Skip to main content

tv   Andrea Mitchell Reports  MSNBC  September 3, 2013 10:00am-11:01am PDT

10:00 am
together as one nation. >> on this speaker john boehner and democratic leader nancy pelosi show a united front. >> something that the united states as a country needs to do. i'm going to support the president's call for action. i believe with my colleagues should support this call for action. >> it is really something that from a humanitarian standpoint cannot be ignored or we cannot say never again. >> the resolution faces its first big test when the president's war council faces questioning from the senate foreign relations committee. i talked to the chairman and a key supporter of authorizing the strikes. first could the president's about-face on getting approval backfire. a warning from senator john mccain who wants a tougher response than the president is planning. >> and now after saying that he
10:01 am
would launch strikes is now referring to congress for their approval or disapproval. it's a very difficult game that he's playing. the stakes are incredibly high. >> and never give up. 64-year-old diana nyad's message after her triumphant 110 mile swim from cuba to the florida keys. >> you never are too old to chase your dreams. >> good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. president obama is getting his first real read as to whether lawmakers will support his plan for military action against syria. no more than an hour from now, trying to persuade the senate
10:02 am
foreign relations committee. capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell will be joining us. the meeting today seemed to go much better than anyone could have anticipated. >> i think you are exactly right. the wisdom as some communicate side that this is going to be a tough sell for the white house and still going to be just that. there reasons for optimism here with that united front between the house speaker john boehner and the former house speaker nancy pelosi on this topic. the real issue lies more broadly in what the rarng and file members have to say about authorization for the use of force in syria. that's why it was taking place later, the first time in a public open forum, the senate foreign relations committee. it was significant with kerry and hagel to be here today. one of the biggest points they will communicate is the need for
10:03 am
accountability. they must uphold the crack down on the use of chemical weapons at the international norm that existed for about a century. andr andrea? is. >> thanks to peter alexander. as we have seen over the last couple of days, momentum growing for congressional action. this was a black and whited decision by the president. are there concerns about the uncertain nature? >> there has been a lot of questioning about how the administration will go about this. the republican on foreign relations along with the chairman democrat robbery effort menendez. the administration has been clunky, to use his words. urging the witnesses to be very direct and very forth coming about the case that needs to be made. they believe there was in fact a need to take action. it is hard to get the support because of how the public feels
10:04 am
about the military action and there needs to be a stronger case made in support of the president. how to make that connection between the evidence that lawmakers are seeing and the concerns they have and making that more poll tabl to the public more broadly. not only on the syria issue, but trying to make the links to other nations that might do things we would not want them to do if there is not a response. iran and north korea and that kind of thick. members are getting the opportunity to be brief and to review documents. they will hear from witnesses today and throughout this week, but a big question is what would come next if the strike took place. the game plan part b, c,and beyond and how can they reassure voters at home who are not comfortable with taking action against syria. andrea? >> thanks very much and the man who will be carrying that committee hearing, bob menendez. you will preside over that hearing and you came from the
10:05 am
briefing. me what can you your members and what request ez do you have for the leaders as to whether this will be effective enough to satisfy the john mccains and we will have a light enough imprint and short enough time table to satisfy the senators like pat leahy. >> i believe that first of all on the use of chemical weapons, they have gotten the one i just left and others has made it strong for members that this is not an iraq-type of situation. it is clear that the assad regime used chemical weapons against innocent civilians and the last instance killing about 1400 citizens including over 400 children. that much is being created in the minds of members. the question is how does respond to that? in that respect, i think what
10:06 am
the administration is putting forward and i look forward to hearing at today's hearing is a military action that is limited in scope, but decisive in the use of force against targets of the regime that both deter his ability to level chemical weapons against his civilian population and in doing so, at the same time degrades his overall capability. i think that that balance and the relative short-term nature that we are talking about without american boots on the ground and troops on the ground is something that i believe members when they hear all of the testimony will find their way to support. pat leahy and democrats call for a time limit. is there a resolution? >> i think our goal is to ensure
10:07 am
