning against the use of what's left of the voting rights act against voter i.d. laws in texas, what does that tell you about where this debate is going looking at the president's address tomorrow? >> well, sensenbrenner did say yesterday at a meeting that the rnc held to commemorate the march on washington that he wanted to be part of a solution on the voting rights act, and he vowed to fix the law by the end of this year which i think is significant. far too many leaders in the republican party have been silent at a time when there's a wave of new voter suppression measures all throughout the south. we have seven southern state that have passed our or implemented new voting restrictions since june bht supreme court gutted the voting rights act. this is a crisis situation. we're seeing the biggest threat to right is that we've seen since the passage of the voting

rights act in 1995. >> jonathan, what do you make of that, that sensenbrenner who has a good record is saying we've got do something but not on voter i.d.? >> well on, the one hand it shows leadership. there's a glimmer of leadership within the republican party on this issue that he's not willing to remain silent and actually wants to do something about it. but when it comes to voter i.d. and voter i.d. laws, it seems to me that there are all these efforts to solve a problem that doesn't really exist. and when you look at what's -- look at the people who are impacted by it, clearly it's people, young people, the elderly, people of color, who might not have access to the various forms of i.d., and who do they vote for? who have they -- i shouldn't say who do they vote for, who have they voted for in the past. >> right. >> it's democratic candidates. i keep thinking back to our colleague, rachel maddow's commercial, on this issue when she talks about how, you know, if you want to fight the fight, fight fair and square. don't try to rig -- rig the game

so that you can win. >> if you look at the map where you see what republican and democratic judges have said, over the years under the voting rights act, what you see is about 88% of these enforcement actions are in the south. those red dots in the southern parts of the country are where you've had the most discriminatory rules. as you look at the march, you look at the anniversary, shouldn't it be pretty hard for republicans to sell the idea that in response to the supreme court the answer is to do nothing? >> well, i think they're not quite doing nothing. i mean, there's seven new states taking initiatives to further restrict voting rights. >> right. i mean, yeah -- congress not renewing it. go on. >> yeah. so there's -- there's an initiative by state-based republicans to do something that is not in the interests of the national republican party for the purposes of presidential elections. and i think what we're seeing is that there's two tendencies within the republican party.

one that's driving decisions at the state level and at the redistricting level for control of the house and for control of the state houses and a different set of interests for the presidential level. >> yeah. and josh, on the economic piece which we also want to get to, when you look at, say, 1963 and unemployment rates, different macro economic trends, black unemployment was around 1 %. white unemployment around 5%. now, 2013, black unemployment higher at a rate of around 13%. in some sense, the racial inequity has narrowed slightly. and yet when you talk to civil right organizers and african-american leaders, while they have a president who they have great respect for, they feel he can't get jobs programs through the congress. is that a civil rights issue in your mind? >> i don't really think of it specifically as a civil rights issue. i mean, we have a broad jobs crisis in this country. unemployment has stayed far that high for too long in coming out of the recovery. i think part of the reason that it disproportionately impacts african-americans and hispanics,

partly has to do with broader economic structural factors. the recovery has been weaker for people with relatively lower levels of education. and african-americans tend to have lower levels of education than -- than what americans. so i think -- than white americans. so i think the policies are policies that would help people of all races to get jobs. we needed more stimulative fiscal policy. we needed a better monetary policy for the last few years. i think the one piece of it that does -- that goes most directly as a racial issue is the drug enforcement issue. where you have -- because you have this disproportionate drug law enforcement against black americans, you have a disproportionately large number of people having difficulty getting into the work force because they have criminal convictions. one of the many things that would be good about drug law reform in the united states is that it would make it easier for people, disproportionately black people, to get jobs. i think there is not specifically a race issue, this is a broad economic problem. >> ari, what is your take on that? we heard a similar argument on

the affirmative action context when conservatives said when it upheld affirmative action this year that it should look for race-neutral ways to do remedial remedies. you could help black people as long as you don't try to help black people. do you buy that argument? the supreme court rejected it. >> well, i think race is far too prevalent in american society right now. race-based schemes are far too prevalent in american society now. that's why we need federal protections like the voting rights act. if you look, for example, in texas, in the redistricting case there, the federal courts found last year that the redistricting maps passed by texas republicans were enacted with "discriminatory purpose," meaning they knew they were discriminating and did it anyway. in the texas voter i.d. law, that was also blocked for finding of discrimination which the justice department is now suing. so we're not in this post-racial era. if anything we're moving back to an era before 1965 where politicians are deliberately discriminating against people on the basis of race.

