assad regime used them but that cannot continue. >> reporter: pelosi knows that that position has opposition on the streets and protests are expected to get louder in the days to come. >>> why dog owners are upset about a plan proposed for many bay area parks. >>> plus, a look at the feature on the upcoming iphone that has >>> unveiling its new iphone, apple says it will be able to read your fingerprints. it will likely have the fingerprint technology near the home button of the device. user identities will be identified by the print. the swip and print was one of the things that steve jobs hated about the iphone. there will be a lower cost model, the iphone 5s will be released in about two weeks. >>> bay area dog owners are upset because there's a revised dog management plan for 21 locations within the golden gate recreational area. the new rules would ban dogs where they are now allowed and at most of ocean beach. the proposal would require the use of leashes at five places in marin county where dogs can run free. the national park service will be holding three meetings next month for publ

that you could get a majority who said it is most likely we are pretty confident that the assad regime used them. where there is a division, has to do with the united nations. you know, there are a number of countries that, just as a matter of principle, believe that if military action is to be taken, it needs to go through the u.n. security council. there are others -- and i put myself in this camp -- as somebody who is a strong supporter of the united nations who very much appreciates the courage of the investigators who have gone in and looked forward to seeing the u.n. report, because i think we should try to get more information, not less, in this situation. it is my view and a view that was shared by a number of people in the room that given security council paralysis on this issue, if we are serious about upholding a ban on chemical weapons use, then an international response is required and that will not come through security council action. and that is where, i think, the division comes from. and i respect those who are concerned about setting precedence of action outside of u.n. securi

assad regime used them, that did not continue. >> president obama will address the nation tuesday night. one day before congress begins voting on his request. >>> fire crews near yosemite are entering the fourth week of an exhausting battle. the rim fire burning in and around the park is now the third largest wild fire in state history. more than 252,000 acres have burned. the fire is 80% contained now, but full containment isn't expected for another two weeks. with higher temperatures and low humidity in the forecast, the fire could spread faster. there is good news. the main road from the bay area to yosemite national park has now reopened and business owners along highway 120 are hoping to make up for lost time. flames came close to destroying the popular buck meadows restaurant. its owner is tallying the financial loss after a two-week closure. >> it's substantial. it's close to 100,000. with the labor day weekend, our third biggest weekend of the year. >> despite highway 120, drivers are being told not to stop along the roadway because they could get in the way of emergency vehicle

the major-- >> the assad regime-- >> -- chemical weapons in the last 25, 30 years, iranians, iraq, doused them with gas and the americans knew of it. >> the assad regime usedm. they were delivered on rockets that only the regime has. whether mr. assad is in control of his government or not, i don't know. but sure did well on the charlie rose show acting like he's in charge. >> shouldn't you be able to prove 50 missiles in-- >> i don't think we're killing- - >> this has become an extremely important question of who actually ordered it, because as international pressure now mounts from the u.n., from moscow, from washington, on bashar assad to hand over the chemical weapons, whatever rogue generals there are in this wild two-year civil war, will hold on to whatever cache of weapons they have as a trump card for their own -- it is an important question about who actually did it. >> getting the chemical weapons out is a prolonged process. >> absolutely. >> but if you know where they are and the dimension they are probably in. >> if you want to assume that generals in the syrian army, okay, used these weapons against certain people who were opposed to assad, th

the assad regime used them.t cannot continue. >> pelosi sent her fifth letter to democratic colleagues this week trying to get support for a measure to authorize the u.s. strike. president obama will speak to the nation on tuesday and pelosi says the president will lay out his case to the american people. [ singing ] >>> tens of thousands filled st. peter's square tonight to pray for peace in syria. the vatican estimates 100,000 people took part and that makes it one of the largest rallies against proposed military against against syria. >>> meteorologist paul deanno talking about how hot it was today. the good news is you will cool off tonight. it's not going to be as warm as last night. still mild widespread 60s. live look outside, plenty of sunshine. but when does the change come? when do we cool down? i have the answer for you coming up. excuse me, sir i'm gonnhave to ask you to popower down your little word game. think your friends will understand. oh...no, it's actually my geico app.see? ...i just uh paid