this is not an open ended process. to ensure that there is specific language about no boots on the ground for american troops. at the same time to strike a balance that perms the president to conduct the very type of military action that stops the use of chemical weapons and accepteds a global message as well that the use of weapons is not permitted under international law and there is a serious consequence that sends a message to the ayatollah in iran and do not march towards the nuclear weapons. we mean what we say. that sends the leaders a clear message. do not think about using your weapons on the korean peninsula. that is part of what's going and it can be drafted in a way that assuages the concerns of senator leahy, but permits the president to conduct the action in a way that would be successful and limited, but will be powerful
10:08 am
enough in both getting the assad regime in sending the global message. the president promised in june and has not received the weapons. >> i think part of it, the president would say that they have been training the vetted moderate opposition to have the capacity to use the weapons that senator mccain and graham and others are advocating for. as a matter of fact the committee on foreign relations that i chair several months ago voted 15-3 to be able to do exactly that and both train and arm the elements of the syrian opposition that we believe would chair largely the values we want to see in syria. i think we are moving in that direction. in this particular case, the real question is are we going to send a message to the world that the use of chemical weapons in violation of international law
10:09 am
will not be permitted and send messages to others that there real consequences for it. at the same time that we continue to assist in a parallel track for the vetted elements of the syrian opposition. it is my hope that that's what we will achieve. >> your predecessor went out with a message first on monday that followed by joe biden on wednesday to the american legion and kerry passionately on friday coming out of the national security council and it wasn't until that night that the president clearly had a change of mind about getting a congressional authorization. does that undermine the message and the unsrpt with which the white house came to this decision? >> i believe that the bringing together of congress and support of a resolution for limited military actions this this particular regard will be a stronger message globally. some may see it as weakness at this point. at the end of the day it sends a
10:10 am
message to our allies that we mean what we see and will do it and have the support of a full government of the united states. as well as sending the similar message to our enemies. i think the president and the country will be strengthened by that support and the ultimate mission will be more successful as a result. >> the pentagon acknowledged that the u.s. was involved in planning and executing this israeli anti-missile defense over the mediterranean today. this missile test. was that to send a signal to syria? suspicious timing. >> i think that the signal that may very well be sent is that do not even contemplate acting against other countries in the region or against american interest for that fact if and when the strike takes place.
10:11 am
the ability for israel to defend itself and the ability of other countries in the region and turkey and jordan, the massive amount of firepower to chifts in the region sends a clear message to syria to iran and to hezbollah of the consequences of any retaliation and at the end of the day, i would suggest that it is preemptive and protective in terms of the message that is sunday so that we don't see any consequences. >> thank you. i know it's a busy day. thanks for taking time to preview the hearing. >> ryan crocker served in afghan, pakistan, kuwait and lebanon. over a 37-year career, she in the george bush school of government at texas a&m and join ises me by phone. goed to talk to you. what are your concerns?
10:12 am
you know the region better than anyone else as to whether or not this kind of air strikes standoff air strikes would work to deter assad or could it even encourage more action? >> andrea, i think that is exactly the question. as you heard earlier from kelly o'donnell, that is the question that some is members of congress are very rightly acting. i call it the then what question. the strikes will be proportionate and limited and will not involve boots on the ground. the question for me is will they in fact be effective? chairman menendez i think it making those points. they do have to degrade and
10:13 am
deter. the question is whether they will. the record in using standoff weapons in the past is tried in sudan against al qaeda. hit the wrong target and we had no damage. we tried it twice in iraq in the 90s without doing any significant damage to the capabilities. or his outlook. we tried it in afghanistan prior to 9/11 with similar lack of results. i hope it will be better this time. but that remains to be seen. most of us have seen general dempsey's letter written two days before the chemical attacks in which he laid out his military judgment that for military action to be effective, it would have to be very large
10:14 am
scale. very costly. both in blood and in treasure. we will just have to see the worst out come i think for us is to launch strikes and discover that they did not significantly degrade his chemical or conventional capabilities and he simply thumbs his nose at us and carries on with the war. then what? >> in fact only today assad got an interview with the ambassador that said the mideast is a powder keg and the name is coming very near. we cannot talk about the syrian response, but what might take place after the first strike. nobody knows what will happen. everybody knows they will lose control when the powder keg explodes. there is a risk of regional war. that's pretty tough.
