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tv   The Ed Show  MSNBC  September 10, 2013 2:00pm-3:01pm PDT

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prime time address to the nation at 9:00 p.m., followed by expert analysis all night by my colleagues, lawrence o'donnell, chris hayes and many others. right now, it's ed schultz and "the ed show." good evening, americans and welcome to "the ed show" live from new york. let's get to work. not war. ♪ the russians happen to have a proposal to settle all of this. >> we accept the russian proposal. >> this represents a potentially positive development. >> i'm sure some leader, somewhere, of a country went to this guy right here and said, you know what, he's gonna strike syria. you guys better get involved in this. >> the russians coming to the -- bringing to the table a proposal. the president deserves a great deal of credit for. >> turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community, in the next week, turn it over.
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all of it. >> these are conversations i've had directly with mr. putin. >> and puti says well, monday morning we'll probably do something about it. sure enough, here we are! >> now has muscle because of the prospect of a threat. >> we're skeptical, because we don't think the administration has a strategy for day two, day three, day four. >> and i have to say, that's just not the case. >> he should have watched fox news to tell him what he should have done. >> they're doing their strategery. >> or who he should have been. >> ronald reagan, if he were president, would get assad like that. >> this is without question our number one geopolitical foe. >> i think a famous american president once said, trust, but verify. >> it's a trust me moment. >> the maxim is -- [ speaking in russian ] trust but verify. >> ah, the old tape never gets old, does it? do we trust the russians?
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better call the nsa and ask them if they picked up anything today. maybe we trust our government a little bit more than they trust theirs. i don't know. that's where we are. trust but verify. gosh, that's an old saying, isn't it? our nation has reached that moment, a trust but verify moment. syria has accepted a russian proposal to turn over their chemical weapons to international monitors. now, let's hold it right there. that's really the key in all of this. how are we going to verify? who are the monitors? oh, let's throw in joe wilson and valerie. maybe they can get the job done. you know, liberals would love to see that. bottom line is, president obama has agreed to work closely with russia and china to explore the viability of a deal. can we really do this in the 11th hour? isn't the 11th hour? is timing a factor here? early ander today, syria said that they will sign on to the chemical weapons convention. now, this could work out really,
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really great for the united states, and the president, who has been terribly vilified and hated by the right wing. you have to give him credit so far. round one goes to the president. he's played his cards right. president obama threatened military action, went to congress for congressional approval, he'll give the big speech tonight. but most importantly, he went to russia during the g-20, and dealt with russian president puti, putin. yeah, puti, he's a good guy. remember bush said he looked in his eye and saw his soul. well, last night on this program i said that president obama must have spoken to putin about a deal, turns out i was right. >> the fact that the u.s. administration and i have said, we are serious about this, i think has prompted some interesting conversations. and these are conversations i've had directly with mr. putin. when i was at the g-20, we had some time to discuss this. and i believe that mr. putin does not see the use of chemical weapons as a good thing inside
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of syria or any place else. >> well, puti must have told president obama that. i just find it very interesting that the first day back, as i mentioned last night on the program, the first day back for congress, and the first day back from the g-20, everybody has got a deal. the russians and everybody is getting on board and president obama just happens to sit down and do six interviews with six different networks. i think these guys had an interesting dinner. they must have had a hell of a cocktail hour, because something got done. i think president obama must have laid out the hard line. that red line was put out to the russians. puti knows that obama would have acted without congressional approval. all you have to do is look at the track record. on president obama's watch, where is mubarak, where is this guy at now? he's not running egypt anymore. president obama didn't want him in there. gadhafi is taking a dirt nap and so is bin laden. he got both of those guys. can't give them a phone call and ask how it's going.
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so president obama has a track record of following through when he says he's going to do something. and there was no doubt that the russian proposal is a major breakthrough to avoid military action which this country doesn't want. but it's not a done deal. and in an interview with nbc news, president obama remained skeptical. >> you know, i think a famous american president once said, trust but verify. you have to take it with a green of salt initially. but between the statements that we saw from the russians, the statement today from the syrians, this represents a potentially positive development. we are going to run this to ground. this could potentially be a significant breakthrough. but we have to be kept skeptical, because this is not how we have seen them operate. >> i remember when reagan used to say trust but verify. that was their punch line. they just loved that. that had tremendous credibility.
