>> in the house? i think in the end it passes. >> absolutely. >> i think it passes because the reasons i just said. i think a lot of strong supporters of israel on the republican side that don't want it to pass but lets do it. >> it's going to be hard. >> i learned 64 is the new 34. diana nyad. old guys like me, we have hope. we have to depend on pills and other things to get us through. >> we just learned too much. >> wow, we learned all of that. >> way too early. >> we're done. that's it. >> a hard sell on syria. president obama and his team try to make the case as unrest continues. the region remains on edge and refugees flood into neighboring countries. live reports from the syrian

border coming up. the president getting a high-profile push from john mccain and lindsey graham on the right. today all eyes will be on capitol hill as secretaries kerry and hagel try to convince more members of congress to act. plus working hard on labor day. virginia's fight for governor is taking center stage for 2013, but are there 26 team tea leaves in this fight with a tea party favorite. we'll have the very latest on hillary clinton's help for an old pal. good morning from washington. it's tuesday, september 3rd, 2013. this is "the daily rundown." i'm kristen welker in for chuck todd who is traveling to cover this week's g-20 summit. we begin in syria the president and his advisers have a week, maybe less, to sell a skeptical congress on the need for military intervention in syria. in doing so they are kicking off what may be the most contentious policy debate since the iraq war. this hour the president meets with the head of senate committees on armed services,

foreign relations and intelligence as well as their counter-parts in the house. this afternoon secretary of state kerry, hagel and joint chairman dempsey will testify at a hastily convened hearing. the committee will hold a top secret closed door briefing with kerry and the director of national intelligence james clapper tomorrow. the house foreign affairs committee will hear from kerry and hagel tomorrow. to hope secure republican support president obama turned to an old adversary inviting senator john mccain and his colleague lindsey graham to the white house to discuss the issue. mccain said this morning that the president has put himself in a difficult position. take a listen. >> to do nothing is, as i said, would have consequences throughout the world. but to do something that really doesn't change anything -- in other words, some token strikes and some time later bashar assad uses chemical weapons again. what do we do then?

go through the same routine? >> hoping to secure votes on the democratic side of the aisle, secretary kerry held a conference call with 127 house democrats for more than an hour. he said congress faces a, quote, munich moment, a reference to the 1938 munich pact between hitler and chamberlain history now regards as a failed attempt to appease the nazi dictator. house speaker nancy pelosi for one supports the call for action but many members are still skeptical. >> i don't see any way a civil war in syria and the fact this evil man is using chemicals to kill his over people how that affects directly or indirectly our national security. >> now, in order to win congressional approval, the add manage is trying to tailor its syrian resolution by taking a goldilocks approach, a strong enough approach to appease hawks but limited enough to appease

skeptics. officials said monday they will write the resolution that any operation would be limited in scope and without the use of ground troops. the vote is expected shortly after congress returns next week. meanwhile u.s. preparing for a possible strike. "uss nimitz" and members of its strike group have now moved into the red sea. they are seen as back-up to the five destroys and amphibious trips in the mediterranean. adding to tensions in the region, word that a ballistic missile was fired toward syria. first the source unknown. israel now says it was part of a test conducted over open water. the missile fired from a warplane was shot down by an intercept missile. the u.s. navy said no missiles fired from american ships. jim maceda joins me from the turkish side of this syrian border. jim, what more can you tell us about this strike -- this test i

should say. >> hi, kristen. >> test, successful test. good to be with you, kristen. i can say for half an hour things were jittery, to the extent regional stock markets took a dive and recovered after israel and u.s., as you say, jointly test fired an anti-ballistic missile called arrow 3 system. this one much more powerful than israel's iron dome system, we all know about, that takes out short range markets. the target missile was called a sparrow, successfully taken out by the arrow. russia, its radar systems picked up these two ballistic objects almost immediately and that was reported because israel is saying nothing by russian news agency. so that had the media scrambling again for a good half hour. there was tension even though the russian embassy in damascus said it was unaware of any new