10:15 am
>> it is. i'm not sure that i have a great deal of confidence in his judgments, but i think it is true that there will be consequences to any military action that we probably are not going to be able to predict. i can give you one prediction. they will be hugely unpopular among the arab public as a whole. it will be seen as another example of u.s. military action into an arab country no matter how heinous the government is at which these strikes are directed. should there be collateral damage, it will be even worse.
10:16 am
so we will have arab popular backing for this and that may be something assad can turn to his advantage. they made a fetish out of always having syria be on the band guard of arabs. we need to be careful that this does not play out in a way that he is not able to rally arab popular support that he currently doesn't have. >> thank you very much. thanks very much ryan crawford. good to talk to you. >> thank you. >> coming up next, a special series called the age of alzheimer's. maria shriver shares her personal fight for awareness and research. stay with us right here on "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc.
10:17 am
10:18 am
10:19 am
10:20 am
>> sharp, witty, a walking encyclopedia. his mind a beautifully tuned instrument that left people in awe. that was then. today he doesn't even know my name. to be honest, that still is really difficult to wrap my on mind around, but that is the heart break and the reality of alzheimer's. a reality that is terrifying and incomprehensible. >> our friend and colleague maria shriver in 2009, a passionate spokes woman from her family's tragedy and the national tragedy. it took the life of her valient
10:21 am
father. september is national alzheimer's awareness month. we have a special report called the age of alzheimer's. it of the cos the united states more than $200 billion a year yet our government spends less than 600 million a year on it. why isn't more being done? is special anchor maria shriver joins me from new york along with the executive director discovery foundation and early on with the alzheimer's patient and her husband and care giver, dave baker. thank you all. first to you. why is nbc news doing this series. why is this a national crisis? >> the numbers you just said make it a national crisis. 5.5 million people with disease, someone gets it every 68 seconds. more than 15 million people in the unpaid care giving and trying to juggle jobs.
10:22 am
and baby boomers coming of age. it is a crisis that as you mentioned how little money is spent on trying to find a cure. this is national alzheimer's month and they are trying to focus this disease that seems to be impacting almost everybody you talk to. >> what is the difference between the diagnosis of alz m alzheimer's. >> dementia is a word describing a patient who has memory loss and difficulty speaking. alz himers is the most common cause of dementia. others are vascular disease. about 70% of cases of dementia are due to alzheimer's disease. >> with us is susan and dave. thanks for being open about your own struggle. if you want to speak to your
10:23 am
wife and is what early on set has meant to your family. >> well, it's certainly been difficult on our family. susan had a great career and she had to stop doing that. that has been a big part of her life. really alzheimer's affects a family pretty much in every way there is. it's changed the direction that we were looking forward to in our life. so now we are taking care of susan and dealing with alzheimer's. >> and susan, how have you managed to cope? is obviously you have the love and care of your supportive husband. but what are the ways that you began to realize that you were losing some of the your abilities? >> i didn't really notice it. my husband noticed it. i kept asking the same questions over and over. are we going now? are we going now?
