fight to make sure that everybody, no matter how they want to vote, has that access to the ballot box. it's the most fundamental thing that we have to this great democracy of ours. >> thanks for your visit, congratulations on getting those folks behind you. that's it for "the ed show." "politicsnation" starts right now. >> thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's need, the president's plan of action. just minutes ago, president obama completed a meeting with the congressional leadership to destroy the terrorist group isis. the meeting comes a day before the president's primetime white house address to the nation. the key questions now are, what's the scale of military action being planned? how long will the mission last? what role will congress have? and how will republicans respond

to president obama? earlier today, before meeting with the president, house speaker john boehner dodged the question of troops on the ground. >> what i'm hoping to hear from the president today is a strategy that goes after isis and destroys them. >> are you opposed to ground troops, or is that an option? >> i am looking for a strategy from the president that takes on this terrorist threat and defeats it. >> but we did get some hints about the gop's directions from others in the party. today, house republicans met with the architect of the disastrous bush era middle east policy. former vice president dick cheney. the los angeles times says cheney, quote, gave a pep talk to house republicans on tuesday,

highlighting the value of a hawkish national defense. also today, a telling comment from a gop republican congressman who supports a vote in congress to authorize military action. but he says other republicans don't. quote, republicans don't want to change anything. we like the path we're on now. we can denounce it if it goes bad, and praise it if it goes well, and ask what took him so long. it's rare republicans are that honest about their blame obama first approach. but it's a reminder, the country doesn't need more politics right now. we need good policy. tomorrow night, americans will hear president obama's policy in a primetime address to the nation. joining me now, congresswoman

jackie spear, democrat of california, who serves on the house armed services committee "the washington post" representative. >> congresswoman, what do you hope to hear from the president tomorrow night? >> i want to hear a strategy from the president. i want to hear that he is committed to having the congress take a vote on this action in both iraq and if he does take steps to engage in syria. and i also want to make sure that we know that there is a threat to the u.s. homeland. we've got to make that very clear, so that we can engage in a manner that makes sense. we also need to make sure -- >> so if there's a threat to you, it's very clear that there is a threat to the u.s. homeland and authorization by congress seems to be important to you. >> and finally, a coalition of

support for engagement by many of the countries in the arab league, and sharing the burden, the costs of these engagements are very expensive. there's lots of reserves in many of the arab countries that are actually in harm's way with isil as well. >> jonathan, what message will the president be sending tomorrow night to the american people, and tr that matter, to isis? >> one thing we know about the president is he knows he's leading a war weary nation. even though there's a poll out that shows that 90% of the american people are very concerned about some kind of threat from isis. but the president, i think, as the congresswoman laid out, he's got to tell the american people, what's going on. he has to do so in very sort of -- in a candid manner. he has to tell them -- he has to tell the american people what's

at stake, why the united states is getting involved now in this effort, in another middle east effort when a year ago this time, the president decided not to take action when syria used chemical weapons against its own people, when the united states opted not to take any kind of serious action in other places around the middle east. he's got to also show, as the congresswoman just said, that the united states is not going about this alone. and that's something that the president has always made clear. >> yeah. >> that if any action takes place, it's going to be not just the united states, but the united states in concert with countries in the region who also have something at stake in the fight against isis. >> it comes back to what you said, congresswoman. how important -- let me ask you to elaborate. how important that whatever is done is done in concert with other nations, other allies? >> i think it's a very high

priority. i cannot imagine that we would support the president going it alone. we have learned a horrible lesson in iraq, and it's cost us so many lives, so much money, so much incredible perspective, in terms of how we're perceived by countries in the region. i mean, they don't like what they see when the united states invades iraq. when they say they have a red line and that red line moves. they don't have a sense that we're there for the long run. i think if we're going to be there for the long run, whatever it is, we've got to do it in conjunction with other arab states. >> jonathan, "the washington post" asked, quote, i asked if he saw any ivony in cheney coming to talk to republicans