>> yeah. peter, what's your take? >> i think the larger critical question is is it possible to build a multiracial coalition like existed in 1963 to change things structurally for working class white and black people. it's important to remember that part of the reason there were so many people at the march on washington is that big, white labor leaders like walter ruether were able to bring -- those people don't exist today because the labor movement is so weak. that's part of the reason it's hard to bring together this coalition that i think fundamentally has to be there to bring about a response to inequality across racial groups. >> jonathan, i wonder about your reply. one rebuttal is that obama built the multilevel coalition twice. >> he did built the multiracial coalition to get elected in 2008 to be re-elected. that's the key thing -- to be re-elected in 2012. going forward is will that coalition be there in 2014, during the mid terms? will they be there again in 2016? both selection when the president isn't on -- both

elections when the president isn't on the ballot, a concern for democrats. can i put out one other thing? >> yes. >> i would love to ban the phrase, the term "post racial." we never were there. we're never going to -- i shouldn't say never going to be there, but we're nowhere near being that kind of society. it's a wonderful -- a wonderful notion. but until we solve simple things like voter i.d. or economic disparities or economic inequality or just flat-out racism that exists in our country, we will never get to the point of being post racial. >> can i jump in here? in north carolina in response to what peter just said, we are seeing that multi-issue, multiracial coalition through the moral monday movement. in a state, interestingly enough, with the weakest labor movement in the country. so down south in some of the states that are most affected by voter suppression efforts, we're seeing a fight back. and the beginnings of a coalition that i think could spread nationally to try to

resemble what we saw during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. it's not there yet, but we're seeing the seeds of it in places like north carolina, places like florida with new groups like the dream defenders. >> yeah. interesting counterpoint. and you get the last word, the nation's ari berman. thanks for being with us. >> thank you for having me. after the break, police in washington state arrest two teens in a horrific beating death of an 88-year-old world war ii veteran. and the alleged motive -- robbery. we will discuss the culture of violence in america and a respect deficit next. [ phil ] when you have joint pain and stiffness... accomplishing even little things can become major victories. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. when i was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, my rheumatologist prescribed enbrel for my pain and stiffness, and to help stop joint damage.

[ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. since enbrel helped relieve my joint pain, it's the little things that mean the most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

the house caught fire and we were out on the streets. [ whispering ] shhh. it's only a dream. and we have home insurance. but if we made a claim, our rate would go up... [ whispering ] shhh. you did it right. you have allstate claim rate guard so your rates won't go up just because of a claim. [ whispering ] are we still in a dream? no, you're in an allstate commercial. so get allstate home insurance with claim rate guard... [ whispering ] goodnight. there are so many people in our bedroom. [ dennis ] talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] ...and let the good life in. delbert belton survived a gunshot wound during the battle

of world war ii. he was beaten to death yesterday during an apparent robbery in spokane, washington. some have questioned whether there were racial motives, but authorities do not believe race was a factor. belton was in his car, waiting to go bowling, when suspects allegedly assaulted whim flashlights. he tried fighting back but sustained brain damage and lost too much blood to survive. after authorities apprehended one of the suspects, a second teen was arrested late monday in connection with this deadly beating. 16-year-old heenan adams kennard spent four days on the run before being apprehended by authorities. his uncle told nbc news, "he hung around with the wrong people and made the wrong choices." when you look at an issue like this which has gotten discussion around the country on a range of factors, the first thing is you're seeing a type of violence, peter, that is more than just a crime of economic motivation or trying to take something, although it clearly started that way.