explosions on missile attacks. fueling the tension, as you mentioned, six warships, u.s. warships off the syrian coast equipped with cruise missiles. now the russian warships entering the same area and uss nim nimitz near the red sea. all that firepower, just days away. it's likely experts here no coincidence israel chose today to show the world and specifically assad that israel can successfully take out ballistic missiles even though israel is saying these are routine tests. back to you. >> all right. nbc's jim maceda. thank you so much. jim miklaszewski saying there was no involvement by the u.s. we're reporting that this hour. with the majority of lawmakers publicly on the fence about a strike, lindsey graham says this is the president's moment to explain his rational

for action. >> we are urge the president to up his game and inform the american people, what does it mean if assad wins and opposition loses. >> nbc's casey hunt joins me now from capitol hill. thank you for joining us. we know the administration is putting on full-court press to get this passed through congress. what else are they doing and is it working? >> as you know, at 2:30 this afternoon we're going to see secretary of state john kerry and defense secretary chuck hagel testifying at the very committee they used to serve on as they begin the public push to get members of congress on board. there's so much behind the scenes, another classified briefing for members here at the capital that will give them a chance to review intelligence before that begins. the challenge here, and i talked to senator bob menendez, the senator of the foreign relations

committee this morning. he said they are working to craft a new authorization of the use of force, he and majority leader harry reid, what they are going to do is come up with something limited that addresses concerns about people who don't want american troops on the ground but not so narrow they lose votes from people like john mccain and lindsey graham. that's the tightrope they are going to begin walking today. >> casey, there's concern about this delay, that it may be giving assad time to build up his own military forces there. what do we know about the timing for a possible vote? >> at this point the congress is set to come back next week. so we're going to see a lot of action and deciding and trying to come up with a language they are going to vote on this week. you might even see a mark up in the senate foreign relations committee this week on such language. we're waiting to see whether that will come now or next week. senate majority leader harry

reid said the latest that will happen is next week. that's what we're expecting at this point. >> casey, thanks for joining us. >> thanks, kristen. republican senator ron johnson, member of the foreign relations committee. thank you so much for joining us, senator. >> morning, kristen. >> just to get you on record, if the vote were held today, how would you vote? >> i haven't decided because there's so many unanswered questions. really, what is the main goal? what are the specific objectives? what are the strategies to achieve those objectives. quite honestly, are we prepared for the repercussions? i heard the earlier reports, russians are moving ships into the mediterranean. are we really committed to the fallout from action? there's so many unanswered questions. what's unfortunate, i have not heard the administration from my

mind make the real case of why this is in the national security interest of america. from my standpoint it's because chemical weapons stockpiles, we have rebel forces now infiltrated by al qaeda, what is to happen -- what would happen if those chemical weapons fell in the hands of al qaeda backed rebels. that's the national security interest and we're not addressing it of there's so many unanswered questions, i can't tell you how i'm going to vote until we have the hearings. i'm heading back to washington for the hearings and secure briefings tomorrow. >> senator, what specifically do you need to hear today that would move you into the yes category? >> how about a real strategy. it's something missing. the problems in syria, horrific humanitarian disaster has been occurring for two and a half years. america has basically sat on the sidelines. this president has not informed the american public about how this is in the national security interest. it's really up to the president. he's commander in chief. america is the leader of the

free world. he's the leader of america. has he to make that case first and foremost to the american public and then through the representatives. because we lost the element of surprise, i think it's appropriate that president obama now comes to congress. but he's got to make the case. >> you say you question whether or not it's in the national security interest. the administration would argue that the use of chemical weapons violates international norms and they also would argue that doing nothing would ultimately bolster iran. what do you say to those arguments, senator? does that not threaten national security interests? >> like i say, i believe it is in america's national security interest. but again, what is the action and what are the repercussions of those actions? has this administration thought it out? will they be committed. lets go back to afghanistan when president obama announced a surge but at the same time announce add withdrawal. i don't want to see that type of ineffective action that actually makes matters worse.