about next steps in iraq. king said firmly, no, because most of us think we did the right thing in iraq. i mean, is that really the view among republicans in congress that bush-cheney did the right thing in iraq, jonathan? >> i think this current crop of republicans on the hill, they probably do agree with vice president cheney, that what they did was the right thing in iraq. but there are a whole lot of other people within the republican party and across the country, no matter their political affiliation, who believe that the war in iraq was wrong, that we shouldn't have done it. and that the reason why the president -- one of the reasons the president is giving the speech tomorrow night at 9:00 is because of that war in iraq and the tempest that was unleashed by the toppling of saddam hussein. >> now, let me go back to you,

congresswoman. because ted cruz said america should go it alone against isis rather than seek a coalition. listen to that. >> in order that this action be done right. it must be led by the united states unfettered by other nations' rules of engagement. achieving some number of countries in a coalition is not a strategy. >> how do you respond to that, congresswoman? >> well, ted cruz is a walking time bomb. and i think we've seen it over and over again in congress where he is capable of saying and doing anything, bringing this country to its knees with the shutdown last year. doesn't surprise me that he's trying to make headlines. as we all know, he's probably running for the presidency. but i think it's really important, reverend, now, to appreciate that there are so

many foreign fighters that have come in to support isil, some 10, 12,000 of them, some even from the united states. so the interest of the american people is to know that whatever we do here is going to have some permanent results. my big fear is that, we didn't even think about isil a year ago. when we talked about syria, it was one of a number of opposition groups, wasn't seen as anything of significant significance. this year, they're a barbaric institution that we're very concerned about. what's the next home-grown institution that's going to come out of the middle east? do we need to be concerned about boko haram? there are so many of these groups that are jihadist in nature and have their eyes set on doing great harm to the united states, and to countries in the region. so i think we've got to be very

careful as we move forward. >> all right, i'm going to have to leave it there. we will certainly be seeing you tomorrow night. the primetime speech to the nation by the president from the white house. congresswoman jackie spear, jonathan cape hart, i thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. coming up, breaking news, nfl commissioner roger goodell just broke his silence on the ray rice beating tape. what did he see, and when did he see it? plus, after a five-week vacation, speaker boehner's republican house is back to work. and by work, i mean, benghazi obsession. and exactly one month after michael brown's killing, we're seeing action in ferguson to washington and some big changes under way. stay with us. ♪

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>> republicans promise a fair and impartial investigation with their new benghazi committee. but you won't believe what a member of that committee is saying about the president. that's next. i'm type e. my golden years will not just be gold plated. i had 3 different 401(k)s. e*trade offers rollover options and a retirement planning calculator.

now i know "when" i'm going to retire. not "if." >> after five weeks summer vacation, house republicans are finally back doing what they do best. spinning their wheels on benghazi. the benghazi select committee

holds its first hearing on it. republicans plan to focus on the state department and review of the attack. in other words, they're going to investigate the investigation. it's ridiculous. and republicans are getting egged on by the scandal machine over at fox. >> do you think the obama administration is hiding anything about benghazi? >> remember benghazi? >> tonight fox news uncovers the benghazi smoking gun. >> governor, do you think a benghazi cover-up is still going on? >> and now some republicans in congress have stopped even pretending to be impartial in this? gop congressman lin westmoreland just told a crowd of donors, that, quote, i think our enemy stands on 1600 pennsylvania avenue. this is outrageous!