what do you think of and what is the society to ask the hardest question, what's the society supposed to do when we see this kind of violence against a senior citizen and the war hero? >> i think for a long time, the left and right have been polarized. the right always saying there's a cultural values problem and the left saying look at the economic problems behind it. i think it's obviously both. actually, al sharpton, if you listen to the speech he gave, on sunday he spoke about both of those things. he spoke both about the structural economic inequality and unfairness and lack of opportunity and also said that if medgar evers were alive today, he did not die so people in -- young people in inner cities could act like hoodlums and thugs. i think the important thing is to say both of those together. >> i think both of those diagnoses are wrong. we're on a 20-year long-term trend of declines in violent crime. this is a social indicator that keeps getting better. now obviously it should always be lower and crimes like this are terrible. but the idea that we have some

national epidemic of, you know, of parking lot beatings, of distinguished war veterans, is -- >> the number -- >> josh, i'll cut in and say, yeah, you see on the screen violent crime is cut nearly in half since 1990. to your point and let's debate it if it's debatable, fear of crime is up. 56% of americans believe that gun-related violence is higher than 20 years ago. only 20% correctly perceive it lower. >> right. i think there are a couple of things happening. one, i think when you pull about most negative social factors, people overstate them. people think the inflation rate is higher than it is. people are more likely to think we're in a recession than we are. so there's just this general pessimism. partly i think the media reports very sensationalistically reporting on violent crime. this is in fact something that's getting better. i think this obviously is asational thing for this man's family. a terrible thing for spokane. there's going to have to be a

trial. but i don't think there's any big national takeaway from the story. >> when it comes to gun crimes specifically, we've been through a series of gun crimes, en masse gun crimes over the last couple of years that have shaken people to their core. and i'm talking sbifl newto-- specifically about newtown which came after aurora which came after the -- i think it was the sikh temple shooting in wisconsin where you saw lot of people being killed in gun violence. i think that's why you see the american people feeling, particularly when it comes to gun violence, feeling less secure than more secure. >> yeah, and there's been a huge federal effort and lobbying effort on both sides around gun violence. on the one side saying, you know, buy guns to be safer. on the other side saying, we have a gun violence problem that we need to address through new legislation. so because of the, you know, centrality of the conversation for a period of months recently, i think people might be overstating how big a problem is. >> i think it becomes improperly central partly because you have big incidents.

it's like how people worry about plane crashes. they don't spend nearly enough time worrying about dying in auto accidents, which you're about twice as likely to die in the u.s. in an auto accident as are you to be murdered. so you have these -- things we should be worrying about in terms of what's making people unsafe. we should be worried about public health and obesity and cancer and various other big not-sexy risks. we should be worrying less about violent crime. i think both the left and the right lake to talk about it because they both have political hobby horses that they can -- that they can use it as a segue to talk about. whereas, you know, auto accident deaths, there's nothing that conservatives or liberals really would love the government to do for other reasons. that they can use auto accident deaths to justify. >> peter, separate out those -- those two strains. one being that when we're afraid as human beings we can focus on the wrong thing or the dramatic thing. the other being a sort of a political corruption of the information stream. sort of what josh is suggesting. >> i think there's no question that people are much more terrified of the unusual than they are about the normal everyday threat.

they don't think much about getting in their car. they think more about getting in an airplane even though it's probably safer to get in an airplane. i think that when -- you're right. there's been a big decline in violent crime. what we as a society don't know is why. and one of the questions that's going to be a big issue in new york and nationally is that one reason we probably suppressed violent crime is we have had incredibly aggressive policing policies that have harassed a huge number of hispanic men and put them in jail in records that no western society has ever reached. what we don't know as a society is can we focus more on civil liberties and as you were saying the right of those people to have their lives back while still keeping crime low. that's the real question. >> i see, josh, you want to keep going. we've got to go to a break. you can tweet and continue that. would you do that? >> i'd be honored. >> it is an interesting -- really open empirical question. coming up, at least he didn't say "that's a clown question, bro." the infamous missouri rodeo clown who mocked president obama is breaking his silence and answering critics. we'll tell you why he claims he wasn't hating, next.