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see, our guy is so strong, he wants to trust them, but wants to verify it. the republicans in caucus must be cringing when they hear the president say. republicans ought to understand it, because it is reagan talk. now, meanwhile, president obama was on capitol hill today. was he twisting arms? no. but he was seeking congressional approval for a military strike. and this is where the interesting dynamic starts to play out for the democrats. a lot of them are undecided. half the senate is undecided. most of them are democrats. so the president on capitol hill is saying, look, i got putin right where i want him. he's got a deal on the table. the syrians have signed on today. we're going to make some movement here. how can you not give me a yes vote? so i will have some international diplomatic gravitas here? you've got to give me this deal, you've got to give me this vote. it going to be interesting tonight to see just how hard the president sells on this. so imagine you're a
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congressional member, and you're getting phone calls to the tune of 100-1 against military action, and the president comes to capitol hill and says, "i need your vote because i need international credibility to get this done, so we can show them that we're definitely going to hit them." okay? got all that? and then as a congressional member you have to go home and you have to say, well, i was really against a strike in syria, i really didn't want to do that, but i had to give the president, you know, some backing, because he came so far diplomatically. that's not a real good place to be when it comes to re-election, because that kind of stuff can come back to haunt you if things don't go right. if the trust and verify thing doesn't work out with the russians and the syrians. so this was a huge day today for president obama on capitol hill. and if the deal falls through, the president still wants all options on the table. secretary of state john kerry made it clear today, this process has to be fast and measurable.
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>> this cannot be a process of delay. this cannot be a process of avoidance. that has to be real, has to be measurable, tangible and it is exceedingly difficult. i want everybody here to know to fulfill those conditions. but we're waiting for that proposal. but we're not waiting for long. a lot of people say nothing focuses the mind like the prospect of a hanging. well, it's the credible threat of force that has been on the table for these last weeks that as for the first time brought this regime even acknowledge that they have a chemical weapons arsenal. >> where was this john kerry in 2004 when the righties stole ohio? i have never seen kerry fight so hard for something. and sell so hard for something. this is democratic foreign policy at its finest, i guess. president obama made a great move by putting off military
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action and leaving it up to the congress for a vote. and let me be clear. if president obama had jumped the gun and hit syria without delay, this deal would have never happened. so the cerebral move was to be cool, be patient, go to the g-20, try to get something done, and let's work every diplomatic channel we can. that last guy didn't do that too well. he just went ahead and shot and listened to the rest of the guys around him. we would have engaged in another middle eastern country with consequences unknown. everybody you talk to in congress wants to know about, okay, what happens the day after? i think dissenting voices across this country only strengthen this president's position, because president obama did not waiver. dissenting voices gave president obama the opportunity to show his resolve. president obama played this perfectly. and now that he's put the republicans into the corner and into a box, they have got to be sitting in caucus saying, well,
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gosh, what are we going to do? well, today we heard from mitch mcconnell. mitch mcconnell came out today and said i do not think we should be striking syria. they don't know what to do. this is going to turn out very well. this is going to be productive and this may forge a new relationship between president obama and puti. you never know. they might go fishing at big eddie's north country lodge. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. do you trust syria to give up their chemical weapons? a. for yes, b for no. 67622. go to our blog, we'll bring you the results later on in the show. so fundamentally tonight, the members of congress are going to be watching the president saying i'm a no vote, i'm undecided, account president tip the balance with one speech? can he say i've made such diplomatic progress the last 48 hours, you've got to give me the yes vote so we can follow through on this.