again, we've got to see the entire strategy. i've got to see there's a long-term commitment to follow through on whatever the blowback might be of his actions. >> your colleague, senator john mccain, met with president obama yesterday. i want to play you a little of what he had to say after that meeting and get your reaction on the other side. take a listen. >> if the congress were to reject a resolution like this after the president of the united states has already committed to action, the consequences would be catastrophic. >> what's your reaction? do you agree with that, senator johnson? >> i certainly agree that president obama, because he's dithered has really backed america into a corner. i'm highly concerned about the loss of credibility by not following through now because of what president obama has done. lets face it, i agree the consequences would be extremely harmful to mechanic's interest around the world from this point going forward. >> do you worry there is a risk

in delaying action for too long and does that not put pressure on you and your colleagues to come to some sort of resolution very quickly? >> had president obama been decisive, made the action and taken the action early on where there's still the element of surprise, i think there would have been a timing almost. at this point because of the leaks, because he's dithered, i don't see where a couple more weeks is going to be harmful. i think at this point it's helpful if president obama gets the support, makes the case, gets the support of the american public and congress, i think it will strengthen the hand and the result will be better. >> senator ron johnson, thank you so much for your perspective this morning. we appreciate it. >> have a good day. >> as president obama continues to make the case for military involvement in syria about a half hour from now he'll host speaker boehner, nancy pelosi and other congressional leaders at the white house. coming up, will he or won't he support the president's plan?

we'll talk with democratic senator about how he'll vote. shocking details of the number of refugees leaving syria and countries willing to respond but first a look at politics planner, president obama heading overseas to sweden and russia for g-20 summit. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. stay with us. vo: two years of grad school.

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vote on military action against syria? coming up we'll talk the lessons learned and the risks of doing nothing with senator chris

coons. next, it's getting down and dirty in the old dominion. the governor's race enters the final stretch with implications that will ripple way beyond virginia. first today's trivia question, as president obama did he parts from g-20 summit, we ask, when did the first g-20 leaders summit take place? the first person to tweet the correct answer to@chuck todd and @thedailyrundown will get a shout out. more coming up on "the daily rundown." in the world. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

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political opportunist and mcauliffe saying he's an extremist linked to bob mcdonnell. in buena vista, virginia. >> the kickoff of the fall campaign, this is america, this is what democracy is all about. >> call it the last laugh, final sprint, starts in virginia, buena vista. proud to be here with you all and everyone here to start these last 64 days and approximately seven hours, but whose counting. >> cuccinelli down double digits among women's voters is up with a soft focus ad highlighting the role he played in the release of thomas haynesworth, a prisoner who spent 27 years behind bars for rapes he did not commit. >> after going through all the evidence i was convinced thomas haynesworth was innocent.

i took that case on myself. >> he didn't have to get involved, see what i'm saying. he saw injustice was done and he tried to correct it. >> the attorney general's job is not convictions, it's justice. today we got justice. >> but it's an issue cuccinelli can't control that has become a serious liability, governor bob mcdonnell. over the weekend "the washington post" reported the governor may have had more knowledge about the gifts the donner gave his family than his attorneys claimed. cuccinelli who went negative on mcdonnell in a television ad a week ago took extraordinary steps trying to tie his opponent to the governor. >> governor mcdonnell's troubles have certainly upset virginia's governance. are virginians prepared to vote for someone like terry, who is

still involved in a federal investigation on election day? this cloud isn't new to terry. there is a guy who rented out the white house bedroom for political donations, proudly bragged about selling seats on "air force one." >> nbc news senior political editor mark murray is here with the latest. thanks, mark, for joining me today. the latest polling has mcauliffe slightly ahead. is that how the campaigns see it and does cuccinelli have time to catch up? there's several more weeks before voters go to the polls purchase that's the post labor day reality terry mcauliffe has the lead, polling suggests it's not as much as quinnipiac has it, right now with 16 plus days today terry mcauliffe has a very slight advantage. kirsten, as you know, in tight races that can always change. this is a big difference from 2009 governor's race where at

this point it was pretty clear bob mcdonnell, who was then running against deeds was probably going to end up winning this contest now. this is a very close contest with terry mcauliffe having a slight advantage. >> you talk about the fact it's a tight turnout. voter turnout is key. >> that's really ken cuccinelli's best card right now. he does have a base of people who are willing to walk over glass to vote for him. there's always been an open question of whether terry mcauliffe has a race. if it comes to turnout, low turnout, ken cuccinelli does have a race, particular in a year the republicans out of power in the white house traditionally does very well. that is the one thing when you chat with republicans, when you chat with cuccinelli supporters, they feel like they have a stronger base than terry mcauliffe does. >> you have hillary clinton holding her first political event. she's turning out an event for

