lobby contraception recess. the los angeles kings will celebrate their stanley cup win with a parade today. the kings defeated the new york rangers for their second title. "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ >> here we go with the top 40 hits in the nation this week on "america's top 40." this is casey kasum in hollywood and in the next three hours we will count down the 40 most popular hits in the united states this week. hot off the record charts from the billboard magazine. now on with the countdown. >> number 40! >> good morning. of course, that is the voice of one man and one man only, casey kasum, the man who kept me locked in my bedroom growing up! used to drive my father crazy.

i would sit and listen to every countdown. i would write it down number-by-number and, woomika, used to listen to him as well. >> that is one thing i was allowed to do. >> made you feel cool? >> uh-huh. >> it really did. well, we will talk about that much more. but, of course, you're waking up to news that chaos is spreading across the middle east and talk of mass skuexecutions. in san antonio, the spurs win their fifth title, waxing the miami heat. unbelievable. and, of course, as we just said, my childhood hero, casey kasum passed away at 82. >> we will talk more about the radio legend and how iraq has magdalene to make a fool out of everybody. good morning, everybody. it's a beautiful monday morning

along t alo along east coast. with us is donny deutsche who has the cutest girls ever. nice pictures over the weekend. >> daughters. >> yes. >> just saying. >> young daughters. you can't even be nice to him! >> she is trying. she is trying. still came out wrong. >> "morning joe" contributor mark halpern and in washington, david ignatius is with us and chief white house correspondent for "the new york times," peter baker. we start in iraq. president obama is gripped in an international crisis this morning as the white house is keeping all options on the table, including military action. >> but the white house says it's going to consider military action in iraq only if the government there works to bring together the competing sides. >> but it is prime minister -- it is the prime minister who has shown no desire to create a more inclusive government in baghdad. no easy task especially with new claims over the weekend that

militants executed 1,700 soldiers. >> fights from the extremist group isis reported online they included captions and photos that show young shiite men lying in mask graves nbc has not confirmed the authenticity of these images. >> it is a push by the terrorist group to inflame sectarian divisions in iraq. the militants are trying to carve out their own islamic state in iraq. prime minister nuri al maliki is facing pressure from the west to stop the country from sliding back into civil war. let's bring in ayman mohyeldin. >> reporter: the situation continues to unfold all across the country at a very alarming

pace. this morning, the city of tal afar north of mosul fell into the hands of isis that want to establish a state across iraq and the middle east. perhaps more of the surprising developments. we went out to one of the areas on the border of mosul today and spoke to some of those leaving the area. a lot of it was not directed toward isis what they have done the past several days but more of the government of nuri al maliki saying the rule of iraq have seen a deterioration in the quality of life and security and, more importantly, a sharp rise in sectarian tensions that has plagued them being a sunni minority in the country. now, one of the things isis has already done on the ground, according to several residents with spoke to of mosul who is leaving today. that has brought some satisfaction to the local residents and moved the checkpoints that the iraqi national army used to have in place there and alleviating the

pressure in the city according to these residents. believe it or not their anger more towards the iraqi prime minister and iraqi government that they say is being packed by iran and shiite militias and they are governmenting that more than isis at this point. everyone we spoke to rejected the notion they want the u.s. to engage militarily against isis in the northern part of the country. >> ayman, thank you very much. david ignatius, six years into his presidency, it is ironic, but iraq might perhaps be the president's most dangerous foreign policy situation. how bad is it this morning? >> well, it's terrible in the sense that, i think, the u.s. is really groping to understand what a sensible strategy is for this deteriorating iraq. the government is all but collapsed. the fighting that is being done to keep isis away from baghdad has been done by militia

fighters who were shia sectarian fighters. >> explain to americans waking up say we went over there. we lost 4,045 people and it cost us $2 trillion. if they want to kill themselves, let them kill themselves. why can't president obama take that stance? >> joe, i think that common sense american view is entirely understandable. people feel they have been throw good money after bad, losing lives to people who are thinkless and ungrateful. the problem is that a safe haven has been created now that stretches from a city called iraqa in northeastern syria all the way down to the gates of baghdad and north essentially now to the border of turkey. in that safe haven next to the european land mass, al qaeda fighters, fighters, in fact, so

extreme that al qaeda rejects them as too violent, will be able to establish bases. these people are using tanks now. >> david, they, of course, they get their foothold in the syrian conflict, right? >> yes. as i say, a movement -- the safe haven they operate stretches across two countries so the u.s. needs to be concerned about it because as senior administration official told me on thursday, their next target, their next challenge is going to be to show that they are tough enough, strong enough to attack the united states. >> of course, they are baiting us, mark halpern, in the paper this morning, i read one of the leaders said we know the united states is coming and we are looking forward to it. but you look at syria. the chaos in syria. we did nothing. i was playing devil's advocate why don't we sit back and do nothing? we did nothing in syria to speak

of this group got safe haven in syria and now spreading along cancer in iraq. boy, it seems to me we are looking down the road to a partition of iraq like joe biden was talking about ten years ago. >> partition is not simple because the three areas would not live in hooarmony instantly. the problem if is we condition military action on the government suddenly changing under these conditions to be more inclusive, i think maliki is about as reliable as karzai o as an ally and the president spent the weekend in california waiting to see what the best military options are. there are no good military options. i think the saudis and europeans need to speak out. this cannot be american only solution because there is no american interests strong enough to put boots on the ground or to rely on a government that is simply not a good ally.

>> peter baker, first of all, anything new on the reports of 1,700 executed? militants have released photos but they can't be verified in terms of those numbers. secondly, can you explain what the fall of baghdad would mean to the region and to us? >> that's a good question. you know, they haven't been any confirmation that i know about the 1,700 supposedly executed and the twitter account used to post these photos seems to be suspended at this point. it's, obviously, showing prospect. whether it's true in the exact details or not, it's, obviously, meant to send a message. the idea of baghdad falling, obviously, is almost inconceivable as you put it, 4,500 american soldiers went there to try to create a whole new country and gave their lives for it. the idea that, suddenly, not only cities like mosul and tal afar have fallen, the idea the capital is at risk sends a

symbolic message to the u.s., as well as being a strategic challenge to the entire region. whether that will happen or not is a different thing. a lot of shiite population in baghdad. they are not as susceptible or open to the isis ideology as the people your correspondent interviewed this morning and there are these shiite militias that have come to forward as the main defense of the city. >> former presidential candidate mitt romney took a jab at president obama for failing to head off the escalating violati violence. >> what is happening is the president's failure to act appropriately and the extraordinary time that was presented a couple of years ago in syria, and also his failure to achieve a status of forces agreement so we could have ongoing presence in iraq. bad things happen as a result of inaction. consequences have, obviously, been very severe.

>> donny, i read a column over the weekend that iraq has made fools of me, made fools of people that oppose the surge and everybody want to not have a small force at the end of the day in iraq. this is a crisis that everybody owns. >> yeah. >> it doesn't matter. george bush committed the original sin. you will be hard-pressed to find foreign policy advisers that won't tell you bush should have never gone in. he committed the original sin and barack obama bungled the exit and now here we are. we have to work together. >> i think mr. romney, like both sides right now, need to pipe down on the rhetoric and really understand this is not a political issue at this time. would of, could of, should of with bush or obama and to everybody's point today, the most severe crisis we have seen in a long time. you know, we sit here in he very

kind of safe haven and war games out and you kivennd of play thi out and what are the rules? if we go around this table have you no skin in the table but what do you do here? this, to me, is the first time i can remember in a long time, you go, what are the moves here? what are the moves? >> we know this. and we know this. i'm not talking about boots on the ground. i'm even talking about attacks. but doing nothing, leading from behind like we did in syria, that's not an option here. >> let's take that as a given. i agree. >> leading from behind is a failed foreign policy approach. george w. bush neoconsupercharged approach is wrong. but leading from behind, a failure and it has led us to this point. >> i agree. let's take that as a given. >> we have to figure out what --

>> give me a move. right now, look. david ignatius. >> let's go to thomas. thomas, we got thomas on the set for two reasons. one, he has the most empeckically tailored man i know. number two, these are the type of crises that he knows how to fix. how do we fix this, thomas. >> as we trying to seed democracy in iraq it's complicated. not like instant oatmeal. >> see? i told you. >> the thing, david, i think is qufg to most americans is the fact that isis is made up of hundred militants and master an iraqi force thousands laying down their weapons. people will look at this how do you vied tinvade the willing? if they are falling into the crowds what is the american public supposed to think about this, especially if we are about to talk about investing boots on the ground or combat forces back in iraq?

>> is david there? >> well, so my -- i'd say there are two things we have to do. the first is, obviously, to stop isis from taking baghdad. that is the immediate crisis has got everybody worried and isis does seem to be stopping north of the city. but that's crucial and the president, if they are not stopped, the president should consider using air power. the second thing and it's more important is begin to think about a process of discussion that would put on one side of the table iran, which represents the shrks shia world and work overtime. it may be a couple of years before this is done. so that there is a balance between iran and saudi arabia, shia and sunni. the only way this fighting is going to stop. and the united states must not

intervene in this war on behalf of one side or the other and drive this wedge deeper. you say no policy solutions. i would say differently. the policy solutions are there and pretty obvious, in fact, and take a while and enormous discipline from the united states. >> peter baker, we are hearing out of capitol hill, some people talking about a u.s./iran alliance. this crisis may actually have other people across the world start talking about that as well. what is a possibility of iran specialty united states working together to bring stability to baghdad? >> well, that an enemy, my friend enemy kind of a situation. no contact where the u.s. government directly between the u.s. and iran on this subject, but iran has a great interest in iraq. they have sent one of the heads of their kuds force to talk through and help organization

the iraqi defense. it's not really clear whether there is actually iranian forces there specifically. that seems to have been overstated. but, yeah, you got a situation where we both share an interest and the interest is preventing baghdad from falling. the interest is in preventing the maliki government from falling. the maliki government would prefer to have u.s. help than iranian help but take it whoever they get it and we find ourselves in -- >> why do you say that? >> sorry? >> because it seems to me that the iraqis, too many of the iraqis are playing footsiys with the iranians. maliki had us there if they had brought more sunnis into the government chances good none of this would have ever happened. >> iran is, obviously, in the region and we are obviously not in that sense. if you're in baghdad sitting around looking to see who is most likely to be there to help. one of maliki's top aides was

quoted in the paper this morning saying they would rather have american help if they could get it. it's unclear right now what president obama is willing to do. as you said, he has made very clear he wants to see political reconciliation as the price in effect for a military involvement and not boots on the ground. but he said it would take several days to consider what to do and there is a lot of agitation here in washington for quicker action. >> by the way, mark halpern, whether we are talking about this issue or russia, david ignatius and somebody else talking about this being on the border of europe, europe can't sleep through this. i like the world cup too but i'm serious. this vacation seriously that europe has been taking the past 50, 60 years it's time for them to stop it. why should the united states of america send our men and women in the other die if they are spending the summer watching the world cup? president obama has said and he said it forcefully. one thing that barney frank and i agreed in congress ten years

