the president has got a tough choice to make and if he decides to use our military, he will have the greatest military ever backing him up. putting our military into harm's way is the toughest decision a president will make. >> that was president george w. bush earlier today, talking for the first time about syria and about the difficult decision ahead of president obama as he weighs whether to take military action. good morning, everybody. i'm thomas roberts. breaking news. president obama is meeting now as we speak with top advisers at the white house and if the president gives the green light to strike syria, he could end up doing it without congress and

without america's steadfast a y ally. 8 in 10 said president obama should get congressional approval before any military strike. and some lawmakers say the president hasn't made the case. >> the constitution is very explicit on this. when you go to war, congress must authorize this. both the president and the vice president, once upon a time, before they became in power, understood this. >> the brsh aren't comiitish ar. headlines "the daily news." david cameron's stunning decision not to join the strike after a no vote by his parliament. >> have you spoken to president obama yet? have you apologized to him? >> i haven't spoken to him since the vote on the debate but i expect to speak to him the next day or so. i don't think it's a question of having to apologize. i think it's question to --

>> you didn't deliver, did you? >> the white house is expected to release its own declassified evidence on chemical attacks in syria as soon as today. secretary of state john kerry who visited the white house late this morning helping to brief lawmakers last night, is expected to make this statement coming up at 12:30 eastern. congressman engle is the ranking member of the foreign affairs committee and was on last night's conference call with the president. you sent a letter to the president this week. with this meeting taking place right now with the president's national security team we are hoping we will find out exactly what they are learning come 12:30 who john kerry briefs the rest of the country. the administration seems to feel justified in its actions to move forward with its military mite. we got a new word of the attack

on the ground in syria and activists saying a school was hit with a substance that looks like napalm. these are images captured by the bbc. you've been advocating some type of action all along. earlier we heard from president bush who rarely speaks out on foreign policy issues. take a listen. >> mr. assad, he's a ally of iran and he's made mischief. the president has to make a tough decision. >> the president has to make a tough decision. what did the president say to you on the conference call last night? has it helped change your mind about the position that needs to be taken towards syria? >> well, it wasn't the president. it was secretary kerry and secretary hagel and susan rice. they said without any kind of doubt that gas was used and that the assad regime is the one who did it. and they are positively sure

about that. i think it's important for the president to do something, because i think to do nothing would show every spot around the world you can gas your own people, you can gas innocent civilians and you can get children and get away with it. the pictures of the children foaming at the mouth and died will last for me in a lifetime. in a 21st century we should say that is totally unacceptable and a war crime. >> we look over the history since 2007, he was then senator obama. he wrote the following. i want to play this. here is what several key members of your own party have said about the president striking another country without congressional consent. here is joe biden. >> i'd like to be clear. the president does not have the authority to launch military action in iran without first

seeking congressional a authorization. >> we don't believe any authority the president has would give him the ability to go in without an act of congress. >> the president has no constitutional authority to take this nation to war against a country of 70 million people unless we're attacked or unless there is proof that we are about to be attacked. and if he does, if he does, i would move to impeach him. >> congressman, just to clarify. joe biden from 2007 and nancy pelosi and harry reid all talking about how they felt then about president bush. what do you think is the biggest obstacle for the president? it seems as if republicans in congress, they are kind of caught between a rock and a hard place on giving the go ahead for this. but then allowing the president to almost seem as the dove turned neocon. >> the republicans for past several months have been criticizing the president for doing nothing and now that he is

attempting to do something, they are criticizing him for doing something. so i think he sort of damned if he does and damned if he doesn't as far as the republicans are concerned. look. we have ample precedence of presidents taking action before consulting with congress or getting congress's approval. we talk president reagan do it and the first president bush do it and bill clinton doing it in kosovo and libya with president obama. there is precedent for it. the way ride the war powers act the president can move and needs to consult carefully and closely with congress and congress has to vote within 60 days. i don't think what the president is talking about will last anywhere near 60 days and i think the president is well within his right, after informing congress and have robust discussions with congress under the war pours awers act t on his own. >> joining us in our conversation is msnbc military analyst and medal of honor

recipient, cnn jack jacobs and bobby gosh from "time." good to have you here, gentlemen. i know we have had an opportunity to listen to what the congressman said. we had richard engel reporting from turkey this morning near the syrian border. he said you want to kill the lion, kill it. what is the point of poking it in the eye? talk about what it means for the u.s. -- and if we have to go it alone -- but if the u.s. takes a strike against syria, isn't the best thing to do to get rid of bashar al assad and get rid of this family for 43 years now in power in syria? >> it would be great if we had started doing this some time ago. i mean, several american administrations ago. by the way, this isn't the only time that he has used weapons of mass destruction against his own people. he has used it at least a dozen times before that we know of. but a limited strike on the regime, airfields, command and