mcauliffe. how does that play into the race? could it ultimately end up hurting clpt? >> i wouldn't go that far. the clintons are involved, you'll have hillary clinton campaign, terry mcauliffe is a very close associate of the clintons. here is the point i make, i'm not sure this race will affect hillary clinton, bill clinton, if mcauliffe wins or loses. if hillary clinton ran against cuccinelli, she would be the clear favorite, leading in the polls by 10, 15 points. if terry mcauliffe loses, i don't see an impact on her. she's play a role fundraising, see the clintons campaign for terry mcauliffe. that's a natural situation when someone like terry mcauliffe is so closely tied to the clintons. >> mark murray, thank you very much. >> thanks. >> the virginia race is a microcosm of the much bigger political picture as we head into the midterm election and early stages of the 2016 presidential fight. in this virginia fight it boils

down to a battle between two powerful brands, the tea party and the clintons. lets bring in our tuesday gaggle, msnbc contributor and editor of the grio perry bacon, jr., mattie with americans for tax reform and democratic strategist steve mcmahon. thanks for being here. steve, let me start with you. are we seeing a microcosm of the 2016 race, clinton involved and the tea party on either side. >> the thing you have to remember about virginia, virginia is a purple state. that's why it's in play in every presidential race. if it's tea party against clintons i like the clintons. they can appeal to independent voters. bill clinton is extraordinarily popular within the set that will decide this election. ken cuccinelli does have a base, so does terry mcauliffe, the clinton voter and african-american voter which votes overwhelmingly democratic. it will be a great race but i think terry is going to pull away at the end. >> if you look at the polls, cuccinelli has a problem with

women. he runs this ad where he gets emotional. it reminded me of that moment with hillary clinton on the campaign trail. is this something that boosts him with women and moderates? >> i'd be careful. i think the tendency is to couch this as tea party versus clinton race. as we mentioned in the piece we have a republican candidate attacking a republican governor. i think there's an important point to make here, which is fiscal credibility that mcconnell -- or mcdonnell would like to say he has with republicans is not there. a governor-elected refusing to sign taxpayer pledge, launch into a debate where he wants to raise taxes. if i'm the cuccinelli campaign that's what i focus on if i'm trying to appeal to more voters we have a fiscal conservatives running a campaign. i think that's where he wins not only with women voters but all voters in general. >> perry, we've seen virginia go blue in the past two

presidential elections but voter turnout is not expected to be big. what is the challenge for mcdonnell in terms of getting his base to turn out. >> mcdonnell, i think for mcauliffe in terms of base turnout. the key here blacks, hispanics, asians, majority booming. that's why won in '12. in a presidential year mcauliffe democrats are winning that state. mcauliffe can turn out obama voters he'll win the state. this is about demographic changes in virginia as much as clinton and the tea party. >> obviously have mcdonnell on my mind. he is hovering over this race as well. cuccinelli taking a step back from mcdonnell. how big of a problem is this? >> as i mentioned, i think cuccinelli needs to make the case he's different from mcdonnell given not only the popularity amongst voters but on the actual principles, issues he

is very different from mcdonnell. i think he could make a compelling case on that point alone. >> here is how he's the same. number one, a republican that support add lot of things bob mcdonnell did that women found objectionable. he took money from a guy he may be indicted for taking money from. star scientific people shoveling money to mcdonnell was shoveling money to him, too. >> money in potomac politics is a problem and something we talk about during elections. i don't know how much it actually -- >> last word to perry. >> voters know mcdonnell is republican, mcauliffe, nuance, mcdonnell in the same party. >> stick around. we're going to come back at the end and get your thoughts on syria. for more check our our website. up next will a delay in airstrikes embolden the regiment will talk with senator chris coons about the risk of doing

nothing and how he would vote if a vote were held today. and we'll take you live to lebanon where officials are facing a crisis of their own as hundreds of thousands of refugees flee neighboring syria. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. we'll be right back. we'll be like, "whoa!" weight watchers. join for free. because it works. hurry, join by september 14th and you'll get a free month. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day women's 50+. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. remember when this carpet looked nice? soft would be great, but we really just need "kid-proof." softsprings got both, let me show you. right over here. here, feel this. wow, that's nice. wow. the soft carpets have never been this durable. you know i think we'll take it. get kid-friendly toughness and feet-friendly softness,