[ man ] look how beautiful it is. ♪ honey, we need to talk. we do? i took the trash out. i know. and thank you so much for that.

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

the plans go with us. anywhere in the country. i like that. you know what else? unitedhealthcare insurance company has years and years of experience. what do you say? ♪ i'm in. [ male announcer ] join the millions already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. remember, all medicare supplement plans help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay and could really save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. you'll be able to choose your own doctor or hospital as long as they accept medicare patients. and with these plans, there could be low or no copays. you do your push-ups today? prepare to be amazed. [ male announcer ] don't wait. call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp medicare supplement plan to go the distance with you. go long. ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies.

need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. so rodeo clown that orchestrated the disgraceful depiction of a clown dressed in black face depicting president obama told a station, "i didn't do this to do any hating on anyone. i did this to be funny. i did it to be a joke." well, he claims it was a joke, but one spectator said it felt like a klan rally. the tarnished rodeo clown says he is getting death threats and apparently thinks people are just made it to lighten up. i actually think that a lot of people have lost their ability to laugh, he says, "look at the country as a whole. there's a lot more to be mad at than a rodeo clown at a rodeo trying to make somebody laugh." you know, this is one of those times where a complete apology would be a lot better, i think,

than a rhumination on the country's funny bone. some worry the drama could reappear this weekend. a rode glow texas is plan -- rodeo in texas is planning to feature clowns wearing masks of several presidents including president obama. organizers are already working on their best preemptive clarifications. >> the presidents will be making cameo appearances. they will not be put in danger. and they will not be mocked. at least not by us. >> jonathan capehart, where do we come down on this? >> where do we come down on this? okay, i'll speak for myself rather than -- than the entire panel. i'm down on the rodeo clown. dude, really? the nation needs to get a sense of humor? i'm sorry. he -- i think your prescription was right. just a simple apology, how about just stay silent. just -- go away. that would have been better. >> yeah. and after telling him ton joke around because his jokes are in poor taste, i don't want to joke too much. i don't think black-faced rodeos are a thing or should be a thing. >> let's keep something in mind -- he was not in literal black

face. he was wearing an obama mask which there's a photo out there. i mean, we've seen the masks. i think the president is photographed holding one of the masks and joking. i mean, the mask's -- >> on the screen. >> the masks of presidents, you know, that's fair game. it's what happened while the rodeo clown was wearing the mask that's at issue. >> there you have it. it's all about how you wear the mask. after the break, who knows? maybe he feels lucky, but former secretary of state colin powell steps out dancing and wants the gop to change its tune on key issues. [ lane ] do you ever feel like you're growing old waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week.

one week? that's just my speed. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®. diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. starts with freshly-made pasta,

and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family.

♪

that was former secretary of state colin powell dancing with forle williams and jamie foxx at a hamptons benefit this weekend. the document airing on "national geographic" last night, we saw powell, who supported the invasion of iraq as secretary of state, vealing how vice president dick cheney undercut internal discussions with the u.s. to lead the u.s. into war. >> in his speech he effectively shut down the proposal, shot down what we were getting ready to do. the u.n. couldn't do this. it was probably a waste of time. everything that you shouldn't have said in my humble judgment with respect to the decision the president had made. >> i want to go to peter on this. in a sense, some people would argue that colin powell was the peter binart of the bush administration. basically helping go to war and then later found ways to walk it back. you wrote a book about your transformation on foreign policy. and a lot of people feel you should be allowed to change your

mind. but if you want credit as a speaker, as an author, a journalist, or as a diplomat, isn't it too little, too late? >> a lot of people supported the war in iraq, actually. not many of them i think actually decided to write an entire book about how they were wrong. that's something i spent a lot of time doing. i didn't know how to continue writing about american foreign policy credibly unless i actually figured out how i had gotten so wrong. probably also had to do with the fact that a family member of mine spent a lot of time in iraq, in the u.s. military. i think colin powell was in retrospect, sure, in retrospect, would have been great if he had resigned in a blaze of glory. sadly, he was -- he ended up being part of a process that led to one of the greatest foreign policy disasters in american history. >> well, i mean, it was -- obviously a mistake made broadly by people across the political spectrum both within the bush administration and outside it. and i think it's something that would be good if more people who had been involved in that apparatus were having their reckoning about how they had gotten this wrong. i think there's recognition broadly within washington,