control facilities, launch pads and that sort of stuff, is neither going to topple the regime, nor is it going to prevent that sort of stuff from happening again. so one has to ask, what is the real objective of using military force in this case? and it would appear it's primarily a function of the president having said that if they use gas, then we are going to do something and now he has to. >> meanwhile, that statement was made a year ago about crossing the red line. this time last year, bobby, let's talk about what is in "time" magazine right now. talking about president obama, the unhappy warrior and it challenges what is going on with the president certainly with this region saying the syria crisis is not the only testing the limits of the president's approach or the power of his country. iran is moving forward with its nuclear program. egypt continues to ignore his calls for peace and al qaeda is alive and well in places even if osama bin laden is not. one other point in there that is not discussed is central africa

and what is going on there. >> and malwi and nigeria. >> how does the president need to come out of this to gain credibility and not letting as the congressman said every death spot around the world to utilize destruction. >> that is the quandary he finds himself. this is a president who he first was in power put his faith in word. he thought he could talk the world down from the -- and to some degree, his hands were tied. america was going through an economic crisis. it was extended in two foreign wars. so words were the only real weapon he had at the time. he extended rhetorically an open hand to some of the dictators in the region. they responded with a closed fist. so now he finds himself in a position he has to act and

ironically, he has put himself in that position to some degree with saying assad has to go and saying a red line if assad uses chemical weapons against his own people, there will be consequences. the president's own words now force him into action. it's hard to see how short of action he can work his way out of this painted corner. >> let's bring the congressman back into the conversation. again, let's talk about the polls from the new nbc poll. it shows 50% of americans are against military action. 42% are in support. if military action is defined here and we talk about launching cruise missiles from naval ships, the numbers flipping there. if we look at it from that angle, congressman, the fact it shouldn't be that big of a deal and i say this tongue in cheek, with the president not having to go to congress to want to do that, if he wants to send a few

cruise missiles to send a message to bashar al assad, it's not an open complete act of war. but where do you think the middle ground is, especially, again, with the uk not having our back on this and putting us out there alone? >> i do think there will be support from other countries. i think it was made very clear yesterday, and i agree, that the president will do what he thinks is best for the united states of america and a foreign parliament, whether it's the uk or anybody else will not dictate to the united states what we do. i just think it's very, very important. we can always talk about getting into a deep war. the president does not want boots on the ground. we are weary of war after two long wars. and the american public, i'm not surprised that those -- >> but is our national interest there, the sheer fact that we are losing credibility as a country that fights for justice and human rights? what is our national interest with syria? >> i think it's quite the

opposite. because we fight for human rights and for justice, that assad cannot be allowed to gas civilians and murder his own people. again, i think if he gets away with it, then everyone can get away with it and i think it's the wrong thing to do. now, we can get into discussions about the president should be doing this instead or doing more or whatever. i liken to what is going on in syria now to the 1999 situation in kosovo where you had an endangered possible murdered by its over government and nato air strikes a couple of days and he with turned things around. i don't think the feeling is there for air strikes or any kind of extended campaign. i think the president is going to do what he feels he needs to do to send a message. i think it's going to be something limited and we will see what happens from there. but it's unfair to criticize the president for doing nothing and then when he takes a stand, then some people in congress criticize him. i think the president is doing a good job and i think he is right on the money on this one. >> you're correct about it, damned if you do, damned if you

don't approach so something needs to be figured out. i say thanks to you, congressman for coming in and bobby and colonel, thank you for coming in. here is the big question for the day. tweet me or weigh in on facebook. at 12:30 we are going to get the formal announcement from john kerry from the treaty room at the state department briefing all of america about what he is doing right now at the white house and we will have that for you live here on msnbc. 765 million dollars. sounds like a lot of money, right? nfl and players have reached a million dollar deal related to concussion-related lawsuits. will it solve the problem for the national football league or put a band-aid on a deadly issue? the obama administration won't block two states from legalizing marijuana.