briefings, they feel pretty confident that, in fact, chemical weapons were used and that the assad regime used theme you will see resistance is people being worried about a slippery slope and how effective a limited action might be. and our response, based on my discussions with our military, is that we can have a response that is limited, that is proportional, that -- when i say limited, it's both in time and in scope, but that is meaningful and that degrades assad's capacity to deliver chemical weapons. not just this time but also in the future. and serves as a strong deterrent. now, is it possible that assad doubles down in the face of our action and uses chemical weapons more widely? i suppose anything's possible. but it wouldn't be wise. i think at that point mobilizing the international community would be easier, not harder. i think it would be pretty hard for the u.n. security council at that point to continue to resist the requirement for action. and we would gladly join with an international coalition to make sure that it stops. so, you know, one of the biggest concerns of the american peo

go through the classified briefings they feel confident chemical weapons were used and the assad regime used themll see resistance is people being worried about a slippery slope and how effective a limited action might be. and our response based on my discussions with our military is that we can have a response that is limited, that is proportional. that when i say limited, it's both in time and in scope. but that is meaningful and it degrades assad's capacity to deliver chemical weapons. not just this time. but in the future. and serves as a strong deterrent. is it possible that assad doubles down in the face of our action and uses chemical weapons more widely? i suppose anything is possible. but it wouldn't be wise. i think at that point mobilizing the international community would be easier. not harder. i think it would be pretty hard for the u.n. security council at that point to continue too resist the requirement for action and we would gladly join with an international coalition to make sure that it stops. so, you know, one of the biggest concerns of the american people, certain members of

assad regime used them and that cannot continue. >> pelosi knows the move has opposition on the streets. the protests are expected to get louder as the days and weeks to come. abc7 news. >> coming up, the new images shown in classified briefings on capitol hill and how they could lead to a strike against syria. >>> mexico's former president believes legalizing marijuana in the u.s. could calm drug violence on the mexican border. vicente fox gave the speech yesterday. he said they must find peaceful solutions to stopping the cartel and he said legalizing marijuana is one way to do it. >> mexico is not a significant producer. yet we are caught in this war. they say -- provide families here. we need to protect kids and families and the best thing is to legalize. >> that hemp expo is a way to promote and advance medical marijuana. >>> three years into the construction of the new transba% transit center and it has reached a milestone as they again pouring concrete for the foundation. this is what the iconic transbay tower will look like once the project is complete. you can see it will trans

assad regime used them and that cannot continue. >> pelosi knows the move has opposition on the streets where anti-war cries are expected to get louder in the days and weeks to come. abc7 news. >>> coming up later this hour the new images shown in classified briefs on capitol hill, how they could lead to a strike against syria. >>> mexico's former president believes legalized marijuana in the u.s. could help the violence on the boarder. he spoke in san francisco yesterday. vicente fox was president from 2000 to 2006. he told the crowd we must find peaceful solutions to stopping the cartel and he believes legalizing marijuana is one way to do it. >> mexico is not a significant producer. they say to protect kids and families here. i believe that to protect kids and families the best thing is to legalize. >> that hemp expo is one way to promote advanced medical marijuana. >>> three years into construction of the new transbay construction center in san francisco and it's reached a milestone, as they begin pouring concrete for the foundation. take a look. this is what the iconic transbay tow

the assad regime used them and that cannot continue. >> pelosi knows the move has opposition on the streets. anti-war cries are expected to get louder in the days and weeks to come. in san francisco, abc7 news. >> coming up, the new images shown in classified briefings on capitol hill and how they could lead to a strike against syria. >>> mexico's former president believes legalizing marijuana in the u.s. could calm drug violence on the mexican border. vicente fox gave the speech yesterday. it was the keynote speech at the international cannabis and hemp expo yesterday. he was the president of mexico from 2000 to 2006. he told the crowd at the hemp expo that the u.s. must find peaceful solutions to combat violent cartels, and he said legalizing marijuana is one way to do it. >> mexico is not a significant producer. member cois not a significant consumer. yet we are caught in this war. they say to protect kids and families here. i believe to protect kids and families, the best thing is to legalize. >> the cannabis expo is a way to promote and advance medical marijuana. >>> three years into t