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i think there's a lot of members of congress at a crossroads right now. for more, let me bring in congressman john gear mendy from california. congressman, great to have you with us tonight. i appreciate your time. >> good to be with you, ed. and good discussion. you really laid it out there. >> well, where do you stand tonight, congressman? there has been a lot of lobbying from the white house on capitol hill. do you think they're moving votes? >> i think what's moving votes is this russian overture, which is extremely important and an enormous opportunity to do a lot of good and to avoid bombing by the united states. i think we have time in congress. i remain a no vote. but i think we have time. we need to keep this issue on the table. let it stay there. we can continue to debate and discuss the ins and outs of it. but really, this whole thing has now moved to the russian court. putin and his administration
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have now inherited the syrian problem. they say they are going to get those chemical weapons secured, they're going to have them removed and eventually destroyed. terrific. go do it, mr. putin. it's in your hands. and we're going to hold your credibility up for public scrutiny. that's a good thing. >> do you think we can trust the russians? is this a new day daung in diploma diplomacy? >> i think we can trust them and i think we can verify they're actually getting it done. we know where those weapons are. and we know that the russians have, as we have, over the last 20 years, destroyed nearly all of our chemical weapons stockpile. we have more to do. they have more to do. they know how to do it. we know how to do it. well, okay. go get it done, mr. putin. >> yeah. >> the ball is in your court. and this is a real opportunity to protect the syrian people from chemical weapons attack, and the neighborhood. >> sure. >> and really set a much better policy in place for the whole middle east and move to the negotiating table on the syrian
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civil war. >> congressman, 63% of the american people are against the strike. do you think members of congress are willing to side with the president and say i needed to give him that diplomatic power? although i really wasn't for a strike? i mean, the president tonight is going to ask for the order. he's been on capitol hill, and his people have been on capitol hill the last several days, asking for a yes vote. he is saying, you've got to give me the yes vote, so we are united, moving forward in the international community. is it worth it to members of congress to take that leap of faith? >> i don't think we're at that moment yet. i think the president has said that this issue can go along for some while. senator kerry, secretary kerry said it's got to be done quickly. well, define quickly. as i heard today, quickly doesn't mean tomorrow. doesn't mean the next day. it really means we have an opportunity with france taking this issue to the united nations
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council and russia working together to solve a major problem in the middle east. this is good. we have time in congress. we don't need to vote today, tomorrow, even next week. but we need to have this issue on the table, ready to go. >> and what do you expect out of the president tonight? do you expect him to lay out a detailed plan and a future for syria? does he have to go that far? what are your expectations? what do you think he has to accomplish tonight? >> i think he needs to focus on the chemical weapons. i think that's the issue of the moment and the issue in the weeks ahead. he said so when he announced he was going to take action. when he brought it to congress, he said, we have time. indeed we do have time. and now this very, very important issue has been passed to the russians and to the united nations, all of whom, including syria, seem to be on board to gain international control of these chemical weapons, and dispose of them. and syria, apparently, has agreed to sign on to the chemical weapons accord. this is really, really
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important. we don't need to rush. we need to push forward. we need to make sure that all the steps are in place, and we need to make it very, very clear that russia is now in the game, in a very positive way. it's now their responsibility to make sure that syria carries it out. >> but it's our responsibility to make sure that this trust but verify -- the verification, this is getting done. >> absolutely. >> that is -- that's kind of a heavy lift. i mean, you're going to have to underturn every rock in syria to make sure they're telling the truth, aren't you? >> well, we know where these weapons are. we know. we have some pretty good indication they're secure. >> so you think the intel is tight. >> the intel is in good shape. and we know that they're going to be foreign experts on the ground, and quite possibly russia getting control of those weapons, and hopefully taking them out of the country. >> congressman, great to have you with us. john gar amen deof california, great to have you on the program