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but this sale ends monday! ♪ mattress discounters! welcome back. a pro football player recovering from a concussion right now as details of a blockbuster settlement involving the league and thousands of former players is now relieved. minnesota offensive lineman seth olson had to be taken off the field on a gurney during last night's game against the tennessee titans and it appears he took a knee to the head before landing on his face while trying to make a block and happened after a judge announced the nfl has agreed to pay 765 million to settle the suit brought by more than 4,500 players and their families saying they hid the risk of concussions so the players could go back into the game.

joining me now is sean salisbury, a former nfl quarterback and one of the plaintiffs in that suit. good to have you here. before we talk about the financial aspect of this the 7 65 million dollar settlement you say you're a walking train wreck after your sports career. several have compared this case to the massive litigation against big tobacco. what does it mean for you and the other thousands of nfl players to see a settlement? >> i think it shows the compassion for the nfl. number two i'll speak to myself and guys i've talked to and know who have gone through this. when you see a former player who can't remember how to take his kid to school and you see what has happened to junior seau and players who contemplate it every day. some something like this comes down and almost a billion dollars, we are humble and blessed and i don't like when people say the nfl hid it. i don't think the nfl was as

educated or informed then either. . you some smelling salts on and go back into the game. it means a lot. when my doctor sits across from me when you talk about a train wreck when he sits across from me and i feel better than i have in a long time and says, sean, your time clock and the second shan hand our watch is moving a lot faster than most people and that is a gut wrenching thing and some guys are far worse. gives us better quality of life now and more education and a chance to see the fact that there are people who do care and these guys can get help and give their family better quality of life and, quite frankly, it's not only helping lives but it's also saving lives. we don't need any more junior seau's for people like me who knew him. >> this settlement in today's financial landscape of the people involved in this.

the other thing that doesn't happen we are not going to get more information, the disclosure needed in the lawsuit of itself and what the nfl knew and what it doesn't. baltimore ravens player jamaal lewis spoke out about that. take a listen to what he had to say. >> it is kind of unsettling that you won't know about what they knew and when they knew about it. and if they did hide it, what they are doing now with the research and the education and the awareness. i look at that. that is more important to me than anything else. >> sean, does it bother you that the world, the nfl players involved in this suit aren't going to learn from what evident exists? >> i don't think there is any question. jamal is right. when we talk about hiding it or not being educated enough and going forward, which is why a lot of guys do this so that people are ahead of us and the people behind us have a better opportunity and understand what is going on. for me, and jamal and a lot of players, not knowing is a big

part of the problem and he is right. this isn't just about a paycheck. this is not about a paycheck. we will find out through testing the guys trying to make it frivolous and the guys who deserve this. it's gut wrenching and alarming to think they may have information that nobody knows about because this is all about education and saving lives and protecting lives and making more quality for others. so, yeah. they have made -- it's an atm withdrawal for them thois morning, the nfl and they got top shelf celebration last night. i don't think they are suffering after the decision last night. >> sean, quickly. knowing what you know now, would you still want the same pro ball career? >> yeah. the nfl gave me ten years of professional football and it also gave me 17 years in tv and radio that i would have never had. i owe a lot to the nfl but i also know that people don't go to the games to watch jerry jones sit in the stands or watch the broadcaster to talk about the game. they go to watch the players who sold their soul for football.

>> sean salisbury, thank you for being here. >> thank you. lgbt and the irs. uncle sam's tax arm recognizing efforts with marriage equality. will other government agencies follow suit? close. help keep teeth clean and breath fresh with beneful healthy smile food. with special crunchy kibbles and great taste... ...it's a happy way to a healthy smile.

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same-sex couples in the united states. irs announcing that same-sex couples who are legally married can file their taxes jointly even if the state where they live does not recognize their marriage. it's a part of the ruling striking down the defense of marriage act back in june. under the new rules, same-sex couples will be able to file amended tax returns dating back to 2010. joining me is chris geithner for buzzfeed. he reported on this when the story broke. as you reported same-sex couples can now file for all of the tax

breaks, including a state tax. that is basically what eddie windsor was fighting for because she lost her wife and now able to recoup the money that she lost in a state taxes. let's look at this. teds estima "usa today" estimating that it could be worth. explain what this is for married couples now able to file jointly? >> the biggest part of this decision, thomas, was the fact that, as you mentioned, that even if you don't live in a state that recognizes your marriage, you are going to be recognized by the federal government if you are legally married. if a xup gocouple of goes to massachusetts and gets married and goes to iowa and gets married and returns to a state that doesn't allow them to get married, they are still going to be able to foil their taxes as a married couple and receive