certainly if you talk to republican members of congress, that, yeah, going into iraq was a big mistake. what we need to figure south what we do in the next evaluation, what we do in places like syria to figure out how we have a foreign policy that's not totally isolationist but that avoid making mistakes like this. >> jonathan, do you think colin powell retains a lot of credibility here when he's doing these type of interviews and explaining -- even though everyone remembers that he went to the u.n. when he's explaining that internally he -- he argues he did all he could within his obligations as a public servant to try to shift the policy? >> clearly his stature today versus back then is diminished. i think people hold secretary powell, general powell certainly in higher regard than they do vice president cheney. i think there are some people who view colin powell as somebody who was used. now i know there are a lot of people -- i remember at the time people were saying colin powell should resign. he should resign his seat. you know, how -- why should he allow himself to be used this

way. we have to remember that he's a member of the military. he's working for the president of the united states and giving him the best advice he could. he is a soldier. first and foremost, then secretary of state. he's a soldier to his core, and he's serving his country. so i -- you know, i understand people's criticisms of general powell, of secretary powell. but someone who recognizes the mistakes that they made and do everything they can to set the record straight, i give -- you know, i give them kudos, i give kudos to peter. not a lot of people would do what the general is doing and what peter did in a full book saying they were wrong, this is how they got it wrong. if more people did that, this would be a better world. >> uncontestable in your presentation there, one point, that dick cheney's not very popular. i want to ask about another thing. guess who is being called a community organizers for the muslim brotherhood by the right? republican senator lindsay graham is the latest target of our friend, right wing rage.

ahead of his senate primary in 2014, the senior senator is coming under fire with this ad accusing graham of not spending enough time with his constituent. the apparent crime, traveling to egypt with senator john mccain, a fellow republican, on a diplomatic mission. graham's republican brethren are less concerned with the diplomacy and more concerned about his violations of tea party dogma like supporting the nomination of elena kagan. we remember that. and advocating for immigration reform. is lindsey graham in shoutroubl and should he be? >> i think a lot of tea party groups are looking for a candidate to organize around. they may have one in nancy mace. she's the first woman who went to the citadel. she is a barrier breaker. and i think she's going to be a very exciting force in politics down there. you know, the question is, she's already sort of mucked things up a bit first off by being involved with a web site that published unpleasant things about the current governor. >> tell us about the web site.

>> it's called "fitz news." the guy behind it was -- suggesting that he'd had a romance with nikki haley and then remember that this was then denied. then there was nothing ever proved there. >> right. what happened there was that beyond ideology her entanglement with a certain type of dirty politics is -- that's up for fair scrutiny. the other piece of it, peter, is it was a big deal when they added women to the citadel. a lot of republicans at the time vehemently opposed it. if there's one thing i think is neat about her is her biography and the history. >> true. certainly seems to have a leg occupy one of her other guys who wants to run against lindsey graham that said south carolina might need its own federal currency because we can't rely on the u.s. dollar. politics is always interesting. larger issue is the message to all the other republican senators are, if you try to do anything constructive in washington like solve a problem like immigration, everyone knows needs to be solved, you'll be

politically massacred for it in the republican primary. and that's what's so dangerous. >> right. that's the cause of the undertow. and you are our cheney correspondent. >> cheney correspondent. >> so the last thing i want to get to is other cheney news. wyoming senate candidate liz cheney, daughter of course of dick cheney, told a crowd in wye onlying that terrorist recruiting "goes -- wyoming that terrorist recruiting "goes on en masse." a former analyst who earlier that day said the liberals of the world would have you believe that practicing freedom of religion, that's nonsense, he said. >> that's nonsense, i said, about what he said. you cannot smear an entire religion because, you know, a -- a subset of folks who practice that religion have done something wrong, have -- you know, carried out terrorist attacks. i mean, it's just wrong. that's all i want to say about that. that kind of comment -- you know, it's beneath contempt. it doesn't deserve much more conversation than that.

