wounds of that day and the families of those we lost. the united states has been the anchor of global security. the pride you carry in your hearts. the burdens of leadership are often heavy. but the world is a better place because we have borne them. the love that will never die. i believe we should act. that's what makes us exceptional. there's no trouble we can't endure and no calamity we cannot overcome. god bless the united states of america. it is a day of remembrance, a day to honor america's heroes and a day to take stock of this nation's role in today's world. and with the nation debating the path forward on syria, the president began his day with a moment of silence to mark the 12th anniversary of the september 11th attacks.

at the pentagon where 184 people were killed, the president saluted the enduring sacrifice of the armed forces, the intelligence community and the diplomatic core, including four americans lost in libya last year. >> we pray for all those who have stepped forward in those years of war. diplomats who serve in dangerous posts, as we saw this day last year in benghazi. intelligence professionals, often unseen and unheralded who protect us in every way. our men and women in president turned his focus squarely have face the threats that endure. different though they may b from 12 years that as long as there are those who would strike our citizens, we will stand vigilant and defend our nation. let us have the wisdom to know that while force is at times necessary, force alone cannot build the world we seek. >> to that point, just last night, the president addressed a

war-weary nation, trying to make the case to the public and to congress that military action may be necessary against syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons. but he also held out hope that a russian proposal could yetor tol whether this offer will succeed. and any agreement must verify the assade keeps its commitments. but this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force. >> leaders of congress to delay a te to authorize the use of senae in order diplomatic options. to that end, the five permanent u.n. security council members are meeting this afternoon here in new york, a day before secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart meet in geneva. but the president was resolute

that should diplomacy fail, a military option remains on the table. and to bolster his case, he went so far as to urge americans to watch video, video that you are looking at right now, of the graphic aftermath of the attack last month that the u.s. says killed more than 1,400 people. >> i would ask every member of congress and those of you watching at home tonight to view those videos of the attack. and then ask, what kind of world will we live in if the united states of america sees a dictator brazenly violent international law with poison gas, and we choose to look the other way? >> and that is one question that this president does not want to see answered. let's get right to our panel now in washington as msnbc political analyst and former r & c chairman michael steele and in philadelphia msnbc contributor, professor james peterson. professor peterson, the

president has hit the pause button, taking time to see if a diplomatic approach can assure assad's chemical weapons. but professor, given the players involved, president's assad and putin, isn't a diplomatic outcome just as uncertain as a military one? >> well, i'm not sure, martin. yes, it's at least as uncertain as a military one. but i think it's the smarter and actually the politically more healthy path, because what the president has done here is he's sort of taken these progressive steps to involve more people in this process. so the first step he took was to get the united states congress involved, and i think that was important, even though he was able to let them off the hook yesterday. and now he's bringing in the international community, almost like an end-around. he's not going through the u.n. council, he's not going through normal means, but he is going to have putin and assad on the hook for their word about these

chemical weapons. and although they may end up going sideways, you're right, it may not end up working out, but just by sort of bringing it to the attention of the international community in this way, i think he's able to imply the most amount of diplomatic pressure, which i think ultimately is the best way to try to resolve this situation. >> michael, do you agree? >> i do. i think the president has had several hands played for him, beginning with putin, surprising both the white house and the state department by accepting a proposal that really wasn't a proposal by secretary kerry. and i think that that has really set in motion a different tract for this outcome that we see potentially of the client state of russia, syria, actually coming to the table and allowing inspection and ultimately elimination of its weapons of mass destruction. so i think this is very good. the problem, though, still remains. and there's still a lot of unsettled questions, which is why i think the professor kind of hesitated in sort of jumping