benefi benefits, they are filing as a married couple. >> that is important about the marriage point there, chris. we have to point out the new law does not extend civil unions registered diagromestic relationships or other on relationships. a number of states where marriage equality is legal. couples are bound by civil unions and registered by domestic partnerships. they can also file together. do you think that the irs is eventually going to consider broadening this or keep it strictly to the definition of marriage? >> i think what we are seeing actually is that there was a willingness under doma to consider other things. the defense department had talked about setting up a system of recognizing domestic partners, but then after the doma decision came down, they said, no, we are just going to go with marriage. i think that we are going to see, as agencies enforce the law after doma is struck down, that they want to keep it to just

marriage. in the long run, i think we see with this irs decision, the government sees where things are going and don't want to start setting up multiple systems for this process. >> chris, quickly. the grandfather part of this, people can do amended tax returns back to 2010, correct? >> generally speaking, you have up to three years to amend a return and so the agency, this isn't like a special rule just for these couples. but there will be amended returns for the past three years that people are going to be dealing with. >> i'm calling my accountant today. chris, thank you. great to have you here. i really appreciate it. >> thanks. president obama is meeting with top advisers at the white house as he weighs whether to take military action in syria. j john kerry will speak an hour from now. we expect a case for military

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at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. once again, we are awaiting a new statement from secretary of state john kerry and expected to come from the treaty room at the state department at 12:30 eastern. kerry is meeting right now with the president at the white house. kristen welker is there at the white house for us. as we look ahead, there is a week of secular and religious holidays on the calendar and it's a very complicated window ahead of the president's trip to russia for the g-20. what more do we know about where john kerry is going to inform all of us about our stance with syria? >> reporter: thomas, i think you'll hear secretary kerry make the case there is credible evidence showing that the assad regime is behind the chemical weapons attack in syria. of course, as you know, the administration suffered a bit of

a setback yesterday when the british parliament voted against taking action in syria. president obama said if he were to take any action, he would like a broad international coalition so certainly that is something that this administration will have to address. today they are pointing to the fact, though, that france has said that they are still prepared to move forward without the uk. but in terms of a broader international coalition, it is not clear that the united states would have one and, in addition to that, members of congress, a number of them, saying they would like to vote before president obama takes any type of action. senior administration officialed briefed members of congress last night. the white house insists that president obama has not made a decision yet and if he made an action, it would be limit in scope. >> we will carry the remarks live by secretary of state john kerry coming up at 12:30. thanks again. stirring the pot. the obama administration is backing off colorado and

washington which allows people to smoke marijuana recreationally. the justice department says it will not challenge the laws in those states as long as they keep strict rules when it comes to sale and distribution. a memo to all 50 states it's telling prosecutors they should refocus their efforts away from individual users. this is the topic for today's agenda panel. victoria is a professor at the university of texas and nbc latinos contributor and ryan grimm is joining us and msnbc contributor and taylor godden is the editor of pill wiolitical w >> your country on drugs, you have written about this issue, ryan. talk a little bit about what happened yesterday. because the deputy attorney general's memo tells us that attorneys that were going after users for simple possession is really not the best use of resources. explain a little bit more about what this means from the justice

septemb department. >> the most significant policy change that they made yesterday -- they never like to say that things are an actual change. they say this is, you know, a continuation of what we have always done, even if it's a dramatic turnaround. in the past, prosecutors on the ground could use the sheer size or the fact that a pot shop was a for-profit enterprise as evidence that it is something worthy of the federal government's time and intervention. they have specifically said that federal prosecutors should no longer look to the size, the volume of sales, or whether it's a for-profit establishment when they are sditing whether or not to go after these shops. if the shop is operating within state laws, then leave it alone. that is more or less what the federal prosecutors were told. it remains to be seen whether or not they listen.

they are a quasi part of the department. >> as we take the temperature, victoria, of how the country feels about this, we can show this new research being you. out. mosh americans were in favor of legalizing marijuana. do think the court of public opinion may be swaying on this with the more states that are normalizing it seems and more people grow up with the norm, it changes opinion? >> i do, thomas. another interesting fact that was shown in the poll was over the last three years, since 2010, support has increased by 11%. in 1970 only 12% of the u.s. population supported the legalization of marijuana and now 52% do. the other thing is we see support by both republicans and democrats. very few issues where the parties agree and here we see that both sides think that pot should be legalized.