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they're oven-baked to surprise and delight. beneful baked delights: a unique collection of four snacks... to help spark play in your day. as the u.s. debates whether to take military action in syria, a part of the equation is the refugee crisis which the united nations now calls the great tragedy of this century, a disgraceful humanitarian calamity. the syrian civil war displaced more than 6 million people, more than 2 million syrians have been forced out of the country up from just over 200,000 a year ago. n nbc's ayman mohyeldin joinlgs us live from br -- joins us live.

how is it impacting that region. >> the greatest humanitarian challenge facing the region at this point. right now in leb non, more than 700,000 refugees. that's about one-third of all refugees that have come into or left their country. that makes it extremely difficult in leb non. leb nondoesn't register them as refugees. there are no accommodations provided for them through the government or u.n. agencies. many are living in tent cities. some of them are finding ways to live with either relatives or renting apartments. but it is putting the lebanese government and social services under tremendous amount of pressure. it's not only lebanon but the rest of the region, jordan and iraq. why it's unique, so many sectarian tensions and fighting in syria have spilled across the border into lebanon, car bombs, assassinations, maeng events of violence linked to conflict in

syria. that's why officials in lebanon have been insisting any u.s. strike on syria would be detrimental to destabilizing leb nonand the region. they watch the situation very closely. another grim milestone, more than 2 million syrian refugees have left the country, as many as 5 million are still internally displaced within take country's borders that means they have left their homes, villages, cities, trying to stay away from the violence and the front lines. kirsten. >> ayman mohyeldin, we appreciate your reporting as always. senate relations committee will hold the first hearings on military action in syria at 2:30 this afternoon. with me this afternoon, democratic senator chris coons. he's on that committee. thanks for joining us this morning, senator. >> thank you, kristen. >> to get you on record, if the vote were held today, how would you vote? >> the reason i'm back in washington this morning is get a classified briefing on the administration's information.

there's intelligence that supports their assertion that assad used chemical weapons to massacre 1500 of his own people. what i'm looking for in this morning's briefing and this afternoon's hearing is a clear strategy, a path forward behind missile strikes or aircraft strikes that i think may be called for to make sure that we respond forcefully. our president did draw a red line. i think it is important for our credibility in the region and world for us to act but i first need to be convinced that the intelligence is there and is sound and that the administration has thought carefully about the strategy going forward because there will inevitably be responses to attacks. >> just to be clear, you don't know how you are going to vote at this hour? >> kristen, i'm inclined to support the president, the committee, senator menendez but i need to be persuaded. i'm a senator, i work for the city of delaware, i need to make sure i'm aware of the evidence

presented, with the previous failure i think i need to be responsible for my own vote. >> you supported the president when he announced a red line and said action should be taken if that red line is crossed. so my question is why is a no vote an option for you? >> one of the challenges we face is the global challenge against weapons use is in american statute, treaties we signed glob globaly, and the president took this strong stance. a no vote would be justified if there was no clear strategy what to do going forward, if the targets chosen would be unacceptable or unwise use of our military force or if i was not persuaded the intelligence justified the action. i'm going to spend a fair amount of time meeting in classified settings and discussing with colleagues on the foreign relations committee to make sure i understand exactly what's being done here. i visited the region in january with a bipartisan group of