>> and in this primary, you have senator enzi saying basically she's never voted on anything, we don't know where she stands. to be fair to liz cheney, she did serve in government. where she stands is on a robust neo-conservative view of foreign policy. >> no, absolutely. i mean, she takes after her father. i'm not sure that that's what the state wants at this moment in time. i think she's probably going to be a weak challenger in the state. and she's -- you know other fairly new there, as well. >> yeah. i mean, what wyoming republicans care about -- they care about guns, they care about federal encroachment on their lands. the federal government owns almost all the land in wyoming. they care about the sort of small government issues. it's a really weird place to go to try to run a campaign that's built around an aggressive foreign policy. >> right. >> it's -- and mike enzi, unlike lindsey graham, it's not clear what he's done to so irritate conservatives that there would be a viable primary challenge against him. they're trying to focus on the -- do with sales tax on internet purchase which i think gives -- shows you how thin the case against mike enzi is. >> and to leave it there,

though, he doesn't know what he's done because he famously said when she announced that she was running, he said, "i thought we were friends." right. i think he's going to easily win the primary. i think he's confused why she's running. i think the wyoming gop is -- >> a lot of people said that about the cheneys. >> all right. thank you to josh, peter, john, goranz. that's all. we'll be back tomorrow live at noon, joined by chris matthews, director of the equal just initiative, ryan stevenson, and more. you can follow the show on twitter. @nowwithalex. "andrea mitchell reports" is next. sup homies?!

ready in a minute dad. what's the 411? i can meet you in the car. nah, bro! i'm cool. i'm just chillmaxin'. is there something that you wanted? we can't just spend a little qt as a posse? on the download? dad, why are you talking like that? i was just hoping you would give me the last piece of bacon. holler! holla... i don't know. [ male announcer ] when it comes to common language we all speak bacon.

the very best cuts naturally hardwood smoked. it's unanimous food. it's oscar mayer. individualization that your body needs. this labor day, don't invest in a mattress until you visit a sleep number store. when we actually lower the sleep number setting to get the sleep number bed to conform to them, it's amazing the transition that you see with people. oh, that feels really good.it's hugging my body. they just look at you like you cured all the problems they've ever had. we hear it all the time: "i didn't know a bed could feel like this." oh yeah. at our biggest sale of the year, every sleep number bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and for one week only, save an incredible 50% on the sleep number limited edition memory foam mattress sets-but only through labor day! the sleep number bed is more than just a mattress. you sleep on it, you'll understand. don't miss the biggest sale of the year on the bed that can change your life. the sleep number bed. special offer ends labor day. only at a sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized.

but you had to leave rightce to now, would you go? world, man: 'oh i can't go tonight' woman: 'i can't.' hero : that's what expedia asked me. host: book the flight but you have to go right now. hero: (laughs) and i just go? this is for real right? this is for real? i always said one day i'd go to china, just never thought it'd be today. anncr: we're giving away a trip every day. download the expedia app and your next trip could be on us. expedia, find yours. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," ready to strike? nbc news has learned missile strikes against syria could be launched as early as thursday in response to the assad regime's suspected use of chemical weapons against its own people. >> suffice to say the options are there.

the united states department of defense is ready to carry out those options if that would occur, that would occur also in coordination with our international court. >> now battle-ready, the u.s. gets support from the arab league and key nato partners for limited strikes against syrian military targets. >> we've seen in syria appalling scenes of death and suffering because of the use of chemical weapons by the assad regime. and i don't believe we can let that stand. and intelligence officials are preparing to declassify the evidence of what secretary of state kerry called a cowardly crime and cynical attempt to cover it up. >> what we saw in syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. it defies any code of morality. let me be clear, the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by