assad will continue doing what he's doing and more deaths will become because of it. >> stopping the use of weapons of mass destruction is a pillar of our national security. assad regime used themat can't continue. >> she sent her fifth letter to democratic colleagues trying to get support for a measure to authorize a u.s. strike. >>> most private information on your smartphone is apparently accessible to the national security agency. the u.s. government, along with the british counterparts v special teams out there to crack passwards. the nsa is interested in contacts, call lists and other data. they're not doing mass surveillance but targeting specific individuals. >> and buildup would require local approval for gun shows that the cow palace is on the way to the governor. on friday, the state senate gave a final approval sponsored by san francisco senator mark leno and would give lawmakers in san francisco and san mateo counties the authority to decide if guns and ammo can be sold at the cow balance. governor brown has until october 13th to act on the bill. >>> the kiwis are off to a roaring start in the america's cup final races. let's see if team oracle usa can bounce back

confident that you would get a vort who said it is most likely we are pretty confident the assad regime used them. >> barack obama there, who spent the day trying to convince his counterparts of the need to act against syria. going to speak to our correspondent now in washington about the fact the american president's real battle lies in the days ahead when the idea of intervening in syria comes to the floor of congress. indeed at times barack obama was speaing today it seemed he was even now directing his remarks to american politicians. here's what compirnteant had to say? >> i think that's absolutely right. and he faces a battle back here in the united states on two fronts. he's got to try to secure congressional approval for his desire to strike at syria militarily but he knows one of the reasons, the principal reasons why members of congress are hesitant to support him is that public opinion it ranged against him. so we're going to see on tuesday at a tomb still to be determined by the white house, a presidential address to the nation in which barack obama will be reaching in to american liv

of the major ones is the intelligence of the situation that chemical weapons were used and the assad regime that used them. i want to play you something that former secretary of defense donald rums field said to me on new day. take a listen to this and then explain it for me. take a listen. >> if intelligence were a fact, it would be called a fact, and not intelligence. >> do you agree with that statement mr. blinken, that when it comes to national security intelligence is not necessary a fact? >> look, there are two things going on here. there are intelligence assessments and assessments are pulling together what we know, that is facts and trying to understand what they mean. and so an assessment, you know, by definition is someone's best understanding of what the facts mean, but there are lots of facts here that make up this case and we know and we released unclassified intelligence over the last week. we know that rockets were launched from an area controlled by the syrian government. we know they landed in an area controlled by the opposition. we know there was an explosion of social media coming out

international law with a limited military strike to deter the further use of chemical weapons and degrade the assad regime's ability to use them again. but the issue with you confront today is much bigger than the use of chemical weapons in syria. we are talking about the credibility of america as a global power. we're talking about sending a clear message to the dictators in tehran and pyongyang there's serious consequences for flouting the will of the international community, and that the u.s. backs its words with action. iran in particular is watching very carefully to see if the united states is willing to stand up for its vital interests in the region and the interest of our allies. they are a central player in the syrian civil war, providing weapons, money, advice and manpower to the assad regime and supporting the intervention of their terrorist proxy hell bow la. according to the iaea they're moving full-speed ahead with efforts to develop nuclear weapon capability. i believe that congress must authorize the commander in chief to use limited military force against the assad regime, and i hope my colleagues will join me

assad regime's use of chemical weapons to a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them. >> obama ordered military commanders to maintain their current posture to maintain the pressure on assad. in the meantime, he said he and his aides are exploring alternatives. >> i have therefore asked the members of congress to postpone a vote on military force while we pursue this diplomatic path. senators are set for the first vote on syria on wednesday but before the as, obama urged lawmakers to give him more room to pursue a diplomatic option. the vote could be delayed for a week or longer. representatives of the u.s., britain and france were preparing a resolution at the united nations. they want the security council to back possible force in syria. members of the russian delegation of propoelgsing a milding statement and want to avoid military action. they requested an emergency council meeting on tuesday that abruptly cancelled it. >>> french president has been standing by u.s. president barack obama and said his country will seek a dip maltic solution. he released a statemen