this is outrageous talk for a member of congress to make. and what's worse, he was chosen by speaker boehner to serve on the benghazi committee. congressman west moreland has no place on this panel. he should be removed immediately. and republicans need to stop talking about the enemy in the white house and start talking about issues that actually matter to the american people. joining me now are joe madison and bill press. thank you both for being here. >> hi, reverend. >> thank you. >> how can a congressman who calls president obama the enemy be allowed to serve on a committee investigating the administration? >> i don't know the answer to that question other than the fact that the speaker of the house, once again, caters to this tea party crowd that try to rev up the base that's already revved up. the reality is that here we are

trying to pull together a united coalition of members of congress. the president met with both parties, the leaderships of both parties, a major speech tomorrow, and once again, the most outrageous thing that the american people should remember come november is the months and the millions and millions of dollars that were spent on this investigation. now, you want to talk about a waste of taxpayers' money, this is a waste. >> you know, bill, in an interview this summer, the chairman of the benghazi committee, trey gowdy, he said, quote, there's this notion out there, as some of my colleagues have said, that this will be a circus, a kangaroo court. i don't want to be a part of that. now you have a guy on the panel who calls president obama our enemy. doesn't that show what a kangaroo court this really is, bill?

>> no, absolutely. first of all, i think it shows something else. this is funny, they ran out of gas on obama care. so now they have to come back to benghazi. they ran out of gas on benghazi a long time ago. they just don't know it. but let me tell you, trey gowdy would not have taken this job if he had not agreed to make it a one-sided, go after obama, and go afterhillary clinton circus. that's all that it is. there's no blood left in this turnip. >> but, bill, they promised a fair investigation. >> oh, yeah, yeah, right. sure. and remember, john boehner said, if you elect us and put us in charge of the house, we promise you we'll do something about jobs. they haven't had one jobs bill in the last three years. they ought to be sued for malpractice. look, they have no time for a hearing on -- even on isis. they have no time for a hearing on minimum wage. no time for a hearing on jobs or

anything else. but they have time for one more hearing on benghazi, and they've already held over 15 hearings on benghazi. >> now, here's what republican lawmakers said about the lawyer. you know, fox has been obsessed. let me explain this -- the contents of this. they've been obsessed with yet another book on benghazi. they rated a full one-hour documentary about it and they're hyping it as, quote, a smoking gun. here's what a lawmaker said about some of the claims this lawyer made in the book on fox news. listen to this. >> the lawyers asked that none of their testimony be released until after their book was out and being sold. and so this is so horribly unfortunate. i think you have lawyers who have a financial interest in this, certainly making allegations that are far from true. the only way people buy the book is with some inflammatory

comments. these are attorneys with a financial stake in this and it's unfortunate. >> that's hal rogers, the chairman of the house intelligence committee. one of the republican leaders, chair of the house intelligence committee, joe. i mean, how many benghazi conspiracy theories have got to bite the dust before right-wingers give it up and quit exploiting their own base to sell books? >> well, you said the house intelligence committee and that's an oxymoron when it comes to these guys, to be quite honest. they can come up with conspiracy theories. anyone can do that. we all do talk radio. one of the things we always have to guard against is caller after caller after caller who comes up with conspiracy theories. once again, bill is absolutely right. this is nothing more than an attempt to try and go on the record to deal with hillary

clinton, and that's what you're going to see. you're going to see people profiling in front of the camera, and then it's going to be used in the 2016 election. and then it's going to be used to try to rev up the base for this upcoming election in 55 days. again, here's what people can do to stop this. get out, register to vote. that one million campaign. one million new votes. if we start registering to vote, let me tell you something, i believe that boehner would pull the plug on this, because he would see that this thing would create a situation that would put the house in jeopardy and certainly the senate. >> you know, bill, at the same time, these guys, the republicans, don't seem to care about the threat of the mid term, about the voting. they just seem to be full steam

ahead. they are so obsessed with trying to humiliate and embarrass this president that they just seem to not even see that they're humiliating the american public. >> i also don't see, i believe reverend al, i don't think they see benghazi -- there's nothing left there, not even for their base, on benghazi. they've beat this horse to death. it's worth pointing out, there has been an investigation by admiral mullen and ambassador pickering, which looked into this charge and repudiated it. number two, mike rogers the chair ever the intelligence committee, had a hearing and he investigated this allegation in the book that the head officer over there told them to stand down and not rescue ambassador stevens. and he said it's absolutely untrue. so this dog don't hunt anymore. not even for their base. they're wasting their time and they're wasting our money. >> are they trying to get a