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tonight. thank you, sir. >> thank you, ed. remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of your screen, share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and on facebook. we love it. bring it on and tell us what you think. you know, the conversation in this country has been so important in the last week, it's moving people in congress. why can't we do that on jobs? later in the show, mitch mcconnell revs up the obama hate machine. but first, why michele bachmann is praying for some divine intervention in 2016. stay with us. we're right back. n it comes to doing what you love, more is better. that's why we designed the all-new nissan versa note, with more technology, to get you into, and out of, tight spots. and more space so that you always have your favorite stuff. and just for good measure, an incredibly efficient 40 mpg highway. so that when you're doing more, you're spending less. the all-new nissan versa note. your door to more. ♪
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newborn infant jesus. >> bachmann overdrive. >> are you one of those who just assumes that secretary hillary clinton will be -- >> i don't at all. i look at the story of david and goliath. >> the outgoing congresswoman channels a higher power for her 2016 prediction. >> it wasn't the stone, it wasn't david. it was the strong right arm of a holy god. if we repent, if we cry out to god, we have no idea what the lord god will do for us in 2016. >> our number two trender, baller. >> is it of any concern dennis rodman sees more information about kim jong-un than the u.s. government does? >> i think that would be a gross assumption you cannot back up with any facts. >> so why obama, are you afraid to talk to dennis rodman? afraid to talk to beyonce and jay-z. i'm pretty important now, right? >> coach rodman follows the bouncing ball to north korea. >> he told about his idea --
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amazing idea for basketball diplomacy. >> you want a career? it can open doors. >> he's my friend for life. i don't care what you guys think about him. >> in today's top-trender, in command. >> my fellow americans -- >> my fellow americans. >> my fellow americans. >> president obama follows in his predecessor's footsteps. >> our evidence is direct, it is precise. it is irrefutable. today we have done what we had to do. if necessary, we shall do it again. >> our goal is not the conquest of iraq. it is the liberation of kuwait. >> we had to protect thousands of people from a mounting military offensive. we act to prevent a wider war and we act to stand united with our allies for peace. >> the united states military has begun strikes against al qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the taliban regime in afghanistan. we are supported by the collective will of the world. >> instead of drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a
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course toward safety. we are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far greater. >> joining me now is douglas brinkley, presidential historian and professor at rice university. professor, good to have you with us tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> the mission tonight for the president is to change people's minds and to swing public opinion. how heavy a lift is it in the context of what those presidents we're dealing with? >> well, you know, he switched now. it's not going to be an oval office speech. usually when you have a war talk, you do it to have the gravitas of the oval office. now it's going to the east room. so that's been a recent switch today. i think this has changed. it is now a peace speech. it's that we've got a window. you are all right about verification, that's important and peace through strength and all of that. but i think there is a peace window here and he's going to explore that and tell us what is at stake with syria and international security. it's been a bit muddled and he has an opportunity now to bring clarity. >> does he have to lay out an
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end game? how far does the president go? his detractors are saying he's not going far enough by pushing for regime change. how much can he get done diplomatically tonight? how far does he go? >> i wouldn't go too far. i'm not even sure that the vote in congress is something that the president wants at this point. this is a kick the can situation. they've got to wait for the united nations report. you've got -- allies about to really join us, france and turkey in a real way. but they're still not quite on board. you've got this russian and syrian option of international inspectors but can you trust putin? i don't. can you trust assad? i don't. so where is that window and how many of these weapons can you really get rid of out of syria? how will that work? >> does he say that? does the president have strong language tonight for putin and assad? >> i would say the chance we're giving peace a chance. he has been a reluctant warrior, he had to ring alarm bells about weapons of mass destruction. he has achieved that.