on the -- your question. and that is, if this doesn't fall out the way we hope it does, martin, does the president then still move forward, hopefully with a few more members of congress and members of the international community in his back pocket, with or without them, does he move forward and still pursue an action of attacking and responding to syria's weapons of mass destruction against its own people? that remains to be seen. but right now the politics of this has shifted, and it's going to be interesting to see how all sides play it out. >> michael, i have to put to you what we have heard from several republican politicians and conservative commentators who are criticizing the president's speech. some saying he lacks testosterone and pining for a return to george bush's bellicosity. are they really saying, michael, that a president who is seeking to uphold the international taboo on chemical weapons, one

is already engaged in diplomatic back channels with president putin, that he is somehow inferior to a president who took bogus intelligence and a ludicrous dream of imposing democracy and dumped all of that in iraq at a cost of 5,000 american lives and many more iraqis? is that really better, michael? >> yes. i mean, martin, come on, man, you set the question up. you know, look -- >> but, very serious views of republican -- >> i understand what you're saying. but, look, the bottom line is, everybody -- okay, let's rehash george bush and iraq for a second. everybody looked at the same faulty intelligence and came to the same conclusion. now let's set that aside. >> this president did not vote for the iraq war. >> that's fine. but this president also was the one who has voebted a very different approach than the one he started out with. if the president had, quite

frankly, done what he is doing now and really built the -- you know, the effort towards a military strike with the international community, to stand on a national stage and watch our closest ally get b-slapped upside the head in the parliament, leaving cameron standing with egg on his face, that is not the way you begin to build the kind of coalition. >> professor peterson, please, please. i could very easily deal with that comment about the british parliament, but professor peterson, you go ahead. >> well, i think that the -- i love what the parliament did to ram ron. i think it makes sense. and here's part of our challenge. and it is related to bush-era wars. >> absolutely! >> not just in the way we're talking about. see, the united states or the u.k. cannot stand unilaterally as the moral compass for the use of chemical weapons in warfare. simply because of events that we have talked about before in previous wars, previous iraq wars, where chemical weapons have been used. so in order for this to really

be an authentic move, it actually has to be international. because unilaterally, either the u.k., our greatest ally -- we can't stand on the moral ideology -- >> that's not how this started out, professor. that's not how this started. the president was unilaterally acting. he had come to the table to do his best john wayne impression. and so to saddle up -- >> michael, michael. you can't -- can't -- >> listen, i'm not saying this is where it started. the president made that move. you're right. he makes that move. >> thank you. that's all i'm saying. >> he did that as a part of this diplomatic strategy. >> oh, now -- now it's a diplomatic strategy. >> different though. >> michael -- >> moral high ground in terms of chemical weapons. which is why we need the international community involved. >> michael, when you described the president performing as john wayne, as you put it, he was doing that on the basis of what he believed was 98% of the

world's view on the use of chemical weapons. that was the position he took. >> you know what's funny about that, it took 60% of the american people to say no to actually start a diplomatic conversation. so i understand this idea to try to give the president some cover here. he has fully exposed himself. >> no, no, no, michael. nobody is trying to give the president cover. we're trying to define exactly how things have worked out. and it would seem that you're unwilling to give him any credit. >> oh, no, i am. >> oh, you are now. okay. >> no, i'm giving him credit. i appreciate what he's doing now. >> good. >> this is where we should have started. not where we end up, because the polls weren't going in this direction. the congress was not involved. and the international community was on the sidelines. >> but michael, the only reason we got here was because he made a credible threat. >> right. >> that's why the russians interven intervened. >> i understand. michael, i understand your critique of the president. but i'm just saying to you that

his administration will say this is the way we plan for it to unfold. >> sure, sure. >> so you can accept that at face value. again, my point here is, if there is any kind of moral high road to take in terms of the use of chemical weapons, neither the u.k. or the united states can do that unilaterally. you have got to have the international community at the table in order for it to make sense. again, any process where we're involving people, where congress gets involved, where we hear from the american people, those are the kind of -- those are the -- make of military interventions going forward. those are not the kind of decisions we're making during the bush era. >> let's -- as michael steele said, let us not litigate the bush era are. that would take far too long. michael steele, professor james peterson, thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up, what if diplomacy really fails. we'll discuss with senator barbara boxer straight ahead.