ago. we are talking about the europeans need to not only start spending more on the military, they need to get involved in these crises. this is not a threat to the united states of america. this is a threat to the entire region and the entire world, yet, europe, once again, sleepwalking through history. >> how about the saudis and the gulf states? the problem that the united states leading on this is we will be siding with the government that has failed to live to up its obligation to have a more pluralistic government. we are making enemies among people throughout the region. the best case is team up with iran and intervene on behalf of the government that has not done what everybody said it should do and a recipe for long-term problems. i will say the president does not have any good military solutions. this must involve getting the gulf states and saudis and maybe the israelis involved and europe. it must be a world situation because we will make each more

enemies around this world if they do this wrong. >> america cannot attend every fight we are invited to and right now we are invited by the chaos that is being injected in this isis and we, as a country, cannot do this and not attend this fight. it's ridiculous. >> this is a fight where enemy are our enemieenemies. >> david ignatius is exactly right. the saudis have the responsibility that border the western side. of course, the kurds up north is a fascinating issue. each turkey and the turkish government is accepting what the kurds are doing up north because they are bringing stability there. it can't just fall on our shoulders again. >> we have given this one news story 19 minutes and it feels like we haven't scratched the surface. we will come back to it. to many radio listeners he personified what it meant to be a deejay. the original host of "the

america top 40" casey kasum died yesterday in washington. as nbc mike taibbi reports his smooth voice was not limited to the air waves. >> i'm casey kasum. these are the most popular songs in the usa. >> reporter: for generations of music fans casey kasum was top 40. the smooth voice who told you what songs were trending before the word trending was each used that way. his list wasn't just rock 'n' roll. >> if it included rock, pop, disco, hip-hop, country, everything under the sun the voice tying it altogether once a week was casey kasum's. >> reporter: a voice on and off the radio made millions and familiar to millions even if they didn't know the face behind it. he was shaggy in scooby-doo. >> you don't want this bad material! hasn't worked since the day i got it! always loose! >> reporter: robin to the super

fans batman. he had a few film roles in forgettable features and guest tv shots on "hawaii 50." ." and radio that won him a walk on the hall of fame and a hollywood mansion. >> i'm casey kasum. welcome to the next 60 minutes of "shabang." >> reporter: as familiar as dick clark and don cornelius. he wanted them to give him a scoop as he told tom snyder. >> talk about their careers. how they were discovered. some of the crazy stories we get from the managers. >> reporter: lat lae last year was slared with a disease similar to parkinson's disease. it was a family feud over guardianship over the radio legend pitting his wife jean.

after jean caseum lost temporary conservatorship over daughter kerri the fight took several turns including a confrontation caught on camera. although his illness ultimately left him unable to speak, caseum had a voice of a certain kind of authority right to the end. his last show in 2009. >> after 39 years, this will be our final countdown. >> reporter: casey kasum, signing off at age 82. >> keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. >> i loved listening to him! i loved the testimonials people september in. his voice, he loved it! you could hear the joy in his voice. >> again, through middle school, i would literally go into my room on saturdays and i would listen to the countdown. >> that's a different show. you had no friend. a great tribute to casey.

>> i would write them all down. yesterday was father's day. my dad, we had a great relationship but one of the things that drove him crazy on new year's day up in elmira, new york, i would stay locked in my room because that is when they would run the 100 top songs of the year. joey, come on down and watch the cotton bowl! ♪ number 97 >> i'd write it down. then, joey, the sugar bowl is on! i wasn't going to leave. then i think the orange bowl i would miss and finally the rose bowl, i would wander down. i would wander down at night. >> i think he raised a lot of us. what a wonderful voice. >> joe, why is it you have no friends? let's talk about it now. >> you can just look at me now. >> i think the question answers itself. >> oh, stop. >> seriously. >> younger people don't understand. it's the way we knew what the top songs in the country was.

that was it! there was no internet. >> i always talk about the beatles but that was huge. casey kasum, other than the beatles was my introduction to music. i started writing it, everything. >> my '80s boom box. i used to hit play and record to catch the good songs and i would always catch casey kasum's voice leading in but i would try the mix tapes off of the top 40 with the boom box. still ahead on "morning joe" he was a critical member of george w. bush iraq team and now he says only america can prevent further disaster in the middle east. paul bremer is coming up in the 7:00 hour. we are going to take a look at amazon's big announcement. 2016 democratic hopeful makes an unusual pitch to republican voters. we will take you behind the scenes of mitt romney's idea summit next. martin kaymer ran away with

the u.s. open but the runner-up probably had the best story of the weekend. we bring to you the heart warming tale of erik compton ahead. first, here is bill with a check on the forecast. >> a nice day across the country yesterday. get ready for the first full-fledged heat wave. mid-atlantic to philadelphia south wards. not quite yet in new york city but the hot weather is moving in from texas. d.c. at 91. a lot of us had a nice beautiful night and not a lot of humidity out there. may want to shut the windows and turn the ac on because it will be hot the days ahead. 84 new york today and 87 hartford. d.c. the middle of the week is the peak of the heat wave around wednesday. slightly cooler on friday. at least we will have a chance of late afternoon/early even thunderstorms that will cool you off a little bit and give you a break. as far as dangerous weather goes, minneapolis to des moines to omaha and sioux falls and

milwaukee and davenport. 15 million people at risk of severe storms, even a few tornadoes late today so we will watch you closely there in the northern plains. out west we continue with the drought and the fire danger. high fire danger in effect for new mexico, and colorado and doesn't look to get better any time soon and we will talk about that all summer long. travel forecast today many of the major airports fine today and a chance of afternoon storms down there in florida. looking at reagan national. the sun beating down on us and temperatures in the mid-90s mid week. you're watching "morning joe." ♪

nobody ever stomped their foot and asked for less. because what we all really want... ...is more. there's a reason it's called an "all you can eat" buffet. and not a "have just a little buffet". that's the idea behind the more everything plan. it's more of everything you want. for less. plus, get the droid maxx by motorola for 0 down. get more with our best plans on the best network. for best results, use verizon. welcome back to "morning joe." it's time to take a look at the morning papers. dallas morning news.

amazon expected to announce a smartphone. experts say the phone will be the company's most ambitious hardware since the kindle debuted in 2007. analysts believe the amazon phone will use google's amazon operating system and front facing cameras to provide a more unique user experience. >> more than 20,000 elephants were approached last year in africa. 80% of the seizures occurred in kenya and tanzania and guantanamo and while poaching is down the level still exceed elephant birth rate and a threat to the survival of the species in africa. a parking garage in one of the center of a political scandals will be torn down. that is where mark felt spilled cigarettes with about watergate and president to president

nixon's resignation. in place is a shopping center and apartment buildings. tomorrow is the 42nd anniversary of the watergate. park city, utah was the place to be over the weekend. mitt romney invited many of the donors who helped contribute to his campaign to rub elbows with 2016 candidates. mitt romney echoed that sentiment on "meet the press." >> if you were running for president gwynne and she was the democratic nominee, what is the playbook to beat her? the playbook, i believe is to look at her record. i think you have to consider what has happened around the world during the years she was secretary of state and you have to say it's been a monumental bust and then her most recent comments as she was rolling out the book she was asked whether the bergdahl trade was one that presented a threat to the united states and she came back with a clueless answer.

she was clueless. >> joining the table nbc news political report kasie hunt who was reporting from the event and politico's mike allen. one of the 2016 hopefuls who were there. rapid fire, give us your assessment how they were received. we start with chris christie. >> we can go around here. >> chris christie is the one these donors all really wanted to be behind and the fact they are not right now is the real impact of the bridge scandal. he would have had all of these people in the bag if not for that. >> did he address it? >> now he has to answer the questions. he didn't address it in his speech but the first thing he was asked about. he said i think the political ramifications have passed and tried to blame the media but that didn't go by well. >> i've heard multiple reports. he tried to blame the media and here this republican group of big donors all very skeptical,

so skeptical, he basically admitted, some of you guise don't believe me, right? >> he's in a tough position. >> did that happen? what i just said, did that happen? >> that is a good account of what happened. until the investigation is over, there is not much you can do to convince these people. there is clear amongst romney's donors who would like to be with christie but until he is cleared in the investigation, they are still skeptical, despite his saying the story is not going to change. >> the media might have pounced but is there a story. >> mike allen, you were there as well. what is the response chris christie? >> he tried to take the edge off what he knew was coming. mitt romney played the jimmy fallon video of chris christie dad dancing before he walked onto the stage and the governor started his remarks by joking about that and talking about how that came to be. but then first question that kasie pointed to deflated

things. they want christie and jeb and mitt romney and know that all those are looking problematic. >> paul ryan, he would be a favorite of a lot of people out there. as far as just a guy that they loved standing next to mitt, but he faced a problem too, didn't he? >> this is a group of loyalists and they view ryan as somebody loyal to romney. the issue he is not sending them the signals he is going to run so. >> do they fill feel he can fill the stage? >> they thought he was stepping up his game a little bit or had since the 2012 election. >> totally better than he was. even some of the romney people who had been fans with many since he joined the ticket commented afterwards he has upped his game. his stump speech now is impressive and has the making of a national speech but they don't think he is going to run. he is not doing things like rand

paul and others are doing to show them i'm in this. >> let's talk about somebody who doesn't have stump speech down and i heard disastrous reviews of suzanna martinez, new mexico's governor. true? >> she came in and did not wow people to the contrary, even some of the organizers of the event were struck by her failure to sort of step up to -- this was an impressive event. the speakers on a range of talking and on foreign policy talking about obama and clinton vulnerability. she came in and just did not wow the place in the least. >> that's what i heard. a little bit unfortunate for her. i think she was in the same section as paul ryan and went one oof another and the comparisons were not favorable. >> go ahead, mike. >> we saw even from the fact that this was, as you know, a casual event, everybody was in jeans, nobody was wearing ties. they were speaking in the round to this group and governor

martinez demanded a podium. she was the only person to speak with a podium during these auditions by the 2016 candidates and that set the stage for just a lack of connection that was one of the biggest gaps between reality and perception that i've seen in years. >> rand paul? >> people were very interested in him but he is still more like a curiosity to this group, i think. they get the sense he might be going places so they all wanted to meet him. a couple of were impressed and he stayed late at one of the cocktail parties drinking bourbon. >> these people are not going to support rand paul? >> they helped romney raise a billion dollars. i think on his performance if this breaks right, he could be the vice presidential running mate. >> how about mike huckabee? >> he is a great performer but surprise to a lot of people not programmatic and didn't say anything positive about issues agenda and people were struck by

that when he is a guy who has a lot of national experience. >> mike allen, would you agree with that? >> he was, but we showed here more signs he wants it. his political operatives were there. he has not lost any weight. he needs to read his own book. >> okay. wow. >> any billionaires for switzer? >> he is the only democrat that seems to be willing to be out there hillary bashing. i'm not sure he appealed to the democratic base. he said romney has got it going on. >> mitt romney's assessment is going at hillary's record is the game plan? >> the idea you would make it more about her record and less than things that might be personal and could be full of land mines, especially the world events you are talking so much about iraq and russia some of those things made romney said during the last campaign seem very smart and that sets her up as having this record of

secretary of state, the leader of all of those foreign policy issues as her most vulnerable point. >> you really could go back and you could look at what mitt romney said in 2012 about keeping forces in iraq and what barack obama said. you can see what mitt romney said about russia, what barack obama said. you could have a pretty impressive reel about which candidate was right and which candidate was wrong and more and more, as the events unfold, it's looking like mitt romney may have been on something in some of these foreign policy issues. >> mike allen, thank you so much. kasie hunts, thank you as well. brian schweitzer will join us next hour to explain what he was hoping in the mitt romney summit. up next, the nba finals. one of these too two teams would cement their way into nba history. "morning joe" sports is next. ♪ worried about the way things.