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you don't see anything good about putin or assad, but traditionally on some of these clips you ran, presidents get a little bit of a bounce out of these speeches, even if a couple points. and i see this as a chance to stabilize his message. it's not novel he's coming to talk to the people tonight. he was on shows all day yesterday. but i think it's a chance for a start-over, drawing a new line saying here's where we're at today and how we're going to proceed. he needs to bring clarity. >> i think it's a huge coincidence the russians come out with a proposal and oh, by the way, president obama happens to be doing six interviews with all of the networks and this question pops up. i think they had it -- i don't know if the word is rigged but pretty well coordinated that the g-20 meeting must have been pretty productive. >> you know, during the cuban missile crisis, dean afternoonson wrote an article and called it a homage to plain dumb luck. and we may have been lucky the president was at that g-20 meeting that had his private moments with putin, which none of us know what was transpired
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there, but the president, i'm sure he said publicly and i believe him, he said we talked about this possibility and when john kerry triggered in his speech was actually something the president did with diplomacy. that helps the president now repackage his message. >> does the president gain favor with the american people from the standpoint that we had john kerry saying that he has the threeway to strike syria and the president lives, takes a walk at 6:00 friday and says we're going to take a 90-degree turn and go to congress. and now we have got a proposal on the table, whether we can trust it or not, but at least it's a different chapter, and it's a -- it's a different dynamic here. how does that play out for the president? >> nobody is going to be studying at the naval war college this syria crisis as a textbook way to do things. >> sure. >> it's been hurly-burly, hodgepodge, helter skelter, but
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we're moving in a better result than we could have a few days ago. we are now looking at a president that might be able to tell us we are making progress on getting rid of chemical weapons from an adversary like syria. if he can achieve this in the next month, the president will look quite strong. but right now, the critics are all over out there because of general confusion of what we're doing. >> he went to the g-20, he had to move one person and that was putin. and he got it done. tonight he has to move millions of people. and has been on capitol hill today saying you've got to support me. is this new territory where a president would go saying you've got to give me the vote to give me the international diplomatic gravitas so we can good do this deal? what about that? >> one thing i was thinking about today, i remember when john f. kennedy met with kruschev in '61 and the berlin wall came up and everybody thought he was weak, but he played it cool, went back to berlin, got high marks and ended
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up flipping that berlin -- the wall was a side of totalitarianism. he has brought so much conscienceness to chemical weapons now, the president, he might be able to get a moral high ground out of this that i'm the person that warned everybody, i was the paul revere figure here. but this quick vote in congress, what are we voting on, i think it's going to get booted further. i keep thinking the longer this is postponed in congress and senate, the better off the president's hand is going to be. oechblt >> okay. doug lass brinkly, good to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. still to come, the vast majority of americans want lambs lawmakers to focus on domestic issues. gregory meeks joins me. but first, as president obama preps for his address to the nation tonight, the republican rebuttals are already in gear. next, i'm taking your questions on ask ed live. stay with us. we're right back on the ed show. ! "i" formation! we have got to get the three-technique block! i'm not angry. i'm not yellin'.
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welcome back to "the ed
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show." we love hearing from our viewers tonight and our ask ed live segment, first question from jimmy bear and wants to know how come we can mobilize congress fast when it comes to war but domestic problems, they move at a snail's pace. well, bottom line here, they don't have to move fast on domestic policy, especially when you're i'd logically driven and want to control the government. i mean, all you have to do is listen to michele bachmann. do you think she even likes liberals? do you think she wants to work with liberals? that's really the mind set of the entire republican party. so in answer to your question, when it comes to war, they're easy to move. but domestic problems, they don't care. they're selfish, the top 2% crowd. they want to concentrate the wealth. they want to cut government programs. and they want to deregulate and privatize everything they can get their hands on. next question comes from richard. he wants to know, what will it take for the republicans to understand common sense.
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i don't have the foggiest idea. i don't. stick around. rapid response battle is next. i'm jackie deangelis with your cnbc market wrap. the dow climbing 127 points, the nasdaq rising 22. apple shares dropped 2% after it unveiled two new iphones, enhanced iphone 5s and low cost plastic version. and homeowners underwater on mortgages dropped last quarter thanks to rising home prices and the number of jobs waiting to be filled dropping in july to the lowest level in six months. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide. with the spark miles card from capital one,
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time for reaction. welcome back to "the ed show." earlier today, after the dust settled with the news of a proposal to place syrian chemical weapons under international control, here we go. senate minority leader, mitch mcconnell, finally came out of his shell to let the american people know where he stands on the issue. in doing so, mcconnell became the only leader in congress to say that he will oppose president obama's proposed military intervention in syria. mcconnell is up for re-election next year. and he's desperate for better poll numbers. mcconnell knows the american people are against a strike in syria. so he did what any desperate republican would do, he gave a speech slamming the president of the united states. >> it is long past time the president drops the pose of the reluctant warrior and lead. you can't build an effective foreign policy on the vilification of your predecessor alone. at some point, you have to take responsibility for your own actions and see the world the way it is. not the way you would like it to be.