side-by-side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. that's one smart board -- what else does it do, reverse gravity? [ laughs ] split atoms? [ flo chuckles ] [ whirring ] hey, how's that atom-splitting thing going? oh! a smarter way to shop around -- now that's progressive. call or click today. diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

[ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. ♪ for a store near you go to benjaminmoore.com/bayarea.

for a store near you go to benjaminmoore.com/bayarea. whatever your assessment of its effectiveness, most agree the president's address last night was sober, serious and dignified. and then there was this response from senator rand paul, using scare tactics and simplistic language about 9/11, al qaeda and terrorism. >> 12 years after we were attacked by al qaeda, 12 years after 3,000 americans were killed by al qaeda, president obama now asks us to be allies with al qaeda. >> for more now, we're joined by senator barbara boxer, a democrat from california and senior member of the senate foreign relations committee. good afternoon, ma'am.

>> good afternoon, martin. >> you voted against the iraq war, but you voted for the authorization for the use of force in syria in committee. is it your view that regardless of what happens in syria, the houses of congress are simply focused on atoning for their sins of 11 years ago by being opposed to the president's strategy on syria? >> martin, that's a great question. but i tell you the truth. i can't get into the heads of all my colleagues. there are a lot of things that work. there's tea party politics, there's anti obama politics. there's the politics of saying i made a mistake. it's all out there. but to me, the important thing, and i keep getting back to it, and i keep focusing on is what actually happened in syria when more than 1,000 innocent people were killed by their own government, using a weapon that

has been banned since right after world war i, a weapon that is really called -- it's a rogue weapon, it's a war crime to use it. and it killed innocent people and babies and children, and i think we need to stand for something. and what i liked about the president's speech last night is, he didn't get dramatic and emotional. he could have. but he didn't. and he just laid it out there. how do we turn away from what happened? and what -- what does it mean for our children? and i'll tell you right now, in a situation like syria, where they have a stockpile of these weapons, and there's a lot of rebel fighting going on right around these storage facilities where these weapons are, this is coming very close to a pretty direct threat to our allies and to us. so i think the president's approach is right. we have a new day, a new day has

dawned. i think there's a lot riding on these negotiations. and i'm very hopeful that we can get ahold of this arsenal, put them in international hands, and get them destroyed, just like 80% of these weapons have been destroyed already. >> i'm grateful to you emphasizing this. because as you say, the president laid out the evidence last night of assad moving chemical weapons personnel in preparation for an attack. the targeting of 11 neighborhoods that the regime has been trying to clear of opposition forces. of gas masks being delivered to government forces and so on. do you think his speech may yet prove effective in persuading others to support his approach to syria? >> well, one would hope. i mean, the polls i read said that six out of ten people who watch the speech agreed with the president. i hope that is true. because anyone who says that we got here -- i think michael steele said it -- just because

diplomacy was the right way from day one, doesn't really understand how tyrants think. and the fact that the president was resolute, and the committee on which i serve was resolute, brought us to this moment. just think of it, martin. two days ago -- two days ago, the syrian regime said it had no chemical weapons. now they're saying we have them, they're saying that they will join the chemical weapons convention. which, by the way, there's only five countries that haven't they're one of the five. 189 have. >> it's a remarkable progress. and then, of course, there was your fellow senator, rand paul's response. how would you like to describe his contribution to last night's proceedings? >> well, i would just like to say that the clip you showed us was an absolute disgrace. and he owes the president a huge apology. he is talking about a president who is helping al qaeda, the president who went and killed bin laden.

he's talking about a president as a friend of al qaeda, who has been so cautious as others have said, armed the rebels over there, said oh no, we have to only arm the vetted rebels who are not connected with extremist groups. i just -- especially on the eve of 9/11, when he made those statements. it's beyond the pail to me, really, truly, it is. >> what's his agenda, do you think? >> well, you would have to ask him. he's running for president. he was in the senate for five and a half minutes, and that's what he wants to do now. and i don't know. i can't speak for rand paul. >> i think -- >> believe me, i can't. >> i think your comments just now said it all. senator barbara boxer. thank you so much, ma'am. >> okay. coming up, we'll go live to ground zero as the nation marks the anniversary of september the 11th. every 9/11, obviously, we remember those that we lost on that tragic day.