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ar enduring last year' defeat in the finals the spurs dethrone the heat. >> what? >> i thought the heat was going to win like seven championships. >> the final here 104-87. this is san antonio's fifth nba

title. >> san antonio is back on top once again. the spurs are the 2014 nba champions. >> great coaching, persistence, drive, love for the game. we remember what happened last year and how it felt in that locker room and we used it and built on it and got back here and it's amazing. it makes last year okay. >> let me present the larry o'brien trophy to this year's nba champions. kawhi leonard, the fans of san antonio know how great you are and now the whole world does! you are the 2014 bill russell mvp. >> all right. so leonard winning the mvp there. tim duncan and manu ginobili and

tony parker the winningest trio in nba history. the san antonio spurs are your nba champions. let's take you to brazil. three world cup matches yesterday to talk about. switzerland and ecuador tied at 1. added time switzerland nets the winning goal 23 seconds left. they get the 2-1 win there. france and honduras match up. the french leading 1-0 in the 47th minute when they break out the goal line technology. here you can see the ball crosses the line and that goal is good. france wins it 3-0. then argentina against bosnia. lionel messy adds the insurance goal and they hang on to win 2-1. back here at home. golf. the u.s. open. martin kaymer rode his early round success through sunday's competition to win the u.s. open by eight strokes. kaymer set the 36-hole scoring

record by opening with a pair of 65s and no one could come close to that. kaymer's second major championship. he won the pga back in 2010. while he may not have won the open, the tournament's best story may have been the runner-up. erik compton is on the tour after going through two heart transplants. his second place finish means he is invited to next year's open as well as the 2015 masters and he'll net $790,000. great story for him. up next, must read opinion pages. stick around. ♪ i can see for miles and miles ♪ cadmium, mercury, lead. all on the periodic table.

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time for the must read opinion pages at 48 past the hour. we are going to read from former

u.s. envoy to iraq paul bremer who writes in "wall street journal" only america are prevent a disaster in iraq. he's our guest at the top of the hour. he says it's time for both american political parties to cease their incantations of no boots on the ground. of course, americans are reluctant to reengage in iraq but president obama's unhappy duty to educate them about the risks to our interests posed by the unfolding drama in iraq. it is a flarng warnishing warni. the most immediate crisis but we can be sure that the taliban in afghanistan are watching closely to see if the withdrawal of american forces comes to mean american indifference. hard-eyed men in moscow and

other areas are calculating our handling of this crisis. the stakes could not be higher. peter baker, a lot of people would say that it was paul bremer's actions back in 2003, 2004 led us to this point but he is talking about more people in iraq, boots on the ground but not necessarily combat forces. does anybody in the washington d.c. believe the political will for that? >> nope i think that is a red line if you want to use that phrase that republicans and democrats sort of agree on right now. the idea of getting back into the iraq war and any kind of folsom way. people in washington talking more about hands off kind of way of air power, drone strikes, more intelligence, more

equipment, more consultation, that kind of thing. but he makes a good point that it's not just iraq on the table right now. the president just a couple of weeks ago announced he wants to get out of afghanistan much of the same way he wants to get out of iraq. >> that's not going to happen now is it, peter? >> it's raised questions. people are saying, wait a second. what is to prevent the same thing from happening then and i think a question the president has to try to answer and make a case that the united states to people that this is going to be a different outcome. >> i tell you what, i don't think there is any way the president is allowing all troops now to be removed from afghanistan. iraq has shown that. >> peter baker, thank you. be sure to read his great book "days of fire." as we mentioned, paul bremer will be our guest next hour. plus the house of the foreign affairs committee ed royce is here on set.

>> ed talked about the possibility of drone strikes and a lot of people talking about drone strikes to push this terror group back. we will talk about all of it and we are back in a moment. .. kid: hey dad, who was that man? dad: he's our broker. he helps look after all our money. kid: do you pay him? dad: of course. kid: how much? dad: i don't know exactly. kid: what if you're not happy? does he have to pay you back? dad: nope. kid: why not? dad: it doesn't work that way. kid: why not? vo: are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab. when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves.

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everywhere for father's day. rockies trailing the giants 3-0. colorado's troy tulowitzki hits one out to center field. do you see that? a fan holding a kid in one arm makes the grab left-handed. >> just keeps on walking? >> wow! >> that is impressive. >> the rockies would win this 8-7. >> i want to see it again. >> more impressive he would have gotten it in the right hand with the kid. >> all right, i'm going to get my beer now. >> most likely this dad is right-handed because he is carrying the kid with the right hand and snatches it with his left hand. >> everybody up with the mitt! >> look at it! he keeps walking! >> he is done. i'm out of here. >> that's a cool dude! >> got it! coming up at the top of the hour, he had one of the most recognizable voices of his generation and his work will be remembered by millions. our tribute to casey caseum

next. plus he was one of the architects of iraq. paul bremer joins us in our 7:00 hour to explain how things went so wrong and guy pierce will join us with a preview of his new post "apocalyptic thriller" all that and much more from "morning joe" comes back. ♪ wondering what that is? that, my friends, is everything. and with the quicksilver card from capital one, you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase. not just "everything at the hardware store." not "everything, until you hit your cash back limit." quicksilver can earn you unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you could possibly imagine. say it with me -- everything. one more time, everything!

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this administration, from secretary clinton to president obama, has repeatedly underestimated the threats that are faced by america. has repeatedly underestimated our adversaries and whether that is russia or al qaeda itself it has not taken the action necessary to prevent bad things from happening. >> welcome back to "morning joe." donny deutsche and mark halpern are still bus. joining the table is republican congressman ed royce of california who serves as chairman of the house foreign affairs committee. in washington, political director and host of "the daily rundown" chuck todd. we will get to the latest in iraq in a moment. first, we have a couple of other news stories to get to this morning. as sergeant bowe bergdahl continues his recovery after five years in captivity, a two-star general will continue

to investigate the circumstances that led to his capture. the taliban released bergdahl on may 31st in exchange for five prisoners held in guantanamo bay. the general will investigate why bergdahl walked off his post in 2009. "the washington post" is reporting from personal writings in 2006 that bergdahl was, quote, a man who painted a port tr portrait of a fragile young man and the details put his fitness for duty before his deployment to afghanistan. there are questions about problems with the coast guard and question why was he in the army, why was he at that outpost? why didn't somebody pick up the problem earlier? >> all the while, people are trying to help him recover as well so that they can bring clarity to this and figure out where to go next. no doubt about it. moving on.

tensions between russia and ukraine are playing out. moscow shut down natural gas supplies after kiev failed to pay gas debts. >> ukraine's president is urging new sanctions against the kremlin after a military plane was downed killing everybody on board. for an agency that often asks taxpayers to provide a paper trail. >> you knee is important because, you know, we need receipts for that. seven years from now, they will ask for a receipt from jumba juice and you're going to say but, wait a second, i'm looking around for the receipt. what is the irs going to say? >> they are going to ask me. >> they are going to throw you in jail because you don't have the receipts. >> the irs seems to have a major problem. >> how are they doing with keeping their own receipts?

>> they don't seem to have some? >> what? >> it's like e-mails. the agency says it has lost a trove e-mails to and from lois lerner. the agency says it kckcannot lo lerner's e-mails because the computer crashed that summer. >> hold on a second. computers crash, this is true. but when computers crash, entire servers that hold e-mails, like this computer right here, okay? this could fall in the water. you could crash it and bang it and dah, dah, dah. guess what? i've got like five different e-mail accounts. magically, the e-mails survive even when the metal doesn't. >> when you're trying to make your column deadline, somehow miraculous your column disappears and we never can find it. >> i'm saying, it's amazing that --

>> just saying. >> the computer crashes. the e-mails -- no! we live in a world with, like, clouds everywhere. even you have to admit it. >> i reported on this. i killed the eric cantor story and i read this one so give me credit. >> how ridiculous is it? >> pretty ridiculous. those e-mails exist. >> where are they? >> joe, are you suggesting? >> i'm suggesting nothing. >> move on. enough time. >> it is ridiculous the internal revenue service who will shake down people for a receipt 18 years old are saying they can't find e-mails from the person that is at the center of a scandal involving the internal revenue service? i think taxpayers across america think that this is absolutely preposterous. where are the e-mails? >> enough time. we want to get to our big

story of the morning. iraq. president obama is gripped in an international crisis this morning as the white house keeps all options on the table, including military action, but the administration says it will consider military action in iraq only if the government there works to bring together the competing sides. but it is prime minister nuri al maliki who has shown no desire to create a more inclusive government in baghdad. no easy task with new claims over the weekend that militants executed 1,700 soldiers. >> fighters from the city extremist group isis boasted online about the mass murders and photos that show young shiite men lying in graves. nbc news has not confirmed this. >> it is a push by the terrorist group to inflame sectarian divisions. the militants are trying to carve out their own islamic

estate in iraq and syria and leaving the united states with a lot of questions what to do next. >> mr. chairman, let's bring you in next. there are a lot of different reasons we are facing the crisis we are facing in iraq right now. number one, the list said the ki chaos in syria and, number two, the gutting of the iraqi government and we will talk to paul bremer in a little bit about that. he blames fourth reason as he blames the president not leaving residual forces there. i want to focus on number three that is maliki. "the new yorker" places most of the blame at the feet of maliki. he said this guy, time and time and time and time again, has refused to create a government that can hold iraq together. in fact, he goes the other way. can we ever have peace in iraq

if maliki is running iraq? you know, myself and elliott angle and he is our ranking member on the committee, spent consider time with maliki explaining to him what the consequences would be if he were not more inclusive, if he did not bring into his government these other factions and franklin empower people. >> and talking mainly sunnis. >> the civil society in iraq basically is much more supportive of this inclusive attitude than is maliki. so we have yet to find a way but now we have enormous leverage clearly in this current set of circumstances. i would say that also it is unfortunate we did not strike earlier with drones against the encampments. >> i heard you talking about that last week. something you still recommend that the president have the military -- u.s. military to strike these terror outfits with drones? >> i do, because for some time

now, we have been hearing of the encampment of thousands of these al qaeda offshoot jihadists and when we have them in in our sights or when we have them moving from town-to-town on the march, then is the time to hit them. and i think we have been too reticent here and wait too long because they have taken some major position in the interim. >> chuck, what is the white house saying at this point? and it seems, from the conversations we are having here, it's not a matter of if we do something. it's now when and what. >> well, it is now when and what, but there are people at the white house that acknowledge we were in this situation with syria and so -- >> isn't this a little bit different? >> you would think it's a little bit different but they have also set a pretty high hurdle by telling maliki, you know, that any help from the united states comes with conditions about him trying to rebuild his government, rebuild a more inclusive government and there

are no signs that maliki is going to do something like that. now as for whether they take action and when they do it, right now, i'm told that one of the reasons for delay is they want to get their own intelligence, that we don't have the targeting we need, we dent trust maliki to give us the right targeting. they think maliki government, the intelligence he would give, could be something that would just -- people he wants to get rid of rather than the right target. there is a tactical reason for the delay of not acting, according to the white house, has has to do with gathering intelligence, but, look. you can't help but wonder. i think they are just -- they don't want to do this. how do you get out? how do you stop? how do you stop? >> they also didn't want to do syria and now they don't want to do this. it's not quite -- >> be fair. >> i am being very fair. it's not quite as easy. >> what does "do" mean? >> it wasn't as easy in 2008 when you were criticizing bush and cheney.