senators, six other senators. we went to a syrian refugee camp. we met with heads of state, intelligence, diplomatic leaders in jordan and israel and egypt and i'm trying to make sure that i'm as well studied on this issue as i possibly can before we turn to a vote next week on authorizing the use of force. >> senator, i know you've been talking to your constituents about this. some of them i'm sure have brought up the issue of iraq. how much does iraq shadow and impact your vote and the debate that is happening right now? >> kristen, i've heard from many delawareans particularly yesterday when i was at public events, that are very concerned. we're as a nation weary of war. nobody is more weary than delawareans with a record number of national guard in afghanistan. dover delaware is the home to which every fallen american in iraq and afghanistan first returns to the dover air force

base mortuary. i think we share a national sense of weariness with war. i have and all of congress has a chal toelenge to inform and edu differences, real differences between iraq and syria. we have been actively engaged in syria. we've worked hard as a nation diplomatically over the last two years. russians arming and financing and supporting assad have blocked our efforts in the u.n. and have sustained his efforts in the battlefield. the visit i made to a syrian refugee camp reinforces the point your viewers heard in the previous segment that millions of refugees are flooding across region and destabilizing jordan and turkey, our most essential ally israel shares a border with syria. we have to be thoughtful about the regional consequences and outcomes. we're not discussing and it's important to reinforce to delawareans and viewers that

we're not discussing a full scale invasion, anything like what was taken in iraq. that's not a discussion on the table today. >> senator, quickly to that point. the legislation will be amended. we are hearing it will likely prevent putting boots on the ground and have a limited time scope. would you be able to get behind legislation if it were amended in that way? >> we are going to be debating how to narrow and authorize use of force. again, also in response to very broad authorization that was adopted at the beginning of the conflict in afghanistan, the so-called war on terror. i think there is a real enthusiasm on the part of many in congress to give a narrow and defined scope. but i do think that stands intention to the fact we can't foresee how this conflict in syria will unfold. bashar al-assad is demonstrabley an eefrl man, killed hundreds of thousands of people used scud missiles, helicopters, fighters

jets against bread lines, schools, hospitals and residential areas over the last two years. i don't think we can foresee exactly how far this will go. we have to recognize the president has the constitutional authority in exigent authority when he doesn't have time to take action he deems vital for the united states. for right now i suspect we will narrow it and that's the authorization that will likely be taken up next week. >> all right. senator chris coons, thank you so much for your time this morning. >> thank you, kristen. >> now i'm joined by former u.s. ambassador dennis ross, an exert on middle east policy who was part of five different presidential administrations including the current administration. ambassador ross, that you so much for joining me. first, can i get your reaction to president obama deciding to put this vote to congress? >> all things being equal, i would prefer that not happen because i think it does put him in a position of some risk.

what happens if we make the effort to gain congressional authorization and it's turned down, does the president make the decision to use force anyway? if he does, theres a political price to be paid here. it affects the legitimacy or perceived legitimacy of the action. if he doesn't, you deal with the consequence he drew a red line and in the end wasn't able to absent on the red line he himself had established. all things being equal, i would prefer not to go that course. i understand at a certain level because if he gains congressional authorization, it really does put him in a much stronger political footing to be able to use force. even if the authorization is somewhat more limited based upon the kind of language you were just describing, it still permits him, it seems to me, to use force in a way that could degrade assad's capabilities. that's a very important objective right now. >> if he doesn't get congressional approval and secretary kerry was asked about this and he didn't answer directly, should the president act anyway?

>> i think that he needs to. you cannot on the world stage establish a red line and then, because you make a political decision that you need authorization to at least gain greater political legitimacy not follow through on the red line. if that's the case, no red line we ever establish is going to be believed. if that's the case when the president says he's determined to prevent iran from having a nuclear weapon, no one is going to believe that, least of all iranians. then you face the prospect iran has a nuclear weapon and middle east becomes far more dangerous than it is today. >> assad was interviewed yesterday. i want to read part of what he said and get you to respond. he said the middle east is a powder keg and the fire is approaching today. he said essentially that if the u.s. attacks, it could really wind up impacting the entire region. what is your reaction? is the middle east a powder keg? >> the middle east has been a powder keg for a while.