10:24 am
are we doing this or what have you. then i went to a doctor, we went to my -- should i say this? i went to my intern doctor and she said no, they are trying to get money from you. you don't have it. then i went to a neurologist and he said no, you are okay. and then like a month ago he said i think i better send you to stanford. it was kind of a long trail. >> i think that's what is interesting. more and more primary physicians are on the frontlines of diagnosing this disease. susan is younger than i am. there more than 200,000 people under 65 with alz himers and the numbers are growing and people are rushing to the doctors saying i can't remember this and that and do i have it? part of the awareness is trying to teach primary physicians what
10:25 am
to look for. they are on the frontlines of this. what can be done for people who have jobs like susan and families like hers. they are very young. >> that is exactly one of the challenges for families and doctors and primary care doctors. what are the warning signals? i talked to you before about this. this is not i can't find my keys. we all go through that. i can't find my cell phone. this is different. >> the distinction between normal aging of the brain and what people with alzheimer's experience can be diagnosed easily by a doctor. it is more than a normal hemry problem. people have difficulties with language and recognizing others. basically there is functional impairment. the defining character of early alzheimer's diagnosis is
10:26 am
impairment in the ability of function on a daily basis. we had advances in educating doctors who can be able to diagnosis alzheimer's. that's one of the most important advances. we had the first diagnostic test approved, the brain images to detect alzheimer's in if the brain. this enabled us to see and note that people develop alzheimer's 20 years before they begin to develop memory problems. this test enabled us to begin prevention. >> i want to ask you about prevention in a moment. but to susan and dave, how important are support groups in terms of daily therapy. what does it mean to you to be involved in a support group? >> it's huge. i can't imagine not being in one. you are talking to people that are in the same boat. you get more information and
10:27 am
it's more -- it's a safe place. you can talk about it. there is a lot of things that happen to people that are married and everything falls apart because it's so stressful. >> and dave, what about to you? the support groups that families are now beginning to develop. >> it's a big help for the care givers as well. we are faced with so many different changes in our and things we never thought about what we have to deal with and take care of. having support groups and an organization like alzheimer's association and giving us information and helping us out and a huge benefit. >> really interesting to note that a doctor said to me when my father was diagnosed, when you have seen one case of alzheimer's, you have seen one case of alzheimer's. people have different journeys. the importance of people like susan coming forward is really
10:28 am
brave for her to come forward. because people are afraid to get diagnosed and afraid to tell someone they might be having memory problems and they think there is no cure and i will lose my job and i don't want anybody to know. >> doctor, i wanted to ask you about prevention. is there anything that can be done to slow this down and not only through pharmaceutical help, but through life practice? what do you tell people in your geriatric practice? >> the main point is i like to say everything we think about today to prevent a heart attack applies to your brain. exercise, for example. what's different in terms of preventing alzheimers is it's not just a blood flow issue. exercise increases the formation of hormones that protect the brain from damage and is very important in main taping and preventing cognitive decline. also things like managing if you have hypertension or diabetes,
10:29 am
it doesn't just cause heart attacks and strokes, but cognitive decline and dementia. we can manage these morbidities better and things like diet and obesity and all the things you think about including staying mentally and socially engaged. the brain at fees when it's not used. >> before your father's passing and in the years since, we have seen not more money devoted to this. this is an uphill fight. compared to what is spent on cancer and other diseases. >> it's true. i don't know any fight that doesn't. this seems to be mount everest. people like susan coming out and changing the face of alzheimer, activists have to get angrier
10:30 am
and tie their votes to people who include this in their platforms. you will see in the presidential race you will see more money that solve issues to the brain. people will start to demand it and people in the alzheimer's community whether they have it or are involved in care giving need to step up. this not only affects the person who gets it, but the financial resources of the family and affects you personally and mentally and emotionally and physically and financially. you can go from middle class to bankrupt in two months. this is a disease that america really needs to focus on and why not go into the brain? there so many secrets and diseases that can be solved by focusing money. lots of it on the brain. >> i would like to say i think it's a crucial time to start investing more money. over the last 30 years, we learned so much about the causes of alz timers that we know as
10:31 am
much about the causes and the way it happens as we do about heart disease and cancer, but we haven't translated it into new drugs and there so many opportunities to find the drugs right now that it's an exciting and critical time to do that. >> susan and dave, susan, first to you. what would you like people to know about what you are going through and how can other people and the rest of us all make life easier for you? >> i don't drive anymore. that's just telling the world this is how it is. i don't drive anymore. we made a decision that because it's erratic, you don't know when you should stop driving or not. it was better they department drive anymore. i always have to -- the other thing that's really important is i have a lot of good friends and i would never be here without them.