but we also remember the incredible outpouring of neighbors helping neighbors. ♪ ♪ come on up lay your hands in mine ♪ ♪ constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life.

phillips'. there's a lot i had to do... ... watch my diet. stay active. start insulin... today, i learned there's something i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said that with novolog® flexpen, i don't have to use a syringe and a vial... or carry a cooler. flexpen® comes prefilled with fast-acting insulin used to help control high blood sugar when you eat. dial the exact does. inject by pushing a button. no drawing from a vial. you should eat a meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injecting novolog® (insulin aspart [rdna origin] injection). do not use if your blood sugar is too low, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life-threatening. ask your health care provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects include injection site reactions and low potassium in your blood. tell your health care provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. get medical help right away if you experience

serious allergic reactions such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. flexpen® is insulin delivery my way. covered by most insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay cost at myflexpen.com. ask your health care provider about novolog® flexpen today.

a single bell rang this morning, marking the moment 12 years ago when american airlines flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the world trade center. more than a decade later, ground zero is now the site of rebirth in new york city, as 1 world trade center, standing 104 stories tall, commands the southern manhattan skyline. and joiningroun zero is msnbc's craigmein. craig, you today have spoken with the police commissioner, ray kelly, as well as many

others gathered at ground zero for this memorial. what have they shared with you, looking back on the day? >> you know, ray kelly said two things that really struck me, martin. i think we -- i think they lost us. >> no, they didn't lose us. i can hear you, craig. >> oh, sorry, guys. i thought you lost us for a second. >> okay. go ahead. >> two things that really struck me today. commissioner kelly first of all saying -- i asked him point-blank, are we safer in new york city than we were 12 years ago. he said absolutely, there's no question about that. he also admitted something that i found quite striking. martin, you pick up any major newspaper in this country today, 9/11, whether it's a commemoration, whether it's how

it's affected foreign policy or domestic policy, not on the front page of any major newspaper in this country, including major newspapers in new york city, he insists we have not necessarily forgotten 9/11, but contends that the way we have chosen to remember those who fought -- who fell here 12 years ago, nearly 3,000 people who died here in d.c. and in shanksville. the way we remembered them has changed dramatically over the past 12 years. >> msnbc's craig melvin. thank, thanks so much. i should point out, anyone wishing to contribute to the 9/11 memorial museum may log on to 9/11memorial.org. stay with us. the day's top lines are coming up. but as we go to break, where once there was dust and ashes, there is now an architectural resurrection as the transformation of ground zero nears completion. and this remarkable time lapse video produced by earth cam, the construction of 1 world trade

center is captured in all its glory. a tribute to the determination and resolve of a nation that was struck by the horrors of terrorism, but refused to lie down. i think farmers care more about the land than probably anyone else. we've had this farm for 30 years. we raise black and red angus cattle. we also produce natural gas. that's how we make our living and that's how we can pass the land and water back to future generations. people should make up their own mind what's best for them. all i can say is it has worked well for us. bob will retire when he's 153,

which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.