we're witnessing an upheaval in the middle east we've never seen before. the words he said are not new. he said this before. he said the whole region would be set on fire if we even provided lethal assistance to the opposition. the fact is he's trying to deter us upon acting. he's trying to play upon what he sees as a debate here in congress. the last person who should be affecting that debate is bashar al-assad. >> strategically what does the debate mean for bashar al-assad. does it embolden him? he calmed president obama weak with this delay. militarily does it give him time to bolster himself? >> certainly he'll do everything he can, he and his forces, to try to disperse where they are, hide them in civilian areas, do everything they can to devalue the targets we want to hit, so the effect of hitting them would be less. we have to take that into account. obviously the chairman of the joint chiefs said we'll be watching on a daily basis to see

what they do so we can adjust targeting. again, it comes back to what's the objective of using force? is it simply to demonstrate there's a genuine red line, inflict punishment to show the cost when you cross the line there's a terrible price to be paid or degrade assad's forces so, in fact, he's far less capable of using chemical weapons or conventional weapons in the future. >> ambassador ross, thank you so much. we appreciate your perspective. >> my pleasure. >> still ahead protests around the u.s. for and against military action in syria. find out what lawmakers are hearing at home as congress considers whether or not to approve the president's plan. but first the white house soup of the day, french onion. we will be right back. stay with us. with the spark miles card from capital one,

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you must act now! >> since congress is in recess, lawmakers are seeing protesters like this in their home districts. representative john larson heard from both sides of the syrian debate in connecticut yesterday but says he has not decided how he will vote when he gets back to capitol hill. >> obama! obama! hands off syria. >> rallies like this await lawmakers and, yes, you just saw

all of those rallies that are being staged both sides staging massive rallies. we are joined, again, by the gaggle. perry bacon and maddie duffner and steve jones. the question of the hour is this getting through congress? perry? >> i think it ultimately will. you have the house anti-war democrats and are weary of war and libertarian and anti-war democrats and the caucus that opposes obama on everything. >> i hate to agree with perry because i don't know if this is the best outcome but i think congress is going to have a hard time voting against this kind of action. however, i hope they ask the hard questions and i hope we don't have a caucus of people who just want to vote against obama. they want know what this will accomplish and i don't think we have those answers yet.

>> steve, this is perilous for some who are up for re-election. do you see it's going to make it through? >> i do. i think perry's analysis is right and think they will have a vote when they know they can pass it and that will happen soon, i think. >> you think it's happening the week of the 9th? >> i think they believe they have the votes to pass it, they will call it and pass it. >> congress has work to do on the budget and evertle and they don't want this sitting on their plate too long. >> shameless plugs. >> this is not shameless but peter has a great analysis of campaign coverage and how it's changed by twitter. you can kind it on the kennedy school's website and great thing for junkies like our viewers to watch. >> i have to plug my amazing sister. she is a competitive cyclist and that season starts this week and good luck and belated happy birthday. >> our twins are starting ninth grade today at different high schools! we love you. proud of you. >> that is fantastic! >> thank you for being such great kids. >> we are proud of them too and

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and helps plan for your retirement. talk to a pnc investments financial advisor today. ♪ good morning. i'm chris jansing. the furious lobbying continues on syria. right now, the president is meeting with members of congress at the white house to try to convince them to vote for a military strike. then this afternoon, secretary of state john kerry, secretary of defense chuck hagel, and the chairman of the joint chiefs martin dempsey, will testify at a foreign relations committee and a lot of members who need convincing. >> it's a very difficult game that he is playing and stakes are incredibly high. >> i don't think an appetite in congress to bail the president

out. >> this is iraq are there weapons of mass destruction. no, they have them and used them against civilians. i think we have to take steps that the use of chemical weapons against civilians has a consequence. >> if we get syria wrong and show a weakness here regarding assad's chemical weapons utilization, you're almost ensuring a war between israeli and iran over their nuclear program and we will certainly get drawn that. >> i did not draw the red line and say if you crossed this, we for sure are going to do something. >> members of congress don't officially return to d.c. until next week, but committees are heading back for classified briefings. 100 took a conference call and 80 to a classified briefing on sunday. today the united nations says the number of refugees leaving syria is more than 2 million. that is close to 5,000 syrians fleeing the war-torn country every day. the u.n. calls it the greatest tragedy of this century.