two-shooter here, joe? they keep going with benghazi because they want to take a shot at the president, which i agree with bill, no longer has any fire power. and they also want to try to get a shot at hillary clinton? >> yep. oh, absolutely. it's both. they have done everything since this president has been elected, from the first day he was inaugurated in january, making a pledge that we won't do anything to help this president. to everything from him being a muslim, not born in this country. they have shot everything at this president. i bet you this will turn out to be an absolute non-story because after tomorrow's speech and the concern that we have about isis, i guarantee you that probably the media won't pay any attention. and let me also say something, though. i'm very pleased with the democrats that are going to be

there. because you've got some very strong, outspoken individuals who, i think, will call it like it is. and it will be interesting to see how they position themselves, because -- and i think that's who we should really pay attention to. because i think they will expose this committee for what it is. >> we'll definitely be on it. i'm going to have to leave it there. thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you, reverend, al. >> thank you. still ahead, the nfl commissioner is breaking his silence about the ray rice beating tape. what does he say about when he first saw it? that's coming up. also exactly one month after the michael brown shooting, a real moment of progress for the people of ferguson. we'll tell you what's happening and why it's just beginning. n and the first lady's rallying cry ahead of the mid term elections.

>> you need to step up and get everyone you know out to vote this november. that's what's at stake in these elections, the kind of country we want to leave for our kids and our grandkids. [ cheers and applause ] but, you've got to hear how one republican lawmaker responded to the first lady's visit. stay with us.

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for special interests, then we know exactly what will happen. we will see more folks interfering in women's private decisions about our health care. we'll see more folks denying that climate change even exists. we'll see more votes against equal pay and immigration reform and raising the minimum wage for hard working folks. >> the stakes couldn't be higher. and the solution, register to vote. >> you need to get registered, and then you need to vote. and then you need to get everyone you know -- everyone you know -- to vote to. everyone you know! bring folks from your family, the neighborhood, the church. don't leave anyone behind. that's how we did it before. >> getting out the vote is key in this election. but one republican state senator

in georgia wasn't too happy with the first lady's visit to the peach state. he wrote an e-mail, quote, michelle obama comes to town and chicago politics comes to dekalb. now we are to have sunday voting at south dekalb mall just prior to the election. this location is dominated by african american shoppers and it is near several large african american mega churches. we will try to eliminate this election law loophole in january. early voting is a loophole? he doesn't want folks voting near african american churches or where blacks tend to go shopping. what is he so worried about? that maybe these residents will actually, i don't know, vote? voting rights in georgia are already under assault.

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poverty, and a police force that's under civil rights investigation from the justice department for traffic stops, searches, and arrests. >> if you know your rights and you try to what the police say smart off at them, they basically lock you up, hold you for 24 hours for no reason, and then they let you go. >> the police stop, to degrade and to humiliate. it's not to protect and serve. it's to degrade and humiliate. my grandson is a victim of the ferguson police. >> i can't even ride down the street without feeling this close to my car in all situations. they just feel like they can get away with it. and to me -- >> they are getting away with it. >> for the longest time my community has been overpoliced. the statistics don't lie. >> and the reverberations also being felt in washington. today we saw a senate hearing on

the militarization of local police departments. it's in response to the military-style force seen in ferguson and across the country. missouri senator claire mccaskill called the hearing, saying protesters were being treated, like, quote, enemy combatants. but senator tom corbin said he has heart burn over this problem. and that the response post 9/11 seems to be an overreaction. senator rand paul called it, quote, crazy out of control. i have said this tragedy needs to produce a movement for the long haul, that turns chance into change and demonstration into legislation. today, one month since the shooting, we're seeing the first signs of action from ferguson to washington. it's a start. it's a meaningful conversation that's sparking toward meaningful change.