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! from high to low tea. it could be a question of blood flow. >> what obama showed the world tonight. >> to my friends on the right. >> we have a weak -- i guess the kids are in bed so i can say it -- flaccid, i am potent foreign policy. >> i ask you to recognize your commitment to america's military might with a failure to act when a cause is so plainly just. >> he has not made the sale to

the american people. >> it's embarrassing that our president is so confused. >> president obama now asks us to be allies with al qaeda. >> i found that speech tonight be such pathetic weakness and wimpiness. >> a president who does not know strategy. >> a targeted strike to achieve a clear objective. >> worst of all, it distracts from benghazi. >> what happened in benghazi. >> what happened in benghazi. >> the jack in the box called benghazi. >> benghazi-gait. >> the one the republicans love to bring up. >> diplomats who serve in dangerous posts as we saw this day last year in benghazi. >> like let's pull out the benghazi dummy. >> putin has time after time after time made obama a monkey. >> oh, putin gets the credit. if we caught charlie manson, who gives a [ bleep ] who gets the collar? >> i am merely speaking the truth here. >> its modus oppose randy is

irrational contraryianism. >> as i always do. >> to advance its ultimate objective of creating deliberately anger fear and distrust. >> it's embarrassing. >> i blacked out for a second. was i saying something? >> let's get to our panel now. we're joined by crystal ball, who, of course, is my colleague and the co host of "the cycle. "and political strategist angela rai and jonathan capehart of "the washington post". john, september 11 is supposed to be a day that is considered above and beyond politics. and yet some people, especially those who really, really dislike the incumbent of the house outside which you're standing, they just cannot let go of their hatred for even one day, can they? >> no, they can't. i mean, hating the president seems to be a 24/7, 365 day a year affair for some of those in

the republican party, which is really unfortunate, because if we all remember, 12 years ago, right around right now when sort of the reality and the horror of what hit was settling in, we came together as a country, put politics aside, and rallied around each other to figure out what do we do now, how do we respond and how do we get beyond the attacks that happened not only in new york city, but here in washington. and in the field in pennsylvania. >> i should point out angela rai has not been able to join us but will in the days ahead. crystal, to john's point, when that happened years ago, there was a sudden outburst of bipartisanship and unity. >> that's right. >> a commitment to resolve, a collective problem. an attack on the united states. what's happened to the consensus? >> we really gave george w. bush a blank check at that point, whether we voted for him or not. whether we agreed with his policies to that point or not. we said, what can we do as a

country. and that blank check was destroyed. they lied to the country, they abused the trust of the office, and so now here we stand. and we're not stronger. for all the bellicosity of their aggression in the world, we are not in a stronger position. so i think the public is much more reluctant in that way, and i also think that we saw democrats at that time acting in good faith, based on the information that was being presented to them. you see a lot of republicans this time who are trying to find any reason to oppose the president. any reason to undermine him. even though they would have supported the same plan under any other president. >> and what was your reaction to hearing some of those people on fox news whose own personal credentials have been largely discredited now? >> well, i thought the comments about, you know, our foreign policy is flaccid and has low tea by oliver north, it sort of says everything about the very simplistic view that the answer to everything is

might and testosterone. not to mention, the sexist nature of those comments that i guess no woman not having that level of testosterone could ever be an adequate commander in chief. >> absolutely. john? >> yeah. i agree with everything that krystal just said, it's mind-boggling the number of people trying to portray the president as weak. the president who went after, got and killed osama bin laden. the president, whose own party is criticizing him, and angry with him over drone strikes. the drone program. the president who is, you know, overseeing an nsa program doing a whole lot of things in the war on terror, and foreign intelligence. but also might have domestic implications. this is the same person that the republicans say is weak in terms of national defense. it defies logic. >> yeah. well, that's true.

krystal, texas congressman steve stockman refers to the president's syria plan, and i'm quoting him, as folly. yet he says he would consider voting for this folly if the president were willing to give back his nobel peace prize. now, can you explain to our viewers what mustard gas and sarin on little children has to do with handing back the nobel peace prize? >> it's going to any lengths to stick -- to stick their finger in the face of this president and to undermine this president. i think what we have really seen -- >> but that's ludicrous. >> it's unbelievable. and what we have really seen in this debate is we have seen a lot of democrats who are acting on principle, and they don't agree with the president's course of action. and even though the easy partisan thing to do would be to say we back up the president. >> absolutely. >> they're going through and they're thinking through the debate and coming at it in good faith. there are some republicans that are doing that too. but there are an awful lot of republicans who have just taken