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if you wish to engage countries that have been hostile, so be it. but be a realist. know the limits of rhetoric and prepare for the worst. >> the only republican using these events to criticize the president in order to build political capital with their base. fellow kentucky senator rand paul announced he will deliver a video response to president obama's address tonight. live streamed on his youtube page. paul's office told the hill, he isn't responding on behalf of the republican party, but simply offering his thoughts as a concerned senator and citizen. joining me now for the rapid response panel, msnbc contributor dr. james peterson. also with us tonight, "washington post" ej dionne and joan walsh. what does the president have to do tonight? it would seem to me maybe a few edges have been filed off a little bit now that there is
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some type of diplomatic opportunity here. joan, how heavy a lift is this tonight? >> i think it's a very heavy lift. and it's a lift in progress. so, you know, i'm sure they're working really hard, as we're working hard here, ed, to figure out what to say. because things are changing by the hour. but, you know, as somebody who has been very critical of the notion of a military strike, i think the president actually can take some credit. and say, look, we had nothing going on diplomatically. i think people who favored dip lopa homacy can say we told you there is talking to be done. so both sides who have come to this with some sincerity can can take credit. people with no sincerity like mitch mcconnell should go away and hide. because i have never seen something as hypocritical as what he said today. >> how does the tough guy hold him accountable and take the high road? >> his whole argument all along was that if we weren't willing to be tough on this with assad, you would never move the russians? and they said over and over again, we went to the u.n. and
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every time we went there, they blocked us. and i think he can make the case that only after he got tough and said we're going to do this, we're going to go after assad, did you suddenly have this proposal materialize. you know, first miraculously from kerry's lips and then the russians picked it up right away. so i think he has obviously in a much stronger position than he was a couple days ago. but mcconnell's speech shows something which is an awful lot of republicans, and i exempt rand paul from this, by the way. he is a consistent anti-war libertarian. but there are a lot of hawkish republicans who would have voted for this, if somebody named barack obama were not president of the united states. and i think they've got to explain themselves. >> that's the sad state of our political sort of process here. >> it's a still beat obama scenario. >> no matter what. no matter what the stakes are, no matter how, you know, the american people have come out and expressed their views. authentically about not wanting
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to make a military intervention. you're still going to have some folks playing politics with it. i agree with joan, as well, that the president has somehow miraculously maneuvered through this situation in a way that ej saw, this unaffordable outcome, a viable, diplomatic solution. when it was first announced, i don't think we thought it was viable, but now it is a viable solution. and in a moment like this where diplomacy can win out, i think we're all winners. >> what do you make of the role john kerry has laid played in all of this and plays a vital role when it comes to verification? >> he is wearing a very different hat than he was as a presidential candidate. we talked about this a minute ago. john kerry has become a soldier. and, again, as such, he's got his orders, and, you know, i don't know if it was a mistake for him to rhetorically sort of let it slip that this russia/syria piece was a possibility, but it did, and i think when you look at the whole picture, just seems like an amazingly for all of this to resolve itself, especially if we don't have to make a military
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intervention. >> are we making too much out of the fact mubarak is gone, gadhafi is gone, said he would get him in the debate, if we have actionable intelligence and if the pakistanis don't act, i will take him out? somebody must have told putin over the weekend, you guys better get involved in this thing. he means it. what do you think about that? >> i think clearly bin laden is his doing. i think some of this was on the ground in the middle east and came from the bottom-up. but i think you're right in this case, that the united states' stance toward assad changed after the word of the use of those chemical weapons came out. and i think the russians looked at this and may well have said, you know, we didn't have to worry yesterday, but we've got to worry now. >> yeah. >> and we don't want those strikes coming on assad, because they could weaken him. >> joan, a lot of liberals are saying the president is spending a lot of political capital on this, it's still jobs, it's the economy. it's the austerity fights we're
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having at state levels in this country. >> right. >> how does he pivot back to that? this is sucking a lot of air out of the room? >> i don't think there is any way around that. i wanted to pivot back as much as anybody else, but is this this is what it on his plate right now. and i think he has done an interesting job. it's not over yet. i think the question of what happens if this diplomatic solution does not materialize, and he's got to go back and make the case for a strike, and a strike that doesn't destabilize assad and give the rebels the upper hand. all of that is still -- still very difficult and very scary. but this is what's going on right now. >> no, i think that's right. and this actually does have the potential of keeping this story more dominant for a while. one of the resolutions of the senate is, all right, let's give dip limbacy 45 days, and if that doesn't work, we're going to give the president the authority to strike. so this could -- this story could dominate at a time when a lot of people want to talk about health care and some of these other -- >> i find it interesting, the