well, at least 52%. the other interesting finding from this poll was that folks are less and less seeing marijuana as a gateway drug, because that is really at the issue here. it's not just marijuana per se, but the implications thereof. so i think that in seeing less is a gateway drug, that opens it up to increasing from 52% of americans supporting the legalization to another three to five years, 70%. >> who knew bud would be the middle ground for the left and the right. we look at 19 states and more states approving this, how do you get that and trickles down to the state level? >> there are many proponents of this memo in the states like massachusetts and nevada who see this as a green light to move ahead with these issues. but if you read the memo closely, you should look at it at more of a yellow light and proceed with caution because this decision could be reversed

at any time for any reason by this administration or by the next. this is not as firm as some people are making it seem to be. it's an interesting direction for the obama administration to seem reasonable but they could change on a dime. >> ryan, you write about the fact this makes guidelines or sets some rules in place for how banks can work with pot shops? >> right. so one of the biggest problems for these legal pot shops over the last several years the dea is pressuring banks and other companies. last week, they told armored car companies and secure companies they couldn't work with pot shops. that has forced these pot shops into a cash only business, which, you know, increases violence and makes it tougher to tax them and tougher to regulate them. the justice official who briefed reporters on this yesterday told us, well, longs the banks are working with shops that are in compliance with state laws, they don't have any reason to worry

about the federal government coming after them. in fact, they said it might be a better way to regulate the system if you can track and record all of these different sales and you can't do that if it's a cash only industry. >> so if we talk about the cash only industry here, do you think that state legislators are going to see a benefit business-wise to this and for those states that are not apt to do this now in 2013 we might see more by 2016? >> a fascinating question whether the economics will overrule their other hess stations on this. it is a situation when you look at the states rights here, states rights is typically the argument that conservatives have used to justify a lot of their policy decisions. what is interesting here on the issue of marriage equality or on this issue, that the left is beginning to use this and i expect as we move into 2014 and 2016, we are going to see an increasing battle over the issue of states rights in these elections and it will be fascinating to watch.

>> we will continue to watch it all together. great to have you all here. thank you. you can find more from our panel on the tv.msnbc.com. follow the link to my name. we are back after this. ♪ ho ho [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. some are giant. some not so giant. when managing your weight, bigger is always better. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move.

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(man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. in arizona all-out anti-gay smear campaign to help the former congressman who helped save gabby giffords' life. take a look at the extend eextent of his opponents who remain anonymous who are going to attack him. daniel hernandez is lgbt. we don't need someone who hates our values. joining me is daniel hernandez. daniel, good to have you here. as i pointed out, you used to work with congresswoman gabby

giffords on. she has tweeted the following. obviously, she is a huge supporter of yours as there are many others out there. we have reached out to one of your opponents for a statement but haven't heard back from them yet. what is you reaction to these attacks? >> it's so sad that in between on the week of the 50th anniversary of the march on washington, we are having this kind of conversation where anyone thinks it's okay to attack anyone based on their sexual identity, their orientation or really for any reason that is not policy. i think that is what has happened. my opponents who have no real policy reasons to hit me have decided to take it personal. >> there is another flyer that was obtained by right wing watch accusing of you wanting to take people's guns away. where do you stand on that? who do you think is behind these flyers? >> you know, it's so sad that because of the work that i'm doing to try to prevent gun violence deaths around this country it personally affected me having been involved in the

shooting where congresswoman giffords was injured and 18 others injured and six passed away. it's a personal issue and sad for me to have this used against me because i don't want to take people's guns away. i want that we prevent more deaths by making sure we have universal background checks and people having access to weapons aren't being criminals. >> you would like to think that using your sexuality is achilles heel against you. cory booker now a senatorial candidate in new york is under scrutiny about his sexuality and some have suggested that cory booker could be gay. he said, so what if i am? it's not a big deal but hasn't declared one one way or another. he says my sexuality doesn't matter. his gop rival had something questionable to say. take a look how cory booker responded to the questions. >> being a man is about love, about kindness to others, about

standing up for what is right, about doing what is important to do when the unfinished business of america. so, you know, again, my sexuality is not an issue right now. especially because it's been talked about by me for years before we get into a campaign, that suddenly, this issue is brought up again because of the behavior of my opponent. >> so it goes to the behavior of your opponents or whoever is behind these flyers who has the bravery to remain anonymous to put those things out there. but how do you think that what mayor booker is saying correlates with what you're facing and also the realities of the rhetoric that goes back and forth when it comes to trying to attack people over being openly gay? >> you know, this is right on the spot. you know, cory is right when he talks about this. being a real man is not about sending out flyers and not standing up to them. you need to be kind and a dedicated public servant. i think if there is a silver