10:32 am
it's huge. people from kids that were in preschool and all that kind of stuff. it's huge. you need a tribe. >> amen. in every part of your life. >> speaking for the care givers out there and as maria has pointed out, most of them are women because of elderly parents. what do you say to other care givers? >> i think pretty much what susan said as far as getting a community together. there is the alzheimer's association that helped a lot with getting in touch with other people. there is a lot to learn and a lot to research. in making good decisions and getting an early diagnosis is great so that you can make decisions about the better than alzheimers and what they want to do going forward. it's really a learning curve and
10:33 am
also i want to give all those people my love and hope they do well. >> dave baker and susan. >> don't hide. >> and don't hide. maria, you are shedding light on this and helping all of us. thank you. we will be looking for your reports on nightly news. thanks to the doctor as well. thank you all. coming up, we will turn back to the crisis in syria. bill will join me next. too soft. too tasty. [ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso's new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection. ♪ we go, go, we don't have to go solo ♪ ♪ fire, fire, you can take me higher ♪ ♪ take me to the mountains, start a revolution ♪ ♪ hold my hand, we can make, we can make a contribution ♪
10:34 am
♪ brand-new season, keep it in motion ♪ ♪ 'cause the rhyme is the reason ♪ ♪ break through, man, it doesn't matter who you're talking to ♪ [ male announcer ] completely redesigned for whatever you love to do. the all-new nissan versa note. your door to more. ♪
10:35 am
i'm on expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for, because i'm raising two girls on my own.
10:36 am
i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your future? we'll help you get there. >> deeply divided over how to respond for the president's limited action against syria. john boehner and nancy pelosi endorsed the white house approach, but john mccain wants more aggressive reaction and tea party republicans argue for nothing at all. bill crystal is the editor and
10:37 am
the director of the foreign policy initiative. great to see you. john baper tweeted out that he supports the president, but the president is on his own. they can't whip it and they know why. they told our affiliate in bakersfield he hasn't decided how he feels about this. californians in both parties are actually much more reluctant to join the president's call. what do you think the party needs to do? >> it's reasonable for the speaker tow get the war and peace vote and left up to members to make up their mind according to the best judgment. the house republicans especially. they don't have a great deal of trust in the confidence and policy. he misled them several times and they think they are worried about authorizing the use of force that might conceivably counterproductive. having said that, the case against a no vote is so strong that it outweighs all the
10:38 am
understandable reluctance and doubts about casting as in vote. most will come around to casting a yes vote. the substantive case has to be meat. the person to watch on the hearing is marco rubio who as you know is on the senate foreign relations committee. i talked with him and he is really working this out. he put politics aside and i think i don't want to speak for him. we will see what he does in the hearing. a lot depends on how well they make the case at the hearing. how the administration can win republicans in both the senate and the house. >> senator mcconnell left the mealing without coming to the cameras where as boehner and pelosi came forward. that indicates ha he with his tea party challenge may not be willing to want is the president
10:39 am
that much. here is rand paul on "meet the press." >> the line in the sand should be that america gets involved when american interests are threatened. i don't see american interests involved on either side of the syrian war. i see assad who protected christians for a number of decade eads and the rebels on the other side who have been attacking christians. i see al qaeda on the side we would go in to support and i see it to be murky and i don't see a clear cut american interest. i don't see either party that is victorious. being an american ally. >> what do you say to that argument? >> there is a clear american interest in making a dictator and iran-backed dictator who presided over civil war when he said he had to go. we said we have drawn a red line and congress did not object. congress did not object on the president with the red line.