i think i said before, we know what it does not mean. it does not mean taking the bush/cheney approach, the neoconservative approach but it means sitting back and doing nothing is no longer a possibility. barack obama is leading from behind approach is not working. it's has not worked in syria and it's not going to work in iraq. we are going to have to work together with allies in that region and we're going to have to do more than sit back and allow the events of all the world to push us around. >> chuck, what are the idealized options? >> i don't think there is -- i guess that maliki leaves. there is a new government that comes in and there is some space that is created. the united states does come in with help. i mean, you know, i think idealistically they are hoping that maliki realizes he is the

problem and he gets out of the way but i don't think that is going to be realistic. one of the things you keep hearing is i guess joe biden might have been more right about this than anybody gave him credit for five years ago, six, seven, excuse me, seven or eight years ago. >> i think it was longer than that. you look, mark halpern, what is going on, the only play where stability is the northern area where the kurds stepped in and they are taking care of things. you wonder if the saudis will start helping in the west. >> one of the hardest pieces to try to settle this down is i don't think the quds having any incentive to be a part of the government. >> that is a new country. >> what is the deal with the iraqi army? we spent years and a lot of time in resources training them. they are holding baghdad for now but why is it such a weak force? >> i think the same situation as afghanistan. without air support, if you're up against an al qaeda

affiliate, if you're up against those who will -- and you're a secular force, those who will, you know, commit suicide in the frontal attacks you need air support. we knew this would be a problem. the failure of getting the status of forces agreement that this would be a problem. the question how can you give that air support? many people have suggested an easy way to do it early on was with drone strikes or with tomahawks and hit these positions and hit the columns on the move so that the iraqi military would know that they would have support from the air. >> what if we start hitting them and civilians in there as q convoys? >> think what this means if we allow the establishment of a calla fait. if you look at al qaeda and you can see them hoisting the black flag of, you know of their

ideology and you don't hit them, let them take another city? i think we have lost an opportunity, about four months ago, this began to unfold and right then, we had a target. you know, we had the encampment. we should have hit it. until we do, i'm concerned that we really haven't given the one asset that is really needed for the iraqi military and that is air -- >> you say how could it get worse and what happens if we do nothing? you can look at cambodia. imagine when the flak flag goes up over baghdad, the mass atrocities, well, at some point, have to go in if that happens. that regime will not be allowed to. let's bring in max boot. mika, you hear no boots on the ground in iraq. they are talking about max boot, actually.

he's a senior fellow for the national security. i'm joking, max! foreign relations, means he has to laugh at -- >> the is author of the book "invisible army." >> you are obligated to laugh and say keen insights. max, first of all, you bring up a couple of great points in weekly standard. you talk about the problem of a crisis breaking out in iraq and continuing to expand in such a way that actually pushes oil up as far as it continues to spike up and it could actually hurt our recovery here at home. >> absolutely. we have a real dog in this fight. this is not just something which is happening on the other side of the world that we can afford to ignore. we have seen the civil war in syria and raging out of control. that is a disaster for american interests in the region and it's been spilling over into other countries, including, as you've been talking about, iraq. and now you can just imagine what happens if a similar

situation develops in iraq which is very likely right now. it's going to spill over into other states, including places like saudi arabia, jordan, other gulf states. i mean, this is a huge, huge disaster in the making right now. >> you're talking about a possible solution that might include special ops forces or return of military advisers in exchange for political reforms no maliki or perhaps even the removal of maliki as the leader of the iraqi government. >> right. i think this -- you know, as it's often been said, a crisis is an opportunity not to be missed and i think we have an opportunity right now to get rid of maliki's disastrous leadership because there was just an election in iraq and maliki's party was the number one vote getter but he is as well short of the seat he needs to form a government. we need to do what president obama has not done roll up his sleeves and get involved in iraqi politics and push the other shiite and sunni and kurdish factions for an abm

strategy. anybody but maliki. maliki is the guy who has driven the sunnis into opposition and set the conditions for isis to take a good chunk of the country and he also set the conditions for a good part of the iraqi army to fall apart because of his sectarian leadership. they need a better leader. >> it is is disheartening. you look at the situation we followed in 2003, 2004, the struggles especially in 2006, sectarian violence. then you look at the fact that the serge. david petraeus did remarkable work. a reporter say they would have put statues up of david pa trets in 2007 to 2009 and to make the sunnis believe they had a reason to live and fight for this government. maliki has taken that all away.

what do we do? >> that is part of it. >> how do we continue forward in iraq to help in any way as long as maliki is there? >> that is part of it but part of it we allowed al qaeda there to reconstitute itself in western iraq and taken our eye off the ball when begaty was released from that prison. remember what he said. "i'll see you in new york." a rather aggressive statement to his american captors. when we look at what they have been able to do as they have moved from city-to-city unencumbered. $450 million out of the central bank of mosul. this is the richest terror network in the world. >> wow. >> you know, the failure to act over the last four months and especially over the last 30 days when the columns were on the march is in and of itself, i think, a blunder. >> i need a quick yes or no answer. are we going to see american troops in iraq? i. you will not. >> max, do you think we will see

american troops in iraq? >> we won't but unless we have some special operators on the ground i don't think air strikes are going to be effective. >> congressman ed royce, thank you so much. chuck to do, we will watching "the daily rundown" at 9:00 a.m. max boot, thank you. how they are responding after the stability they fought for is falling apart. coming up in our 8:00 hour. after two failed attempts to win the white house is mitt romney positioning himself as the thought leader of the republican party? up next, has america lost its political influence in iraq? former envoy to iraq, paul bremer, he explains why he thinks that is exactly what is happening. you're watching "morning joe." we will be right back. ♪ when sales rep steve hatfield books at laquinta.com,

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with us now the former ambassador paul bremer. thank you for being with us. you heard chairman royce say we are not going to have boots on

the ground. max boot said the same thing. you disagree. we should keep that option open. why? >> look. two things are are going on here at the same time. there is the possibility of this very extreme terrorist group getting a hold of a very rich, large centrally located safe haven in the middle of the middle east. this is not afghanistan. this is right in the heart of the arab world. that is problem number one. that is the problem the president correctly identified on friday. a broader problem which is a collapse of the structure in the ottoman empire through lebanon and iraq and as far as saudi arabia. the collapse of that political structure would be a major catastrophe for american interests. so if our interests are that broad, we should not be ruling things out. now, i'm not in favor of sending combat forces into iraq at the moment. but i can well imagine that we would have to have some troops

on the ground. for example, collecting intelligence, some special operators helping the fire control and identifying targets for air strikes from both fighter -- manned fighter bombers and for drones. in fact, i don't see how those military objectives could be achieved without having us have some people on the ground. >> mr. ambassador, you talk about the existing structure that has been there over a hundred years. you've heard a lot of criticism, we all have the past decade how the lines were drawn arbitrarily. do you think is there a possibility of joe biden's approach he mentioned a decade ago of a partitioned iraq? >> is there a possibility but it's a very bad idea. >> why? >> i certainly hope it's not the outcome. i think -- well, the provoking event would be either a large scale iranian intervention in the south or a kurdish declaration of independence in the north. a kurdish declaration of an

independent kurdishstan would involve turkey and iran. they have kurdish population themselves to start taking accession. >> more aggressive kurdish force up in the north act a buffer for turkey right now? something turkish government is supportive of? >> i think the turks are watching carefully to see what happens. what that involves is dividing iraq up as a policy involves the provocation of a regional war, basically an iraqi civil war becoming a regional war and it's a bad outcome. it was a bad outcome ten years ago and would have been and bad outcome now. >> given your service on this issue the fact you think the biden idea is a bad one, i'm just wondering now, without relit rating the issue or the controversy, looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in terms of the calls you made pertaining to the

government and the military in iraq? >> pertaining to the government, i've said the way we implemented the de-baathification was wrong. they have used it in a way to try to broaden the de-baathification far beyond what it was and that was certainly a mistake. >> mr. ambassador, i've read your piece in "wall street journal" and aappreciate your commitment to come up with solutions here. basically, it seems what you're proposing is double down on the policies that the bush administration and you thought would lead to, not just a democratic and independent iraq, but a force for good in the region. why should we continue to go back to or even consider going back to the same set of ideas to try to prop up a government with u.s. intervention which seems to have failed and left us in this position? >> first of all, i'm not proposing to prop up any government. in fact, i explicitly said we need a new government. as the president also implied on

friday, i think al maliki has a lot of blame for the situation. i've listed those problems in "the wall street journal" today, among other things, purging the well-trained army right down to the battalion level and putting in his partisans. don't forget the iraqi army defeated the army in iraq. as general petraeus pointed out we defeated the iraqi army. the purging of those people by al maliki is a precipitating event here. i'm not proposing to on shore up al maliki. in fact, i explicitly called for him to resign as defense minist minister. >> who is in the government of iraq why isn't that up to the people of iraq? civil society and leaders there to figure it out and not the united states? >> because there is no one there who can do it and no other country who can do it. my experience, the experience of

ryan crocker and the experience of general petraeus, the experience of all of us involved in this the last decade is that only the americans can help the iraqis broker across these sectarian and ethnic lines. there is nobody else who can do it including the iraqis. >> what is our record on that -- >> we may -- excuse me. we may regret that but it's a fact and facts have a nasty way of coming back and basically determining your options. >> so you -- >> they do. >> mark, i heard the question you were about to ask. what is our record there, despite the disasters? one disaster after another in iraq. like 2009 and 2010, 2011, our record was pretty damn good in getting the sunnis to buy into the government. of course, it all came after the serge. our record was pretty good. i talk about dexter wilkins not a better war reporter for new york city and then "the new

yorker." remember when he said he would go back 2to the neighborhood? he didn't recognize the place when he went back in 2010. there was a piece in 2011. i will say we are asking tough questions right here. i will say, though, the united states of america our troops, the men and women in uniform, by 2009, 2010, had actually brought these sides together. >> thomas? >> mr. ambassador, this is thomas roberts. you subscribe to the abm approach, anybody about maliki? >> no. i didn't say that maliki had to leave as prime minister. of all, he won the election. this, by the way, was the sixth election the iraqis had since liberation. it is a democratic government. which is rare in the region. they live under a executiconsti 'cha is a liberal constitution. >> can there be success if mr. maliki is there, mr. ambassador?