joining me now, a democratic congresswoman from ferguson township. thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you for having me, reverend al. >> committeewoman, what do you want to hear come out of this meeting tonight? >> well, you know, one, i want it to be packed. i want to see a lot of the emotion that i have seen and heard for the past month. i want it funneled into a much more productive environment. and i want the community to feel empowered. this is the first steps that they need to take and start engaging with their local government here in ferguson. so i want to see a packed house. and i want to see a them raise their concerns. often times in our community, we speak amongst ourselves, but we don't necessarily bring the issues to the people who can make a difference and that is the elected officials. and i want them to feel very comfortable in bringing those concerns. and i want them to ask questions. so the conversations that we've

had during the protests, you know, on the corners, i want them to bring them to the people that fleed to hear it the most. >> and we still have a the lo that fleed to hear it the most. >> and we still have a the t of work to do today, because the parents of michael brown had a press conference. their lawyer, attorney gray, and reverend lee and others, saying they want to see this officer arrested. a month later, he's not been arrested. so as we deal with the changes, you still have this case and what's going to happen in terms of the calls for justice for michael brown from his parents. >> yes, yes. the cries are loud. and it's not just coming from his family. it's coming from the community. many people feel we're a month into this and he's still not arrested. and that's a real concern for the community. so while we are seeing some political activity move forward. at least you have a grand

hearing under way, we have to start explaining what the process is and some of these things take time. so there's a lot of education going on out here by myself, by other elected officials out here, by other informed community people and we're stepping in and explaining things to people. >> today in the hearing in washington, democratic and republican senators talked about how out of control the problem of police militarization has become. watch this. >> the number of m wraps in the possession of local police and sheriffs is far higher than the m wraps in possession of our country's national guard. i question whether state and local law enforcement agencies need this kind of equipment. >> the militarization of police is something that's gotten so far out of control. >> i think we need to have a good hearing. we need to re-center where we are. >> you know, there's a lot of equipment already in local law enforcement hands. how can the senate help turn

this around, this problem around, committeewoman? >> clearly, at the federal level, they're in charge of a lot of these federal grants. and i'm glad to know that -- because this was my feeling. this is not a partisan issue. i was glad to see democrats and republicans outraged by what they saw, and seeing a need to really rein this in. and the oversight that's needed for the federal programs that's funding this, start questioning the policies, and is this the best use of those monies and those grants going to their cities? i was very scared when i found out st. louis was considered a small city, only getting a small portion of the money compared to new york and l.a. >> it looked like a lot of stuff out there and a lot of us that were out there those nights. committeewoman patricia bynes, we thank you for your time. we'll be watching this one month and we still have not seen the case move forward.

we'll see what happens tonight in terms of community reforms. >> thank you. coming up, breaking news. nfl commissioner roger goodell just broke his silence on the ray rice beating tape. did anyone in the nfl see the beating video before yesterday? that's next. you're not gonna believe this! watch this. sam always gives you the good news in person, bad news in email. good news -- fedex has flat rate shipping. it's called fedex one rate. and it's affordable. sounds great. [ cell phone typing ] [ typing continues ] [ whoosh ] [ cell phones buzz, chirp ] and we have to work the weekend. great. more good news -- it's friday! woo! [ male announcer ] ship a pak via fedex express saver® for as low as $7.50.