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president was able to go over and work with putin, without his number one ally. >> right. >> the british parliament, giving him a stamp of approval. this was a go it alone situation. i thought the president was under some pressure here to deliver at the g-20, without his main ally. >> he ultimately may have had more leverage in doing that. i think for tonight, people expect the president -- i would love for him to do this. address the fact that look how quickly our government assembled to engage, to be sincere, to work around a military intervention, where crisis in syria. the question is, can our government do that for crises here at home. >> okay. what's rand paul trying to prove? >> look, i don't like rand paul very much. but i'm going to give him some credit here. he has been a consistent voice against intervention, and i think going forward, as we try to figure out what is our role in a post super power, post 9/11 world. i think that republicans -- consistent republican anti interventionists are important potential lies with consistent democratic skeptics of
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intervention. so he's going to have a party on youtube, but i'm going to give him credit for integrity and consistency that mitch mcconnell doesn't deserve. >> i think he is sincere. i think he is an anti war libertarian. but i think one of the things we've got to settle after this, how many republicans are really in that camp. >> right. >> and how many are just opposing the president, and i also think one of the things the president has to do tonight is lay the ground work for a long-term argument and say, look, nation-building begins at home, but we still have international responsibilities. here's how i'm going to square them. and i think we need that big conversation. >> okay. and also, finally tonight, dr. peterson, the president has -- he has given some huge speeches that have moved a lot of people. am i expecting too much tonight to wake up tomorrow and maybe tomorrow afternoon saying that the polls have changed and all of a sudden this country says we're with the president? >> you're not, ed. but his speeches work both ways, though. he moves a lot of people sometimes, and also incites and anners people, as well.
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i expect the same results tonight. >> james peterson, ej dionne and jane walsh. thanks. >> good to be with you. up next, leading role. how erin burnett's leading line of questioning makes even marco rubio look reasonable. stay with us. [ male announcer ] these days, a small business can save by sharing. like carpools... polly wants to know if we can pick her up. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ male announcer ] the best thing to share? a data plan. at&t mobile share for business.
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the pretenders tonight, the grandin quiz inquiz tore, erin burnett tried to debate senator marco rubio. >> you think this idea is the president's way of backing down from a strike? i know you're not for a strike. buff you've been, for example, helping instead. does this in building up to interviews, instead saying i'm open to not striking, make the president look unsure or ambivalent, or worse, weak? >> i don't want to say anything
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that undermines the u.s.'s globally. >> you can lead marco rubio to water but can't make him drink if a settlement that puts lives in treasure out of danger makes the president weak, not even marco rubio is going to touch that one. if erin burnett wants us to believe that that is journalism, she is keep on pretending. i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick... and then i got better. ♪ [ male announcer ] 1.21 gigawatts.
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welcome back to "the ed show." this is for the folks who take the shower after work. the workers of america. new york city voters are heading to the polls today for the new york mayoral primary. looking for who addresses issues like they talk about. like the living wage, affordable housing, a good education, and social justice in the realm of stop and frisk. president obama is going to make his address to the nation tonight about syria, the eve of the 12th anniversary on 9/11. 12 years later, new yorkers remain focused on security. a new nbc/wall street journal poll shows only 22% of this country believes to promote democracy internationally in an effort to ease national security. nearly 74% say the united states should do less around the world and focus more on domestic problems. congressman gregory meeks of new
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york joins me tonight. congressman, good to have you with us. >> good to be with you. >> you're just off being at home in your district the month of august. back to work now in washington. what did you hear the most when you were boots on the ground in your district, congressman? >> of course a lot of it has to deal with education of our young people and trying to make sure they have jobs. jobs, education, and getting people back to work. i mean, that's the main thing that people are focused on and of course recently when the question of syria came up and what the president was going to do, was not going to do, that also became an issue that the people were talking about while i was home. >> it's interesting. this mayoral primary race has had a lot of dynamics to it. one of the things that hasn't been talked about too much is security of the city. you know, it's education, it's the things i had mentioned. housing, education, stop and frisk, all of those things. very little conversation, i think, about keeping this city safe. are new yorkers beyond that?