10:40 am
they are complicit. he is our president. i voted against him, but he won reelection and he is speaking as the president of the us. congress has to think long and hard before walking away on this. it will cripple him for the next three years. we cannot afford that as a country. you can vote for the resolution and krit sight the president's conduct and diplomacy and he is not arming the rebels enough. it's not as if it takes away the sit crimp and helps shape policy. voting no takes you out of the game in a dangerous way. you mentioned the tea party. the congressman from arkansas running for the senate and like tow to win that seat. from kansas, both extremely strong conservatives and tom as a veteran of iraq and afghanistan as a west point grad. they are working on a statement
10:41 am
or op ed that will support intervention in a serious way. i talked to them both and i rtrg to work it through. what has president obama done. he has gone back and forth on this. understandable on happiness with the president. you will see among conservatives, a good chunk of them a sense of we have to put aside our doubts and dislike for the president and his team and our worries about what his motives are. all that stuff goes aside and you have to do what's right for the country. most republicans will. >> do you think that will include mccain and graham? >> yes. i think they are trying to put pressure on the president to have to strike and be more robust and under mine the assad regime and not to let it be a pin prick, but they will be there for the president. >> thank you. good to see you. we'll be right back. it starts with something little, like taking a first step.
10:42 am
and then another. and another. and if you do it. and your friends do it. and their friends do it... soon we'll be walking our way to awareness, support and an end to alzheimer's disease. and that? that would be big. grab your friends and family and start a team today. register at alz.org i save time, money,st, and i avoid frustration. you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare, written by people just like you. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables
10:43 am
for only 50 delicious calories.
10:44 am
10:45 am
>> in less ann hour, secretary of state kerry and hagel will testify before the senate foreign relations committee and a resolution authorizing air strikes could come as early as next week. will democrats rally around the president. we will talk about his push to narrow the scope of the resolution. >> it is too broadly drafted. it is too open ended. >> this is a partial blank check the way it is currently drafted. then i better use the capital one purchase eraser to redeem my venture miles for this trip. purchase eraser? it's the easy way to erase any recent travel expense. i just pick a charge, like my flight with a few taps, it's taken care of. impressive baldwin.
10:46 am
does it work for hotels? absolutely thank goodness. mrs. villain and i are planning our... you scare me. and i like it. let's go what's in your wallet? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief! i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request
10:47 am
your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now. humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today,
10:48 am
like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch, up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? >> john boehner and nancy pelosi came out of the white house announcing that they are supporting the president, but what about the president's own
10:49 am
party? joining me now is the congressman from maryland. thank you very much. senate foreign relations committee staffer and we are on all the committees and your father was a diplomat. you grew up in this world. you had doubts and you are not signing on to an open ended commitment by the president. >>. >> i do have doubts and concerns. i do believe it is established that assad forces used chemical weapons. >> you have no doubt what happened? >> no doubt. beyond a reasonable doubt that that happened. second i believe that the united states and the international community have an obligation to enforce a 90-year-old regime against the use of chemical weapons. if nothing is done, the chances of assad and others doing it again against u.s. forces is high. >> you are not sure that the air strikes will make anything
10:50 am
better? >> if they are narrowly targeted, they could deter future use, but my determination is that they are many. military intervention in the civil war, and second, that the administration's draft proposal is way overly broad right now. this is not a question of whether or not you trust the president. i trust president obama, but this is now congress providing the president with a grant of authority to use force. my concern is that's not really tied down. it would be more of a blank check. it needs to be focused exclusively on the idea of preventing assad from using chemical weapons again. i think that's an achievable objective. it's a measurable objective. but we shouldn't allow this to open up a can of worms. >> do you want a time deadline on it? >> there does have to be a time deadline. i don't know exactly what the appropriate one is, but there's also another issue. after an initial strike, it
10:51 am
seems to me so long as assad does not resume the use of chemical weapons, we shouldn't be having continued military strikes, right. in other words, if our objective is to prevent the repeated use of chemical weapons, after we've sent a message, if assad gets the message and doesn't use chemical weapons again, there should be no ongoing authority to continue to use military force by the united states because our objective, that limited objective, will have been accomplished. >> what do you think of the way the administration rolled this out with john kerry coming out from a national security meeting at 1:00 on friday, forcefully explaining the intelligence, calling for action, saying that you can't let this go unanswered, that that's an invitation for more attacks such as this. and then the president really changing his mind, as we were told. changing his mind friday night, calling his team in on friday night and saturday and announcing saturday that he wants to go to congress.