this as an easy way to thumb their nose at the president, to say we don't stand with him, he's a mess, we don't agree with him, and to score easy points with their base, rather than really trying to engage the very serious debate here. >> indeed. john, today in washington, you won't be surprised that texas congressman louie gomet led another round of scandal mongering on the subject of benghazi. yet for all the attention on this issue, what does he have to show for it? i mean, have mr. gomet's efforts helped anyone prevent future attacks like that in the future? >> no. no. not at all. >> when was the last time i heard mr. gomet say something like let's raise funding for security of consulates and embassies around the world? never once have i heard him say that. >> i was going to say, you raise a very good point. i don't recall hearing him say that at all. the whole thing is trying to whip up a scandal, where they're -- where there isn't any. and if anything, if folks on

capitol hill, particularly republicans, want to do something about benghazi, then why not talk about and focus on the security questions and not use it as a political pawn or political chip, but do raise those issues as a means to figure out how to keep american personnel and embassies around the world safe. >> absolutely. jonathan capehart and krystal ball, thank you so much. coming up, a step backwards for gun control as the nra tightens its grip in the high country. stay with us. ♪ [ male announcer ] what's important to you? at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. being active. and being with this guy. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan that works best for you. mi familia. ♪

[ male announcer ] we want to help you achieve your best health, so you can keep doing the things that are important to you. taking care of our customers. taking care of her. and the next thing on our list is bungee jumping. [ male announcer ] helping you -- now that's what's important to us. "i" formation! "i" formation! we have got to get the three-technique block! i'm not angry. i'm not yellin'. nobody's tackling anybody! we got absolutely... i don't think this was such a good idea. i'm on it. if we can't secure the quarterback center exchange... you're doing a great job, coach. well they're coming along better than i anticipated. very pleased. who told you to take a break? [ male announcer ] want to win your own football fantasy? just tell us. then use your visa card for a chance to win it. to severe plaque psoriasis... the frustration... covering up. so i talked with my doctor. he prescribed enbrel. enbrel is clinically proven to provide clearer skin. many people saw 75% clearance in 3 months.

and enbrel helped keep skin clearer at 6 months. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ woman ] finally, clearer skin for more than a few days, weeks, or months. enbrel works for me. ask your dermatologist if you can have clearer skin with enbrel.

>> three. the number of gun bills we're signing into law today. zero.

the number of guns any of these bills takes from law-abiding citizens. >> just six months ago, the state of colorado passed a series of important gun safety bills, which expanded background checks and decreased the size of ammunition magazines. but now after a recall election funded extensively by the nra, two democratic state senators, including mr. morse, who you just saw, they have been turfed out of office. and while the nra is no doubt popping champagne corks and firing celebratory rounds, mr. morse says he has no regrets. >> robert f. kennedy once said, "it is the essence of responsibility to put the public good ahead of personal gain." >> also voted out of office was state senator angela gyron,

another crucial figure in the fight to pass gun safety legislation. a huge amount of money in the race came from outside groups, including over $300,000 from the nra. but this time, the nra faced some financial competition from gun advocacy groups, including $350,000 from new york city mayor michael bloomberg. yesterday's vote was clearly a major blow in the desperate need to improve gun safety. but with mr. bloomberg leaving office in just a few months, perhaps he'll be able to focus more of his resources on this issue of guns in america. for missouri more now, i'm joined by democratic strategist julian epstein. julian, i have to get your immediate reaction to what has happened in colorado. was this a case of hope and change buried yet again by the nra? >> no. and i actually don't think this was a major setback. i think it's a blip on the radar screen. this was a recall election and very, very extremely small state legislative districts. it's in the heart of gun country.