can there be success if maliki is in power? >> there can be. >> how? >> as long as it is a broader, more politically responsive and representative government. i don't think we should take positions in trying to choose who is the leader. what we can do, as the president began to do on friday, is to say that there has to be a broader political base of operations for us to make the commitment to come in and help. >> but, mr. ambassador, we were there in '09 and se'10 and '111 and pushing maliki every step of the way. he always made the wrong choices. he was always exclusively a shiite first. how do we do that unless we start -- unless we surround him with ten american generals every day with every decision that he makes? >> you know, one of the things that has been clear for ten years is that you can't have a

military strategy that is unconnected to the political strategy. the big mistake we made was pulling our troops out in 2011 because it took away our political influence. maliki's real moves came after the troops left and we lost our influence over him. he, quite understandably, from his point of view, concluded we didn't really much care what happened in iraq so he went off in a shiite direction. we will not be able to have influence there over the future unless we are also willing to help whatever government comes out of these recent elections, help them militarily. the two things are connected and always been connected. >> the reason why president obama won in '08 and re-elected in 2012 was the following the wrong promises getting the american people out of two americans. one place was iraq a place we never should have been in the first place. how can we continue to invest in a country that, for many people

looking at this, would say they don't want us there and they are not willing to take our democracy like instant oatmeal that we can package it up and export it to them and make it work. >> you made a number of points and i don't tell i don't know which one i can answer. the iraqis lusted to choose their own elections. the first turnout in the first election we had after we left was the highest in the last 30 years. the iraqis want to choose their government. let's not get into this we are trying to shove democracy down somebody's throat. that is not true. >> we did take saddam hussein out, right? >> i'm sorry? >> we did take saddam hussein out. >> i'm having trouble. >> we did take saddam hussein out? >> right. >> we did. america did. not the iraqi people. >> right. therefore, what? >> therefore, we then tried to

impose democracy in country. >> we did not impose democracy! get away from nap the facts are completely in the other direction on that subject. any way it's not the point right now. we are where we are. we have two very important interests that iraq not turn into a base of operation from the world's most -- worst terrorist group and that the political structure of the region that has been in place for a hundred years does not collapse, threatening our allies, for example, the king of jordan. those are american interests. we can discuss and historians will discuss forever how we got there and that is where we are today. >> right. >> mr. ambassador, i would love to talk to you for another, like, three hours. we have a three-hour somehow but unfortunately we don't have three hours and we didn't even get into sus stanny. a man who forced the elections early earlier but susstanny making a call for shiites to go out and defend their land. one of the most remarkable figures over there.

>> nice to see you. the legendary host of american top 40, casey kasum, we will talk remember him coming up.

to map their manufacturings at process with sticky notes and string, yeah, they were a little bit skeptical. what they do actually is rocket science. high tech components for aircraft and fighter jets. we're just their bankers, right? but financing from ge capital also comes with expertise from across ge. in this case, our top lean process engineers. so they showed us who does what, when, and where. then we hit them with the important question: why? why put the tools over there? do you really need those five steps?

what if you can do it in two? whoo, that's an interesting question. ideas for improvement started pouring out. with a little help from us, they actually doubled their output speed. a hundred percent bump in efficiency. if you just need a loan, just call a bank. but at ge capital, we're builders. and what we know... can help you grow. . time to take care of business with century link's global broadband network and cloud infrastructure. we constantly evolve to meet your needs every day of the week.

and this lot this morning. the original host of "america top 40" casey kasem died over the weekend. his voice heard on more than 1,000 radio stations across the globe. with more on his story, nbc joe fryar. >> reporter: i'm casey casekase >> he earned a star on hollywood's walk of fame where this morning he is being remembered. but in his final months he was surrounded by conflict as his wife jean and children from his first marriage battled over visit indication rights and medical decisions. a public view that escalated when he was moved by his wife to washington state where he passed away on father's day morning. his children said even though we know he's in a better place and no longer suffering we are heart

broken. intribts a celebrities quoting the icon keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. we will miss you, casey. before music could be downloaded to your fingertips in second, kasem guided listeners on through the top 40 songs. >> included rock, pop, disco, country everything under the sun. the voice tying it all together once a week was casey kasem's. >> reporter: he was a voice actor best known for playing shaggy in "scooby-doo." what happened? >> maybe didn't pay the electric bill. >> reporter: e. left with a disease unable to speak yet his voice will remain an unforgettable part of american culture. >> keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. >> up next, he made a very interesting pitch to republicans this weekend. former governor brian schweitzer

will join us and tell us what he really thinks about some of his fellow democrats. plus a key energy vote this week could decide the fate of the keystone pipeline. keep it right here on "morning joe." i make a lot of purchases for my business.

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♪ ♪ if you were running for president again and shall were the democratic nominee what is the playbook to beat her? >> well, the playbook, i believe, is to look at her record. look. i think you have to consider what has happened around the world during the years that she was secretary of state. and you have to say it's been a monumental bust. and then her most recently comments as she was rolling out the book, she was asked whether the bergdahl trade was one that

present aed a threat to the unid states and she came back with a clueless answer. she was clueless. >> let's say what we were saying off the air for a second. donny, i'll have you say it. >> thank you. >> how was the book tour for hillary clinton last week? >> it was a disaster. but if i'm hillary's people, one thing i'm looking at. >> wait. >> i want to tell you why. >> but how do you have a book that you know is coming out and you have it all planned and you're not in the middle of a presidential campaign and you just said it was a, quote, disaster and you love hillary. she is even getting in fights with liberal npr hosts. like, really uncomfortable fights. what happened? >> the specifics is -- i love mark's opinion on this. precursor there is truly hillary fatigue and it's just -- you

kind of do -- are americans -- forget the polls. 70% and she is -- >> but it's not 70% any more. she's down to the 50. >> do people want to change the channel at this point and was this the first episode? >> mark, it was really surprising last week, that hillary had as rough a run on a book tour. >> well, at the romney event we have been talking about in utah this weekend, people were concerned about finding a candidate to run against her but really emboldened by both the foreign policy crisis she is involved potentially in at least, as well as the poor rollout. let's not forget she is doing a couple of more interviews for the book today, including one with a channel that goes by the name fox. let's see how she handles that. >> i don't understand why there wasn't a light touch. i just don't understand. like, if you're going out and you're in hillary's position and i would say to you and i'm sure you would say to me. okay, here is the deal.

you're selling the book. you're not running for president and people try to debate you. just smile and say we can talk about that later, let me tell you about the book. it's called staying on message. she has been in public service since 1978. >> same reason we talk about why can't mitt romney to your point off camera one of the most likeable, impressive guys in the world, why can't a guy when the camera go on do anything but this? hillary is grandmothered in for a lot of years. >> we just listened as we bumped into mitt romney speaking about hillary clinton from his summit in park city this weekend. >> great summit. >> former montana governor brian schweitzer was at that summit and he joins us now from montana. also at the table is john barrasso of wyoming. welcome, sir. >> thank you. >> "the washington post" quotes you, brian, as saying this in park city, among other things. i don't know why you lost the election, mitt. but i was watching you on tv and i didn't see the mitt romney i knew. you're a fun guy and you're easy

going and obama is not. i've been in the room with him a little too. he is as stiff as a board and you've got it going on. >> i think he was making a point that we were making, that mitt romney, one-on-one personally, is much more relaxed and engaging and lovely than sometimes he seems on tv, right, governor? >> right. exactly. and the point being here is that everybody knows that barack is cool as a cucumber. when he was debating hillary clinton and he turned to her at this one moment in a debate and said, hillary, you're likeable enough. that is just his style. but mitt romney, he's a fun loving guy. in this group that he put together these 300 people, he could crack a joke. that isn't the romney you see on tv. they get so handled by a bunch of 26-year-olds and media people that they turn into a different

creature. we have all seen it. >> it's one of the most stunning things. you see him after the campaign and talking about a a lot of different candidates. bob dole is one of them on our side. he is cracking jokes on "the tonight show" and you go, where was that guy during the campaign. a lot of people talking about you, governor, running against hillary clinton. tell us about hillary clinton's week last week. why was it so tough for him to sell a book on what should have been a goodwill tour? >> i didn't mention hillary clinton in any of my comments. mark halpern was there. there were some questions afterwards. one of the questions was something to do with have you driven a car in the last 20 years? because hillary says she hasn't. i said, i don't know. i had a truck in front after trailer with a bulldozer pulling it to my ranch last week. does that count? yeah. i was also asked, well, some people say that hillary clinton isn't relatable. are you? >> i'm not sure what that question means but i have 69

first cousins so i'm related to a lot of people. >> you are. there you go. you already got a good base to work from. so, senator, let's bring you in. we have got a lot to talk about, obviously, going on in iraq. let me just ask you. should americans go back to iraq? should we have boots on the ground? should there be special ops there? what should we do in iraq? >> number one, i would say we should not put boots on the ground there. the fundamental interest of the united states is protecting an area that, right now, you have this islamic state developing. >> right. >> both iraq and syria and that is the threat to our homeland and that is my concern. the sunni/shia have been at it 1400 years and we are not solving that but i don't think boots on the ground is the answer. it does show, though, what happens when the united states creates a vacuum when we pull out, when we telegraph we are not going to be someplace. that invites prudent --

>> give everybody a date certain and that is the sort of thing that can happen. >> a terrible mistake thing is in afghanistan. >> are you fearful that energy prices will skyrocket as this situation melts down? >> i think we are going to see that because we are too dependent on other sources of energy. we have incredible opportunity and resources in the united states in terms of the keystone pipeline, in terms of our natural gas. >> there's an important vote on keystone this week. will it pass? >> in the committee, absolutely. harry reid continues to block it on the floor. >> why? >> a couple of reasons. one is the president doesn't seem to want it. i believe he's being held hostage by extremists and fundists. >> but aren't there a lot of democratic senators who desperately want this, want to vote yes on this? >> i think that's why mary landrieu is bringing this forward as a show vote in the energy committee this week. harry reid could have taken this to the senate floor weeks ago. he has chosen not to.