10:52 am
does that send the right signal? >> well, i don't think the president changed his mind on the principle objective, which is making sure that we take action to prevent the repeated use of poison gas in syria and prevent the erosion of the -- >> but to wait until congress has come back in town and voted sends a certain signal to our allies and our adversaries. >> as the president did say, it does mean he's going through some procedures to confer and consult and get authorization from congress. i will say, andrea, i was of the view that the president has the power as commander in chief to take very limited military action as the president said he was intending to take. afterall, the libya action was undertaken without congressional action. now, there are some in the administration that are apparently keeping open the possibility that even if congress said no to authorization that the president would still move forward. and that would be a huge mistake. so to the extent that there are people who are still talking about that -- >> they're telling us that.
10:53 am
>> well, you know, the president himself said the united states is stronger when it acts together. the executive and the congressional branch. >> so your message to the white house is, if congress votes no, don't go there. >> that's right. i speak as somebody, number one, who believed that the president had the authority as commander in chief to take limited, very limited action, and as somebody who believes that you have to take very limited action to deter assad from resuming use of chemical weapons. once the congress has spoken, you know, the president has come to the congress to ask for authority. i think that's the decisive factor here. >> congressman, thank you very much. we'll be right back. hero: if you had a chance to go anywhere in the world, but you had to leave right now, would you go? man: 'oh i can't go tonight' woman: 'i can't.' hero : that's what expedia asked me.
10:54 am
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. with an ultra-thin coating and fast absorbing advil ion core™ technology, it stops pain before it gets worse.
10:55 am
nothing works faster. new fast acting advil. look for it in the white box.
10:56 am
/3omt hey. whassup. guten tag. greetings earthlings. what's crackalackin? it's great we express ourselves differently. if we were all the same, life would be boring. so get to know people who aren't like you. you'll appreciate what makes us different. the more you know. and that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." tomorrow on the show, congressman adam schiff. my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next. >> breaking news, we're just about 30 minutes away from the senate hearing on the use of force in syria. the first time the
10:57 am
administration will answer detailed questions on possible military action. these are the first times we're going to hear these answers in public. secretary of state john kerry is set to testify as well as defense secretary chuck hagel and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff martin dempsey. as more congressional leaders come out in support of the president's call for action, will we see the same from the rank and tile? senator bob casey will join us live. and we'll also have live reports from across the border in turkey and israel and from iran after a top security official met with syria's president over the weekend. a lot to get you caught up on. a lot to cover, including that hearing, which we will carry for you live. it is all coming up next on "news nation." made of cheese? [ crisp crunches ] whoo-hoo-hoo! guess it was. [ male announcer ] pringles, bursting with more flavor.
10:58 am
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. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin,
10:59 am
there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto® and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto®.
11:00 am
once a day xarelto® means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. tens of thousands of dollars in hidden fees on their 401(k)s?! go to e-trade and roll over your old 401(k)s to a new e-trade retirement account. none of them charge annual fees and all of them offer low cost investments. e-trade. less for us. more for you. and al♪ of them offer low cost investments. (announcer) answer the call of the grill with new friskies grillers, full of meaty tenders and crunchy bites. hi, everyone. i'm tamron hall. the news nation is following breaking news.