lining in all this the fact the reason this is happening is because we are winning on so many different issues. this is no longer the achilles heel it used to be. 50 years outing an candidate even though i was not out and been out since i first ran, it's something where we are standing at an interesting time in american history with the repel of doma and the recent tax decision by the irs. lgbt americans are having more rights and more opportunities now than ever before and it's no longer something that is stigmatized and having talked to people who have run in the past as lgbt candidates and have had similar issues we see what is happening where americans really just don't care. this is a nonissue. >> daniel hernandez, stand proud, my brother! we will talk again soon. thank you. >> thank you so much for having me. today's producer's pick comes courtesy of our line carrie, the creator of the foam finger! apparently noon-to-happy with miley cyrus.

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so lead by example and respect others. you won't let prejudice into your home. the more you know. we asked and you answered. the question being military action in syria. should president obama go it alone if he has to? keith weighed in. if congress votes, i say certain the house votes no. chance to humiliate obama before the world. they won't pass that up. from pat, he shouldn't do it even if he had support. lynn says no. not by ourselves. it needs to be an allied nation's action. the conversation goes on, on twitter and facebook. all right. based on that last segment, it's time now for your go and do. today's friday feature, we have an individual or an organization that's reaching out to improve the lives of others. the group is uplifting the spirits of veterans and those that have returned from the

fwhars afghanistan and iraq. team rwb which stands for team red, white and blue. take a listen to how one member describes the experience. >> you get out of the military and the number one thing you miss is the brotherhood that you had with all your fellow friends that you met during you're service. ever since i joined team red, white and blue, i have that again. >> so you can learn more from team red, white and blue. we'll send a link about what their organization does today. but we want to ask you, if you know someone with the go and do spirit, you can reach out to us using the #go and do, we may feature them in an upcoming story here. >> so that wraps things up for me. have a great weekend everybody. i am going to see you back here next week. have a wonderful holiday weekend. now alex wagner comes your way after this. [ male announcer ] this is brad. his day of coaching begins with knee pain, when...

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will president obama go solo on syria? it is friday, august 30th and this is now live from washington, d.c. without the support of the american people, without the support of the united nations, the british, the arab league, nato and potentially without the support of congress, the obama administration is prepared to punish the syrian government for its use of chemical weapons by carrying out limited military strikes as soon as this weekend. according to "the new york times," administration officials made clear that eroding support would not deter mr. obama in deciding to go ahead with a strike and that pentagon officials say that the navy has now moved a fifth destroyer into the eastern mediterranean sea much the president is kurnly leading a meeting at the white house with national security council and secretary of state

john kerry is expected to make a statement within the hour. top administration officials including susan rice, john kerry and chuck hagel briefed two dozen congressional leaders on the possible attack on syria. the call left lawmakers di voided. john cornin said the administration failed to -- house armed services committee chair buck mckeon said he was disappointed in the president. other lawmakers, including nancy pelosi and senate foreign relations chair bob menendez were convinced. this morning congressman elliott engel threw his support behind the administration and its intelligence. >> were you convinced? >> i was convinced. first of all, what we've all seen is horrific. i don't think we should be allowed to see population, civilian population children burning. i don't think we should see attacks on them. children frothing at the mouth

and gas -- >> take the video out of your mind for a second. what was the most convince piece of evidence presented on that conference call last night that tells you the u.s. should go in and take military action against the assad regime. >> the fact that the white house and american intelligence believes 100% that assad was responsible, chemical attacks were used and we can't stand idly by. >> a major question still remains unanswered. what exactly is the strategy? specifically, what does limited military action look like? and if the u.s. goal is not regime change, then what is the objective? roger cohen writes, a limited attack that destabilizes assad damages his military assets, o compromises his air force and dents the ability of russia and iran to bring in arms may in the best case bring assad to the negotiating table or speed his departure. but in the worst case, it will

lead to more of the same. as the international community continues to weigh its response, the news out of syria remains dire. this morning the syrian army continued to bomb rebel-held areas of damascus and the bbc has new reports where a napalm bomb was dropped on a school playground on monday. the video is graphic. children are shown with chemical burns. another remainder of a price of inaction and the complexities of war. joining me is matthew iglesias, annie lowrey, "washington post" columnist e.j. deion and political editor and white house correspondent at the huffington post, stan stein. joining us from beirut, lebanon is foreign correspondent, amman mow hadean. >> there is word from the british, they're not going to do anything. what is the reaction to the notion that the president may