the gun culture. they wanted to get four members recalled. they were only able to get two. the turnout was extremely low. they -- the nra and the other forces that were trying to recall the members used other issues like health care and taxes. they didn't even make it an issue as much about guns. and, in fact, the trend, martin -- the good news is, the trend is going exactly in the opposite direction. these are anomalous outlier districts. if you look at what's happening, for example, with red state senatorses, red state democrats it that voted for the universal background bill in the senate, kay hagen and mary landrieu in particular, they are cruising to re-election, very, very easily. and if there was a case in which federal elected officials wanted to see what would happen if they took the right position and voted for something as simple as universal background checks, they just have to look at those two examples. >> but julian, there do seem to be two different countries in regards to guns. if this is going to be the case

where some states will never pass tough gun control legislation, doesn't this once again emphasize the absolute necessity of legislation on a national level? >> well, it does. so let me just try to unpack that a little bit. even if you look at colorado right now, the law is still in place. the state senate and the governorship is still controlled by democrats, and the law is extremely popular. so i think this was a very, very minor victory for the nra, and really, an overall loss because the law is in place. but does make the larger case about the need for uniform standards as we have talked about. we've got 11,000 murders, gun-related homicides, 20 times the rate of our industrial compatriots that occur in this country every single year. the case for a federal minimal standards in gun reform is just an overwhelmingly strong case. and so i think there's two issues. one is, yes, we obviously need federal standards here. there is no question about that.

the data proves that. but secondly, even in the heart of gun country, even where -- even in the heart of the gun culture, like colorado springs, where morse was from, you know, you still have getting an overwhelming support -- at least a very, very strong support for the colorado statute that was passed. and, again, the nra is losing the overall argument with the public here. this was i think a desperate effort by the nra to put a couple skulls on the fence and show some kind of public relations victory in a year that has been a disaster for them. they have lost the hearts and minds of the american public. >> you say that. but why did the money from the gun control groups not work as effectively as the nra money? i mean, is this the result of time having its effect and the nation frankly forgetting all too quickly the horror of what happened at sandy hook elementary school? >> well, i think there's three reasons for that. the first reason is that it was an excessively low turnout election.

very, very low turnout. secondly, it wasn't just the nra, it was the koch brothers that put a lot of money in, and tried to go after these two democrats on issues that were not just guns, but a lot of other issues. as i say, health care and taxes and a range of other issues. and you also have to keep in mind, the nra was trying to get four members recalled. they were only able to get two. morse, who was in colorado springs, is in an area that's a very much swing district. and when you're talking about an excessively low turnout election, it doesn't really tell you that much. again, what tells you important information is what's going on in red states where you, again, have democrats that voted for the manchin bill, cruising to re-election. that's a much, much more important indicator in terms of where this debate is going long-term in the long-term sense after we get through a couple election cycles, it will be very clear the nra is losing this argument with the public. not maybe everywhere, not maybe in colorado springs, but in most of the country, losing the argument. and elected officials who

continue to be the marionettes of the nra, while we have an excessive amount of bloodshed, 1 1,000 murders every single year in this country. it's like 200 a week. those members that continue to be the marionettes will end up being diselected in the long term. >> julian epstein, we're glad and grateful for your optimism. thank you, sir. coming up, we welcome a congressman from the new york delegation for his take on the strategy just ahead. stay with us. ♪ aw this is tragic man, investors just like you could lose tens of thousands of dollars on their 401(k) to hidden fees. thankfully e-trade has low cost investments and no hidden fees. but, you know, if you're still bent on blowing this fat stack of cash, there's a couple of ways you could do it. ♪ ♪

or just go to e-trade and save it. boom. ♪

in his address to the nation tuesday night, the president had a particular message for those who have supported him through two presidential campaigns, and they seemingly endless series of partisan battles. >> to my friends on the left, i ask you to reconcile your belief in freedom and dignity for all