i think the reason is he knows it will pass and the president can't allow it to pass. >> so you don't think it will pass? >> i don't think harry reid will allow it to be a vote on the senate floor. since last july democrats have offered over 600 amendments. harry reid has only allowed votes on seven of them. it's not surprising the republicans can't get votes on their amendments on the floor. harry is not even, at the direction of the white house, even allowing democrats to vote on their amendments. >> that's an unbelievable statistic. we hear about republicans being shut out of the process. unbelievable democrats also being shut out of the process of the united states senate. it didn't used to be that way, mika. >> john barrasso and brian schweitzer, nice to see you. >> he said he's taking us to lunch. >> am i allowed to come. >> i think he was inviting you. by the way, you spent your new year's day like i did? >> casey kasem top 100

countdown. >> joe will not answer. why did you not have friends as a child? coming up next, what would happen if the western economy were to collapse? guy pearce is here to take us inside his new apocalyptic thriller. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. to a faraway place where villages floated on water and castles were houses dragons lurked giants stood tall and the good queen showed the boy it could all be real avo: whatever you can imagine, all in one place expedia, find yours

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>> i tell you what god's given

you, he's put a bullet in you, and abandoned you out here to me. he feels nothing for you. i couldn't give a [ bleep ] if you died tomorrow. god gave you a brother who's not waiting for you. he gave you a brother -- the only thing that means anything right now is that i'm here and he's not. >> does that not look amazing? >> that looks really intense. that's a clip from the new movie "the rover." joining us is actor guy pearce who stars in the film and david michod who wrote it. >> guy, you're a scary guy. >> i'm getting more and more scary as the years go on. >> talk about the concept of this thing, it looks great. >> i think this man here, david michod is better -- >> but you guys look the same, so nobody is really going to know. i loved you in "l.a.

confidence." but talk about the concept. >> this is a -- okay, it's a -- it's like a dark, violent existential western set a couple of decades in the future after a catastrophic western economic collapse, but actually it's a movie about love. >> and at the end a little puppy comes in. now, what is it about these post-apocalyptic books, movies. i remember reading "the stand," stephen king's great book 35 years ago or "the road" more recently. >> maybe it's based on a collective pessimism but for me it was important that this not be post-apocalypse. it's not on the other side of some asteroid-like cat clichl. look out the window and imagine what the world is going to be like in 20 years' time. this is the australian desert like a third world country. >> it's looking pretty good for

us. guy, talk about the movie. what attracted you to it? >> david originally. we worked together on "animal kingdom" in 2009, came out in 2010, had a great time with david and got a sense straightaway that he was obviously a very clever filmmaker. when he sent me this to have a look at, i was really intrigued. you know, it was really interesting to see david delve into a world that was one that we weren't so familiar with, but on some level, as you point out, a world that any of us could be living in at any given time. >> where's the love story? >> he's just making it up. he's just making this stuff up. >> look, there's rob on screen. >> there's a very unusual relationship that begins with this young boy that i pick up along the way, he's injured and he's got to get me to his brother that i'm trying to find. obviously there's really no relationship at the beginning but even through this very bleak

circumstance, we just see the connection. >> it sounds like i'm being facetious but for me it's a movie about how in even in incredibly trying, challenging and violent circumstances, people still need to find an intimate and meaningful connection with other people. >> i'm going to have to take a pill before i watch it. >> thomas. >> this is inspired by certain countries where you see human nature that's not so good, right? >> when i was writing the movie i was filled with a strange anger and despair that's born very much of the stuff going on in the world today. surrendering our economies to psychopaths in suits and throwing what i would suggest to be the greatest moral challenge of our time, addressing climate change, out the window. where does that leave us? >> that's questions. "the rover" debus in new york

and california july 13th and nationwide july 20th. thank you so much, guys. we'll be right back. to map their manufacturings at process with sticky notes and string, yeah, they were a little bit skeptical. what they do actually is rocket science. high tech components for aircraft and fighter jets. we're just their bankers, right? but financing from ge capital also comes with expertise from across ge. in this case, our top lean process engineers.

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it's 8:00 a.m. on the east coast, 5:00 a.m. on the west coast, as you take a live look at a beautiful new york city. welcome back to "morning joe," everyone. with us on set we have donny deutsch, mark halperin, and in washington david ignatius and peter baker. we'll start, of course, in iraq where president obama is gripped in an international crisis this

morning as the white house is keeping all options on the table, including military action. >> but the white house says it's going to consider military action in iraq only if the government there works to bring together the competing sides. >> but it is prime minister -- it is the prime minister who has shown no desire to create a more inclusive government in baghdad, no easy task, especially with new claims over the weekend that militants executed 1700 soldiers. >> fighters from the sunni extremist group isis boasted online about the purported mass murders. they included captions and photos that claim -- that show young shiite men lying in mass graves. now nbc has not confirmed the authenticity of these images. >> all right. the increasingly vicious terror campaign is part of a coordinated push by the terrorist group to inflame sectarian divisions in iraq. the militants are trying to carve out their own islamic state in iraq and syria. so far the full-scale violence has not reached the capital

where prime minister al maliki is trying to stop the country from sliding back into civil war. let's bring in ayman mohyeldin from iraq. >> reporter: good morning, mika. the situation continues to unfold all across the country at a very alarming country. this morning talifar held into the hands of isis, this group that wants to establish a state across iraq and the middle east. perhaps one of the surprising developments, we went out and spoke to some of those leaving the area. a lot of their grievances were not directed toward isis but more at the government of the prime minister nouri al maliki. they say over the course of his rule of iraq the past several years have seen a deterioration in the quality of life, quality of security and more importantly a sharp rise in sectarian tensions that has plagued them

being a sunni minority in the country. one of the things isis has already done on the ground, according to several residents we spoke to who are leaving mosul today, they have controlled the prices of basic commodities of foods and petro and gas and that has brought some satisfaction to the local residents. they have removed a lot of the checkpoints the iraqi national army had in place and that is alleviating some of the pressure in the city, according to these residents. believe it or not, their a was more towards the iraqi prime minister and the iraqi government that they say is being backed by iran and shia militias and they're targeting that government more so than they are isis at this point. they are extremely concerned about a possible u.s. military intervention. everyone we spoke to categorically rejected the notion that they want the u.s. to engage militarily against isis in the northern part of the country. >> thank you very much. david ignatius, six years into his presidency, it is ironic but iraq might perhaps be the president's most dangerous

foreign policy situation. how bad is it this morning? >> well, it's terrible in the sense that i think the u.s. is really groping to understand what a sensible strategy is for this deteriorating iraq. the government has all but collapsed. the fighting that's being done to keep isis away from baghdad has been done by militia fighters who were shia sectarian fighters. >> david, let me stop you there. explain to americans waking up that say, hey, you know what, we went over there, we lost 4,000, 4500 people, it cost $2 trillion, if they want to kill themselves, let them kill themselves. why can't president obama take that stance? >> joe, i think that common sense american view is entirely understandable. people feel they have been throwing good money after bad, losing lives to people who are thankless, ungrateful. the people is that a safe haven has been created now that stretches from a city called

araka in northeastern syria all the way down the euphrates valley to the gates of baghdad and all the way north essentially now to the border with turkey. and in that safe haven, which is next to europe, next to the european land mass, al qaeda fighters, fighters in fact so extreme that al qaeda rejects them as too violent, will be able to establish bases. these people are using tanks now -- >> and david, of course they get their foot hold in the syrian conflict, right? >> yes. as i say, this is a movement, a safe haven where these al qaeda fighters will operate stretches across two countries. so the u.s. needs to be concerned about it because as senior administration official told me on thursday, their next target, their next challenge is going to be to show that they're tough enough, strong enough to attack the united states. >> and of course they're baiting us actually, mark halperin, in

the paper this morning. i read one of the leaders said we know the united states is coming and we're looking forward to it. but you look at searia, the chaos that's in syria. we did nothing. i was playing devil's advocate and said why don't we sit back and do nothing. we did nothing in syria and this group got safe haven in syria. now they are spreading across like a cancer to iraq. boy, it certainly seems to me like we're looking possibly down the road at a partition of iraq, just like joe biden was talking about ten years ago. >> and partition is not going to be simple because the three areas would not live in harmony instantly. this is i think the biggest foreign policy crisis the president has faced. the problem is if we condition military action on the government suddenly changing under these conditions to be more inclusive, i think maliki has turned out to be about as reliable as karzai as an ally and there are no military options.

the president spent the weekend in california saying he's waiting to see what the best military options are. there are no good military options. i think the saudis need to speak out, the europeans need to speak out. this cannot be an american-led solution or american-only solution because there is no american interest strong enough to put boots on the ground or to rely on a government that is simply not a good ally. >> peter baker, two things. first of all, anything new on the reports of 1700 executed? of course militants have released photos but they can't be verified in terms of those numbers. secondly, can you explain what the fall of baghdad would mean to the region and to us? >> yeah, no, that's a good question. no, there hasn't been any confirmation that i know of about the 1700 supposedly executed. the twitter account that was used to post some of these photos seems to have been suspended at this point. it's obviously a chilling prospect, whether it's true in the exact details or not. it's obviously meant to send a message. and the idea of baghdad falling obviously is just -- is almost

inconceivable, as you put it. 4500 american soldiers went there to try to create a whole new country and gave their lives for it. the idea that suddenly not only cities like mosul and talafar have fallen, the idea that the capital is at risk sends a very big symbolic message to the united states as well as being a strategic challenge to the entire region. whether that will happen or not is a different thing. there's a lot of shiite population in baghdad. they're not as susceptible or open to the isis ideology as some of the people your correspondent interviewed this morning. and there are these shiite militias that david mentioned that have come to the fore as the defense of the city but it's a very volatile situation. as iraq descends into chaos, former presidential candidate mitt romney took a jab at president obama for failing to head off the escalating violence. >> what has happened in iraq is

a good deal predictable by virtue of the president's failure to act appropriately and at the extraordinary time that was presented a couple of years ago in syria and also his failure to achieve a status of forces agreement so that we could have an ongoing presence in iraq. bad things happen as a result of inaction. consequences have obviously been very severe. >> donny deutsch, i read a column over the weekend that iraq has made fools of us all. made fools of me, made fools of people that opposed the surge, made fools of people that wanted to take everybody out of iraq and not have a small force at the end of the day. boy, this is -- this is a crisis that everybody owns. it doesn't matter, george bush committed the original sin. you will be hard pressed to find foreign policy advisers that won't tell you that barack -- that won't tell you bush should have never gone in, he committed the original sin. barack obama bungled the exit and now here we are. we have to work together.