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i mean, do we really feel -- do you get a sense in this city we have done the job here in new york and there is no doubt that we are safe? >> no. i think that, you know, we are -- you're never safe 100%. i think the president has said that already. and i think that new yorkers are keeping their eyes open and ears open. i think the message has gotten clear. if you see a package don't know who it belongs to, call someone. i think we're doing that. people are to focused on what is important to them day-to-day basis. >> are you supporting a candidate today/tonight? >> yes. i'm with bill thompson who i think will be the next mayor. >> bill de blasio is bringing attention to stop and frisk. what are you telling constituents about this practice? >> i think everyone has brought attention to stop and frisk. i think, in fact, if bill
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thompson was elected mayor four years ago, we wouldn't be talking about it today because thompson as mayor would have stopped it and will stop it. and make sure that it's utilized appropriately and not inappropriately. it's something being reported on largely right now. this is something bill thompson has been focused on for a long period of time. he knows he's lived it every day. if you've been an african-american male in any city, you know about stop and frisk. >> why do you think de blasio is ahead of thompson in the polls when thompson barely lost to bloomberg last time? >> i think there will be a runoff this time. and people will focus on the issues that are important. i think there were a lot of distractions in this campaign. when you talk about the candidates on both -- on a number of graces. so i think those distractions took new yorkers away from issues. and on the runoff we'll be focused on two candidates and
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issues the voters will be voting on. i think bill thompson's message will resonate. >> let's talk about the president's speech tonight. you told me today on the radio that you are undecided. have you moved at all in the last 24 hours because you've met with the president, talked to the vice president. there's been a lot of lobbying going on on capitol hill. how do you assess the situation right now? >> i understand the president's position much better and i think that the president needs a lot of credit for the leadership that he has shown. number one, you know, the president could have easily hype pd this. if a president wants to sell a war, he could have tried. what the president did was tell us the truth. and the truth is that there was no imminent threat right now from the syrians. and that what we need to do, though, is to send a message by a small strike so that anyone will know that there's a price to pay for utilizing chemical weapons. now, the problem that i have had is that i believe that since it
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was an international norm that was violated, there should have been an international reaction. i'm starting to see that take place right now. >> so do you foresee being in a position where you're going to have to go home and tell your constituents i know you don't want a yes vote, but i got to do it for the president. >> if the international community comes on board, then my first hope is that we have a diplomatic solution which i think we have a window of accomplishing. i'm hoping we don't have to go to actually having something fired over there. but i have to vote, you know, my conscious. and i believe my constituents sent me to congress so i can get all the information i could and so -- information they don't have that i may have and i can vote accordingly. >> quickly, was the president working the hill hard today? >> the president and his people have been working hard to get the message across, yes. >> okay. congressman gregory meeks, great to have yo with us. that's "the ed show." you can watch the president's
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address on syria right here on msnbc. join me and my colleagues for all the live coverage of the address starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. in fact, he's sitting right here. we have actually solved the housing -- started to solve the housing problem here in new york because there's two shows in one studio. al, you take it away. >> and it's not charging extreme rent. good to see you, ed. thanks a lot. >> thanks, rev. >> thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, an extraordinary day of high stakes diplomacy that could avoid military strikes against syria. and give president obama a peaceful resolution to the crisis. here's the latest. the obama administration is working with allies at the united nations on a russian plan to put syria's chemical weapons under international control. today the syrian government agreed to that plan,