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is breaking his sense. what did he know and when did he know it? a day after this violent video was released from tmz sports, showing nfl star ray rice punching his then fiance inside an atlantic city elevator. the commissioner has come under a fire storm of questions surrounding what the nfl saw, and when they saw it. the commissioner just spoke to cbs news, and he was asked when he first learned about this videotape. >> yesterday morning. i got into the office and our staff had come to me and said there's no evidence, there's a video that you need to see. and i watched it then. >> did you know that a second tape existed? >> well, we had not seen any videotape of what occurred in the elevator. we assumed that there was a video. we asked for video, but we were

never granted that opportunity. >> so, did anyone in the nfl see the second videotape before monday? >> no. >> no one in the nfl? >> no one in the nfl, to my knowledge, and i've been asked that same question, and the answer to that is no. >> the commissioner was then asked if he dropped the ball on this. >> well, we certainly didn't know what was on the tape. but we've been very open and honest and i have also, from two weeks ago, when i acknowledged that we didn't get this right. that's my responsibility. and i'm accountable for that. >> but many are still asking, could they have tried harder to get the video? joining me now are spornt journalist terence moore and former prosecutor and current trial attorney mid win charles. thank you both are being here tonight. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> terrence, what's your reaction to the commiggedzer?

>> well, i'm not violent. i'll tell you something. i've covered the nfl since the late 1970s. and i want to tell you, whether you talk about the nfl in general or these teams in particular, they have better investigators as a whole than cia. okay? right here in atlanta, georgia, where i'm based, the atlanta falcons, under arthur blank, his head security guy is a former secret service agent. so what does that tell you? if they wanted to find out what was there, they could have found out. that's number one. the other thing that's bigger than that. this is pretty much on the record that ray rice himself told the baltimore ravens exactly what took place in that elevator. this is from day one. he also told them that he punched his fiancee. so if the ravens knew that, that means that the nfl knew that. so for them to say, we didn't see the video, they have an eyewitness out from the person who was right there, who was

guilty of this thing, saying that he did these things. this is inexcusable. >> mid win, the commissioner said they were open and honest. do you buy it? >> i don't buy it. you don't ask, you don't get. and the nfl at this point clearly could have done more -- >> what could they have done? you're the lawyer. >> if you look at the statement, it was very specific and target ed. >> the statement doesn't say whether they asked ray rice's attorney, did they ask the hotel, did they ask the prosecutor? ray rice was indicted with third-degree assault. so logically, if anyone views the first tape where he's dragging this woman out of the elevator, the logical conclusion, let's find out what happened in the elevator, did she pass out drunk, did he hit her? and just as your previous guest said, ray rice already said he

hit her in the elevator -- >> so you think the commissioner and the nfl did not try hard enough to get this tape? >> absolutely not. they could have done so much more. >> they only suspended rice for two games after the initial video was released. yesterday he was suspended indefinitely. should the tape have been even more -- should it have been that much of a difference? >> no. but let me tell you what's going on here. the nfl is the hottest commodity in the world when it comes to sports. and forbes magazine announced earlier this year that the average nfl team is worth $1.5 billion, with a b. the baltimore ravens, one of the top teams in the nfl. a lot of people think they might go to the super bowl. ray rice, one of the top stars in the nfl. you put all this together, and it smells cover-up. they didn't want to hurt one of their entities. remember, now, roger goodell, when he became the commissioner, one of the first things he said

was, i'm all about protecting the shield. the way he wanted to come across, if anybody does something detrimental to the league, we'll take care of that person and that's part of it. the other part of it, we don't want anything that's going to taint the nfl. this is a classic example of this. common sense tells you, as soon as you see him dragging his fiancee out of the elevator, this guy has got to go for a long time. >> but at the same time, mid win, we understand business and protecting the shield as commissioner. but what message are we sending to kids in america if we're saying that respect for women, domestic violence, things like that, are tossed to the side, or even the serious inquiry about that is tossed to the side in the name of money and protecting the shield? what's the message? >> it's a horrible message. it sends the message that this is okay. let me just throw some statistics out to you. according to the national

coalition against domestic violence, 1.3 million are abused annually by someone they know. 85% of domestic violence victims are women. and often times, it is someone that they know. so this is a very serious problem. this is a huge problem in america, and the nfl clearly must deal with it. they need to acknowledge the fact that it's serious. kids love football, and the message they're getting, this is horrible. >> let me go back to you, terrence. because veteran reporters like peter king and others, wrote what was on the tape. they had sources that told them what was on the tape. he tweeted today, i'm incredulous if the nfl didn't see the video, they didn't try harder to. can't help but think they didn't want to. i mean, how can reporters find out what was on the tape and had written about it weeks ago, and the nfl didn't get the tape or even go and find out what they were reading, if in fact that