>> i think mr. romney, like both sides right now, need to pipe down on the rhetoric and really understand this is not a political issue at this time. as i said, we could have woulda, coulda, shoulda with bush, woulda, coulda, shoulda with obama. this is the most severe crisis we have seen in a long time. you know, see sit here in this very kind of safe haven and always can kind of war game things out, and you kind of play this out and you go what are the rules? if we were around this table, you guys are really smart, what do we do here? this to me is the first time i can remember in a long time where you go what are the moves here? what are the moves? >> we know this, we know this. and i'm not talking about boots on the ground or even talking about attacks, but doing nothing, leading from behind like we did in syria, that's not an option here. >> let's take that as a given.

>> i agree. leading from behind is a failed foreign policy approach. george w. bush's neocon, supercharged approach is wrong, but leading from behind a failure and it has led us to this point. >> i agree. so let's take that as a given. >> so we're going to have to figure out -- >> so give me a move. right now -- look, david ignatius, give me a move. >> let's go to thomas. we've got thomas on the set for two reasons. one, he has -- he's the most impeccably tailored man that i know, and number two, these are the type of crises that he knows how to fix. how do we fix this, thomas? >> obviously if you look at this as we are trying to see democracy in iraq, obviously it's complicated. it's not like instant oatmeal that we can present it to them and they can add water. the thing, david, that i think is confusing to most americans is the fact isis is made up of hundreds of militants and they're being able to conquer a

massed force, iraqi force that is thousands laying down their weapons. people will look at this like how do you invade the willing. if the iraqi army is laying down its weapons and falling into the crowds, what is the american public supposed to think about this, especially if we were about to talk about investing boots on the ground or combat forces back in iraq? >> i'd say there are two things that we have to do. the first is obviously to stop isis from taking baghdad. that's the immediate crisis that has got everybody worried. and isis does seem to be stopping north of the city. but that's crucial and the president -- if they're not stopped, the president should consider using air power. the second thing and it's more important is to begin to think about a process of discussion that would put on one side of the table iran, which represents the shia world, and on the other side of the table saudi arabia, which represents the sunni world, and work over time. it may be a couple of years

before this is done, so that there's a balance between iran and saudi arabia, shia and sunni. that's the only way that this fighting is going to stop. the united states must not intervene in this war on behalf of one side or another, and just drive this wedge deeper. that would be crazy. so you say there are no policy solutions. i would say differently, the policy solutions are there, they're pretty obvious, in fact. they're just going to take a while and take enormous discipline from the u.s. >> peter baker, we're hearing out of capitol hill some people talking about a u.s./iran alliance. this crisis may actually have other people across the world start talking about that as well. what's a possibility of iran and the united states working together to bring stability to baghdad? >> well, that's of course an enemy of my enemy is my friend kind of situation. there's no actual contact

according to the u.s. government directly between the u.s. and iran on this subject, but iran has a great interest in iraq. they have sent one of the heads of their force to talk through and help organize the iraqi defense. it's not really clear whether there's actual iranian forces there specifically. that seems to have been overstated. but yeah, you've got a situation where we both share an interest, and the interest is preventing baghdad from falling. the interest is preventing the maliki government from falling. the maliki government would prefer to have u.s. help than iranian help but they'll take it wherever they can get it. >> now why do you say that? >> why do i say -- sorry? >> because it seems to me that the iraqis, too many of the iraqis were playing footsies with the iranians. they had us. maliki had us there. if they had worked more aggressively in bringing sunnis into the government, chances are

good this would have never happened. >> iran is in the region and we are not in that sense. if you're sitting there in baghdad, you're looking around to see who's going to be most likely to be there to help. one of maliki's top aides was quoted in the paper saying this morning they would rather have american help if they could get it. it's unclear right now what president obama is willing to do. as you said, he made it very clear he wants to see political reconciliation as the price in effect for a military involvement, not boots on the ground, but he said it would take several days to consider what to do and there's a lot of agitation here in washington for quicker action. still ahead, mitt romney is denying interest in another run at the white house, but will his own party let him step away? inside romney's big weekend idea summit in utah. plus, it's a key landmark for one of the biggest scandals in american history. what's happening now to the parking lot where bob woodward met with deep throat. remember that? >> i do. and there is one man standing in the way of new york governor andrew cuomo's bid for

re-election. we'll talk to him in just a moment. but first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill, you stand in the way of everything. >> of donny's head. >> sunshine, glory, happiness, fulfillment. >> everything. >> all of that and donny's noggin. d.c., the white house looking nice and lower manhattan looking great too. we had a pretty nice weekend out there. everything is green and lush on the eastern seaboard. we had a lot of rain over the last week or two. now the heat is arriving. this is when the grass will be growing fast. as we look at this first heat wave of the summer season heading for the mid-atlantic, not so much new england but definitely through the mid-atlantic leading to the hottest temperatures of the early summer seechbason. 93 in richmond, 91 in d.c. mostly it will be dry and hot. the humidity is kind of low today, but tomorrow we start to crank the humidity up a little bit and even the heat. tomorrow, tuesday, 93 d.c., richmond at 95, raleigh 96 and

the heat index will start getting up there right around 100. so very warm in this region. it looks to break as we go throughout thursday night into friday. that's when we'll get a good line of storms coming through to cool you off. d.c., the peak of your heat looks to be on wednesday. other concerns today, severe weather outbreak likely in areas of southern minnesota and iowa tonight. we could even see a few tornados, so we'll watch that for you and of course the wind damage also a threat. that cannot include chicago, but definitely nearby. out west, we continue watching the fire danger. we had a couple of blazes over the weekend and today is another day where it will be windy and the relative humidity very low. if any fires do form, unfortunately they would spread very quickly, especially with this just years of drought in the region. we leave you with a nice, beautiful shot of washington, d.c., on the mall. lunch in the shade today, getting hot. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back.

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welcome back to "morning joe." it's time to take a look at the morning papers. >> "the dallas morning news" amazon is expected to launch a smartphone. experts say the phone will be the company's most ambitious hardware since the kindle deb debuted in 2007. analysts believe the amazon phone will use google's android operating system and include a number of front-facing cameras to provide a more unique user experience. >> and that from "the telegraph." more than 20,000 elephants were poached last year in africa. according to international wildlife regulators, 80% of the seizures occurred in kenya,

tanzania and uganda. reports say while poaching is down, the levels still exceed the elephant birth rate, posing a threat to the survival of the species in africa. "the washington post," the parking garage at the center of one of the biggest political scandals in american history will be torn down. the garage in question is where the fbi informant mark felt, known as deep throat, spilled secrets about watergate. the revelations led to president richard nixon's resignation. in place of the garage will be a shopping center and apartment buildings. tomorrow marks the 42nd anniversary of the watergate break-ins. let's turn to politics now. if you're a contender for the 2016 republican nomination, park city, utah, was the place to be over the weekend. mitt romney invited many of the donors who helped contribute to his billion dollar presidential campaign to rub elbows with some potential 2016 candidates. the tone, beat hillary. and mitt romney echoed that sentiment on "meet the press." take a listen. >> if you were running for president again and if she were

the democratic nominee, what's the playbook to beat her? >> well, the playbook, i believe, is to look at her record. i think you have to consider what's happened around the world during the years that she was secretary of state. you have to say it's been a monumental bust. and then her most recent comments as she was rolling out the book, she was asked whether the bergdahl trade was one that presented a threat to the united states and she came back with a clueless answer. she was clueless. >> all right. joining the table, nbc news political reporter kasie hunt who was reporting from the event. also michael en. kasie, let's start with you. with a look at the 2016 hopefuls who were there. rapid fire, give us your assessment on how they were received. we'll start with chris christie. >> we can go around here because everybody i think was there. >> chris christie is the one that these donors all really wanted to be behind. the fact that they're not right now is the real impact of the bridge scandal. he would have had all of these people in the bag if not for

that. >> did he address it? >> now he has to answer the questions. he didn't address it in his speech but it was the first thing that he was asked about. he said i think the political ramifications of this have mostly passed. he tried to blame the media, that didn't go over so well. he did thank mitt and ann romney for standing by him. >> mark halperin, you were out there. i heard multiple reports that he tried to blame the media, and here this republican group of big donors all very skeptical. so skeptical he basically admitted, some of you guys don't believe me, right? >> he's in a tough position because until the investigation -- >> did that happen, what i just said, did that happen? >> that is a good account of what happened. until the investigation is over, there's not much you can do to convince these people. there's clear among romney's donors who has kasie said would like to be with christie, a lot of them, until he's cleared in the investigation, they are still skeptical. >> the media might have pounced, but there's a story. >> michael allen, you were there

as well. what was the response to chris christie? >> he tried to take the edge off what he knew was coming. mitt romney played the video of governor christie dad dancing before he walked out on the stage and the governor started his remarks by joking about that and talking about how that came to be. but then that first question that kasie pointed to deflated things. there's a real longing, though, in this group. they want christie, they want jeb, they want mitt romney, and they know that all those are looking problematic. >> paul ryan, he would be a favorite of a lot of people out there. as far as just a guy that they loved standing next to mitt. but he's -- he faced a problem too, didn't he? >> well, this is a group of loyalists and they view ryan as someone who is very loyal to romney. the issue is that he's not sending them the signals that he's definitely going to run. no one quite know that say. >> and do they feel like he can

fill the stage, that he's big enough to do this? >> the donors i talked to came out of it and said they were impressed with the speech that he gave and thought that he was stepping up his game a little bit or had since the 2012 election. >> totally better than he was. even some of the romney people who have been fans with him since he joined the ticket commented afterwards he has really upped his game. his stump speech is impressive. it's got the making of a national speech, but again they don't think he is going to run. he is not doing things like rand paul and others are doing to show them i'm in this, start to think about backing me. >> let's talk about somebody who doesn't have her stump speech down. i heard disastrous reviews of susannah martinez, new mexico's governor, true? >> she came in and did not wow people. to the contrary, even some of the organizers of the event were struck by her failure to step up to -- this is an impressive event. the speakers on a range of policy, she came in and did not wow people in the least.