people, with those images of children writhing in pain and going still on a cold hospital floor. for sometimes resolutions and statements of condemnation are simply not enough. >> joining us now is new york democratic congressman steve israel, who heads the democrats' 2014 re-election efforts in the house. good afternoon, sir. >> thank you for having me on, martin. >> it's a pleasure. let me first ask you this. today, as you know, the 12th anniversary of 9/11. you represent yourself, areas inside and just outside of new york city. how is that day and the wars that followed affecting people's perception of the syria question? >> well, i do represent an area that was devastated on 9/11. and there are many families that i represent and many that i love who are commemorating that today. i can tell you from my own personal perspective that day has influenced my judgment with respect to syria and the dangerous world in which we

live. i can also tell you that the failure of intelligence after 9/11, with respect to iraq, made me doubly dubious about the intelligence that was initially presented with respect to syria. and so i was actually more skeptical, and more dubious. and that level of skepticism and dubiousness required that i delve into this in great daily detail and i came to the conclusion, having watched the videos and having looked at this very, very carefully that the regime in syria, use chemical weapons, we'll use them again, and we cannot afford to live in a world where regimes use chemical weapons to gas children. >> right. now, you share, as you said, the president's view assad cannot be allowed to simply use chemical weapons without any reaction from the international community. and yet his speech last night does not appear to have persuaded many others in congress. for example, congressman paul ryan, he says he's now opposed to military strikes on syria.

which is very interesting, because today he says, and i'm quoting him, i believe the president's proposed military strike in syria cannot achieve its stated objectives, yet during the campaign, throughout last year, he said, and i'm quoting him, we agree with the same red line. actually, they do, on chemical weapons. i mean, it's hard to take them seriously on such an important matter as assad's use of chemical weapons when republicans like paul ryan seem to adjust their principles according not to whether children are killed, but whether it harms the president of the united states. >> well, that's exactly right. evidently paul ryan and many other republicans were for this before they were against it. in fact, over 400 members of congress on a bipartisan basis in 2003 voted for the syria accountability act that stated emphatically that it is the policy of the united states that chemical warfare in syria,

weapons of mass destruction, is a threat to our security. it is called the syria accountability act when they wrote press releases, patting themselves on the back for passing it, now don't want to hold the syrians accountable. we need to get the politics out of this and focus on the strategic objective, which is to make sure that the syrian regime cannot continue to use and escalate the use of chemical weapons, not only against its own people but against our national security interests, against our people, against our troops. >> if the current diplomacy that appears to be taking place at the u.n., russia mediating, if that breaks down, would you support air strikes on syria, even if the president isn't able to secure votes in congress for action like that? >> well, i'm not prepared to go there quite yet. i believe that -- i'm telling you, i am hoping more than i've hoped for almost anything else in public policy, that this russian proposal is real. that there is meat on the bones. and so i think that our focus

shouldn't be hypothesizing what might happen if it fails, but to make sure it works. and that means that secretary kerry and minister lavrov need to have their conversation over the next several days. the u.n. inspectors will present their report to congress at some point next week. those are two benchmarks that we should look at. and then we should assess where we are and move forward. >> congressman steve israel. thank you so much, sir. >> thank you. we'll be right back. ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪ constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

man: [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. but they were some pretty good moves. and the best move of all? having the right partner at my side. it's so much better that way. ♪ [ male announcer ] take the next step. consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pay expenses that medicare doesn't cover and lets you choose or keep any doctor who accepts medicare patients. call or go online and request your free decision guide. use this guide to help you choose from a range of aarp medicare supplement insurance plans. have the right partner at your side. consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. go long.

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, 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? thanks so much for watching on this the 12th anniversary of the attacks on september the 11th, 2001. coming up next is the ed show with my good friend, ed schultz.

good evening americans. let's get to work, not war. >> well, clearly, members tend to reflect their constituents. >> the overwhelming number of americans who stood up and said, slow down, allowed this possible solution to take shape. >> members tend to reflect their constituents. >> i know americans want all of us in washington, especially me, to concentrate on the task of building our nation here at home. >> it is literally beyond my comprehension how we could not get one republican vote in order to put millions of people back to work. >> well, clearly, members tend to reflect their constituents. i want to repeal the law of the land. is that clear? >> the political conservative movement in