was on the tape? >> because the nfl knew exactly what was going on here. they cannot get off the hook. i tell you one thing. a lot of people are saying that roger goodell has got to go. that's not going to happen. roger goodell is hired by the owners. if the owners get rid of roger goodell, again, not going to happen. they're basically telling on themselves in a lot of ways. because, again, this is a bottom-line league. they know that people love the nfl so much. they just want to see the product on the field. i'll tell you something else. contrary to what people are saying, i would not be surprised if ray rice shows up again in the national football league, 27, in his prime. if you can play, they don't care. >> terence moore and mid win charles, i want to thank you both for your time. let me tell you something, to me, this is not about roger goodell. it's not about the nfl. it's not even about ray rice. it's about what values and what

we're going to represent as a nation. i have two daughters. the issue is bigger than all of that. and we should not lose sight of that as we deal with this issue. this is not about taking sides. this is about upholding what this society should stand for. we'll be right back. ns with artd two pills. afternoon arrives and feeling good, but her knee pain returns... that's two more pills. the evening's event brings laughter, joy, and more pain... when jamie says... what's that like six pills today? yeah... i can take 2 aleve for all day relief. really, and... and that's it. this is kathleen... for my arthritis pain, i now choose aleve. get all day arthritis pain relief with an easy-open cap.

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and his wife were meeting with president obama. but over on the couch, you can see the kid is clearly not impressed. their son is face planting into that couch. you got to love it. we asked you to caption his thoughts online. here's some of our favorite responses. barbara said, mom and dad, can we go now? maria wrote, just so tired and this couch is so soft. charleen posted, the president must use a lot of febreeze. we love when you comment. so keep it coming on our facebook page and twitter, @politics nation. very standouncer ] ours was the first modern airliner, revolutionary by every standard.

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finally tonight, we mark two decades of progress against domestic violence. but we also look at how far we have to go. today vice president joe biden celebrated the 20th anniversary

of the violence against women act, which he wrote when he was still a senator. the law strengthened protections for victims and toughened penalties against offenders. the vice president called it the most meaningful thing he's ever done. but he also said, there's more work to do. >> somehow we get to a point where we think we passed this law and now we're finished. we're not even close to being finished. we're not going to succeed until america embraces the notion, my father's notion, that under no circumstance does a man ever have a right to raise a hand to a woman, other than in self-defense. under no circumstance. that no means no. >> the vice president clearly passionate on the issue that affects all of us. and earlier today in an interview with msnbc's tamron

hall, he spoke specifically about the ray rice situation. >> so you know the first reason the nfl responded in my view, there's so many women fans in this billion dollar industry. so all of a sudden they said, wait a minute, he got suspended for a couple games? whoa. that's not enough. then they got a little more sensitized. then it was longer. and then when the video was out there and saw how brutal it was, the ravens did the right thing, fired him immediately. now, you can argue they should have done it sooner. they didn't want it. whatever the reason is, it's happening. >> as i mentioned earlier, i'm the proud father of two daughters. just as president obama is. and what i saw on that ray rice tape is deeply troubling. there were those that will argue all kinds of things. i've even heard people say, people shouldn't provoke you. there's no excuse for what we saw in that tape.

people cannot provoke to bring out of you what's not in you. and we need to deal with this kind of venom and disregard and disrespect for women. and we need to punish it adequately, but not excuse it and not find excuses. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. just bomb the place and tell us about it later. this is "hardball." ♪ ♪ good evening i'm chris matthews in washington. you heard it right, that's the attitude of many on capitol hill according to one of them. the president should just go to war with isis terrorists and tell us about it later? how t