>> kasie? >> that's what i heard. it was a little unfortunate for her that she was in the same section as paul ryan. they went one after the other and the comparisons were not favorable. >> go ahead, mike. >> we saw -- even from the fact that this was, as you know, a casual event, everybody was in jeans, nobody was wearing ties. they were speaking in the round to this group. and governor martinez demanded a podium. she was the only person that speak with a podium during these auditions by the 2016 candidates. that set the stage for just a lack of connection that was one of the biggest gaps between reality and perception that i've seen in years. >> politico's mike allen, thank you. kasie hunt, thank you as well. up next -- >> shall we put boots on the ground again in iraq? >> i don't think so. honestly, i don't think so because you're going to get back in the quagmire again. >> the men and women who fought

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34 past.

as iraq falls into chaos, it's raising real questions about all the american sacrifices paid in that country, and perhaps no one is more concerned than the men and women of the u.s. armed forces who gave so much there. nbc's stephanie gosk has more on their response. >> reporter: in southern georgia, just down the road from ft. stewart, talk in the smoke-filled vfw quickly turns to iraq. >> should we put boots on the round again in iraq? >> i don't think so. honestly, i don't think so because you're going to get back in the quagmire again. >> reporter: keith monk directed air strikes in the early days of the war. the retired vet says the problems in iraq now belong to iraqis. >> we liberated them and eventually sometime you've got to let them rule themselves. >> reporter: others wonder why the u.s. military stayed as long as it did. over 4,000 troops killed and more than 30,000 wounded. >> why did we go through all of it?

nothing's changed really. >> reporter: as the obama administration considers its options, some veterans worry their years of service and sacrifice are going to waste. >> we don't want anybody to die in vain. that's not why we were there. >> reporter: steven helped train the iraqi military in 2009 and was concerned back then about the u.s. pulling out. >> it's kind of like we plugged a leak. for the while that we were there, it was nice and dry and everybody was safe. now that we are gone, the plug has been removed and now iraq is filling up full of militia. >> reporter: one group of iraq vets doesn't think the u.s. can do anything militarily to end the conflict. >> a continued violent response by the u.s. doesn't seem like the answer since it hasn't really panned out. >> reporter: the widens chaos in iraq has caused many americans to reflect on a war they thought was over, especially those who actually fought in it. >> joining us now former army

sergeant matthew pelak, he returned as a security contractor with the company called blackwater. in washington, kimberly dozier, who was wounded in a car bombing while covering the war in iraq in 2006. >> matt, let's begin with you. you've said before it's kind of hard to tell these groups to play in the sand box together politely. i mean you look at all the differences. it's too big of a mandate for this country, isn't it? >> it certainly seems like a challenge. it was a challenge when we were there, when i was there in 2004 to determine who was in charge, who was doing what. it's a challenge now i'm sure just as much as it is for the politicians to figure out who's on which side as it is for the american public to figure out who's on which side. >> kimberly, you were injured in a year that was seen there as a low point in iraq, 2006 was just a horrific year with the golden mosque bombing in samarra and

all hell broke loose from there. we talked to dexter philkin and others who went back three, four years later and they were stunned by the changes. >> a lot of changes, but underneath those changes, still that sectarian divide. and the fact that the prime minister, maliki government wasn't reaching out to the sunni side of iraq's ethnic mix. wasn't including them enough in government. was actually targeting some senior members and driving them out of the country, like the vice president. that made sunnis who were once the top group there feel under threat. even if they weren't actually physically under threat. >> so matt, i've got to ask you the question. you saw some of your heroic colleagues in the setup piece. do you say to yourself what the heck was i doing over there? >> there's a lot of discussion now within the veteran community about the last eight years. the gains that we were able to achieve, the few gains we were able to achieve, is it now in vain.

4,489 folks dead and countless wounded. yeah, it's hard, it's tough. i think all the u.s. military wants is a clear-cut mission. that's all the u.s. military ever wants. >> and perhaps those gains, letting them go would be in some ways almost worse for morale, thomas. to an extent it must be very difficult. i can't even imagine to see what's happening there now. but not doing something would make it literally in vain. >> certainly a complicated mission going forward. matt, would you say that you supported knowing that there was going to be troop withdrawal in iraq as it was coming down the line? did you support the plan as it was laid out? and now in hindsight as we're hearing from veterans looking as if we pulled the plug out and left iraq to its own devices. >> i can say that i followed the orders of the commanders that were appointed above me, just like the rest of the american military did. nothing can stop the power of the american military as quick

as bureaucracy can. i think that we all saw some frustration on the part of the state department and the u.s. military with trying to get the iraqi government up to where it is now. the reconstruction teams trying to have infrastructure projects to six months later seeing them destroyed or just fallen into disrepair because the iraqis weren't maintaining them properly. a lot of those small signs were there and it just didn't seem like we were able to overcome those hurdles to get folks to where they needed to be. i think we just sort of told ourselves, well, this is good enough, we can get out of here. that's a tough decision and there's a lot of folks on the ground still there. u.s. military veterans on the ground right now in baghdad working as military contractors, loading magazines and fig sandbags trying to figure out what's coming next. >> what was your feeling that you would get from the iraqi people? was it easier to say, oh, they don't appreciate. >> we had a great relationship with the iraqi people on the ground. in 2004, my company and i from

the new york national guard, we went in, we were able to re-establish the government and i think we had a great relationship with them and saw that town turn itself around. but the problem wasn't just one town. it was the country as a whole not being unified. we kept seeing attacks from the outside affecting that town as well as killing american soldiers. >> kimberly dozier, two questions for you. first touching on the piece that you've written. so what is the target? who would we go after in iraq? is it isis, and is it clear cut? >> isis is only part of the invading force moving south. you also have former bathist commanders and tribal leaders who felt alienated by the maliki government. so that makes it harder for the u.s. as it's trying to pick targets to give to president obama saying, here, these are the targets that would have some effect on those forces marching south. a lot of the isis commanders have hidden themselves within

populations, within urban centers, so you can't strike there or you're going to hit civilians. now you have shiite militia members fighting back, so you have a lot of people who are dressed in civilian clothes with guns. who do you hit? we shrunk our presence in 2011, brought a lot of the intelligence assets we had there back within the embassy walls. so that meant cia, dia couldn't keep in touch with a vast network of human spies that they had across the country. that means that now as we're trying to figure out who the enemy is, our resources are really small. >> wondering what your thoughts are looking at the -- kimberly and i worked together at cbs. i will never forget the day that it crossed the wires when she was so severely injured. your recovery is remarkable, given your injuries, kimberly. >> and there are a lot of troops out there who were injured as

badly and worse who are looking at this and going, you know, and for what? the people i'm speaking to, i'm hearing from on facebook and e-mail are kind of divided into two camps. those who said it was always going to go this way, we felt like we were always just holding the two sides apart from a fight, to those who said, you know, if we had only left maybe 3500 troops, if we convinced prime minister maliki to let us keep a small force there, they could have enabled the intelligence, they could have also been out there in the field with iraqi troops, say in mosul, stiffening their resolve and helping them resist this onslaug onslaught. >> army sergeant matt pelak and kimberly dozier, thank you so much to both of you. still ahead, he's running for governor against andrew cuomo and he's doing it with a sense of humor. >> they want me to go to albany. >> albany? >> yes, i'm going to albany. i'm running for governor!

i'm trying to save the state! >> oh, my god, that really was funny. republican candidate rob astorino will be with us next. "morning joe" will be right back. are the largest targets in the world, for every hacker, crook and nuisance in the world. but systems policed by hp's cyber security team are constantly monitored for threats. outside and in. that's why hp reports and helps neutralize

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what? >> you're not ready. >> no, i'm not ready. >> mr. astorino, we have to get you to albany. >> for what? >> tonight's the lca dinner. >> rob, who is it? >> be quiet. >> he hit the jackpot. >> rob? >> what? >> we have to get you to albany. >> they want me to go to albany. >> albany? >> yes, i'm going albany. i'm running for governor! i'm trying to save the state! >> oh, my goodness. >> that is so funny. >> i like it.

joining us now, westchester county executive rob astorino who's a candidate for governor of new york state for the republican and conservative parties. good to have you on the show. >> it's good to be here. >> tell us what that was about. >> you know, that was part of legislative correspondents association dinner in albany. so it's like a comedy show. we did an eight-minute video, my wife and i who was not in that clip. but she was in her curlers. it was a riot. it's on facebook, my facebook page if people want to see the whole thing. >> i like the ones that we do in washington. that was actually funny. >> so you're running against andrew cuomo. it's a democratic state, you're a republican. >> mr. sunshine. >> thank you, mark. that's a good way to start. >> this state has had republican governors. we had george petaki was the governor. what is it about you and the republican message where you think you're more in line with the people of new york than andrew cuomo. >> it's as a state under this governor are we winning or

losing, period? real simple question for the voters. and i say we're losing, and losing badly as a state because in all of the important categories, we are dead last, 50th in the united states, compared to all the other states. >> what categories? >> highest in taxes, not even close. highest electric rates. we spend the most on education, the bottom half of results. the worst business climate, worst economic outlook, worst place to retire, worst place to make a living. >> wow, okay. >> sounds pretty bad. >> it is bad. here's the worst. 400,000 new yorkers have thrown in the towel and left this state in just the last three years. so that should tell you that they're chasing those jobs. >> is that part of a function of just being the largest city in the country. >> state. >> i mean the largest, second most populated state. wouldn't you have seen those numbers over the last 20, 30 years across the board? >> no. why are we dead last in the country in taxes? it's because they made a concerted effort to make us dead last in the country. >> you mean new york has the

highest taxes? >> it's the worst. >> it doesn't surprise me, but it shouldn't surprise new york state that they continue to fail. i mean that's a stunning thing. it's quite simple. there's a reason why texas is growing as many jobs as it's growing. you sit here raand you wonder h long are states like new york state, connecticut and rhode island going to look at this ever-growing tax burden that they place on small business owners. i don't understand. so what can you do to turn that around if you're governor? >> it's hard for people on this island here, manhattan, to understand because manhattan is doing well and probably always will be, it's very resilient. but you go around the hudson valley or upstate new york, slow growth at best. really upstate new york is awful. it's tumble weeds economically. the governor has done nothing to help it. and so people continue to leave and chase those jobs to low tax states or states where it's easy

to retire or start a business. it's not going to happen in new york with these policies. >> we lived in upstate. my parents and i lived in upstate new york, and i remember my dad when he left and we moved down to florida where our family was. he was for six months just shocked. i don't have to pay taxes on this? i don't have to pay taxes on that? the tax burden, the difference between new york state and florida or new york state and texas -- >> what about increasing the minimum wage? >> it's unbelievable. >> i'm for it in a slight way. here's what i say. living in new york has become like a prison sentence. what are you talking about? well, here's all i hear all over the state. two more years, the kids go to college and i'm out of here. i retire and we're selling the house and going to the carolinas, florida or texas. that's all you hear. it doesn't have to be that way. >> is that a function of weather, though? >> no. it's always been great there. >> they intend to leave at that point? >> donny, come on, man.

>> they used to go for vacations. >> you're so rich that it doesn't impact you, but you have got to admit the tax structure in the state is insanity. >> as somebody who's paying close to 60 cents on the dollar, yes. >> that's what people outside of new york state don't understand. you take your salary, whatever it is, and you take, what, 60 cents off of it. >> 58 cents on the dollar. >> you pay taxes, 58 cents on the dollar goes to the government in new york state or d.c. it's insanity. >> rob astorino, nice to meet you. i love the video. >> good to see you again. >> we'll be right back.

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welcome back to "morning joe." time to talk about what we learned today. thomas, what did you learn? >> paul bremer interview. that's all i have time to say. >> we need a national debate about what to do about iraq. >> donny. >> a one h-word answer. the. >> mika. >> just north of topeka you take a turn left -- >> now it's time for "the daily rundown" with chuck todd. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations

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