compromise security council haven't voted, report will syrian nations which will tie the assad regime using them. do it that month. exhaust our remedies, go to the u.n. let international focus. can i say one last thing, a lot of the argument and debate, we can't ignore this. that's a false choice. we are doing a lot on the ground. we need to make sure those million children and women refugees from syria, our allies in jordan. we need to make sure we ramp up and make this a robust effort humanitarian effort. >> it's not that you're against intervention of some kind, it's that you're against military intervention. in part you say it is an act of war. even when we talk about a limited strike, we have to have a recognition of that. >> as a military guy when they say, just some missiles. those things go 500 miles an hour and blow things up and frankly there will be more civilian casualties even though we try to limit collateral damage. >> obviously the biggest news of the day are the new videos we have. appalling images of this chemical attack and appalling images of children suffering. you saw them

assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons. to degrade his regime's ability to use them obama ordered military commanders to maintain their current posture to keep the pressure on assad. at the same time he said he and his aides are exploring alternatives. >> i have therefore asked the leaders of congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force while we pursue this diplomatic path. >> senators were set for the first vote on syria on wednesday. but before his address, obama urged lawmakers to give him more room to pursue a diplomatic option. the vote could be delayed for a week or longer. representatives of the u.s., britain, and france are preparing a resolution at the united nations. they want them to back possible force in syria. members of the delegation are proposing a milder statement. they want to avoid military action. they requested an emergency council meeting on tuesday and then abruptly canceled it. >>> it's been a year since japan nationalized the senkaku islands in the east china sea. the country's leaders maintain their stance that the islands are

them. it's about convincing the assad regime that it's unacceptable for them to use it, and that's the limit of this military operation. we're postured for the possibility of retaliation, and i can assure you that our regional partners are as well. >> general dempsey did say that for his purposes militarily, obviously the most broad resolution of that could be passed, the more options he would have to deal with military contingencies, but he says he's essentially ready for anything. and he revealed that any military operation would cost tens of millions of dollars, and within 60 or 90 days. >> randall, what's the next step for the president gaining congressional support? >> wow, a lot of steps will have to be taken as we witness today in the house foreign affairs committee. there was a lot of push back, even would it be fair to say anger, tony? some of the exchanges that at one point seem to have ruffled the feathers of secretary kerry who never points out his service in an angry fashion. but today he was trying to send a message to one of the congress people who was going off, shall we say,

that you would get a majority who said it is most likely, we are pretty confident that the assad regime used them. where there is a division has to do with the united nations. there are a number of countries that just as a matter of principle believe that if military action is to be taken, it needs to go through the un security council. there are others and i put myself in this camp as somebody who's a strong supporter of the united nations who very much appreciates the courage of the investigators who have gone in and looks forward to seeing the un report, because i think we should try to get more information, not less in this situation. it is my view and a view that was shared by a number of people in the room that given security council paralysis on this issue, if we are serious about up holding a ban on chemical weapons use and an international response is required and that will not come through security council action, and that's where i think the division comes from. and i respect those who are concerned about setting precedence of action outside of un security council resolution. i would g

assad regimes use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons. to degrade his regime's ability to use them, and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. >> randall pinkston has been following the story on capitol hill. and what have you heard? >> secretary of state john kerry will be meeting in geneva with the person who is saying he is going to work out a deal with syria to take control of those chemical weapons. according to a report from moscow, he is presenting or will present secretary kerry with the plan for gaining control of those chemical weapons. the matter is also supposed to go before the united nations. the french reportedly are working on a resolution, along with china. russia and china here to for have not permitted any retaliation against syria. the skeptics are still wondering whether russia is serious, or whether it is just helping its ally syria buy time. and that is the reason, as you have pointed out that president obama is keeping the possibility of the use of military force and military strike against syria on the table in retaliation for the u

assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the important of this strike would be -- purpose would be it detour assad from using chemical weapons to degrade his regimes ability to use them and make clear to the world we will not tolerate their use. that is my judgment as commander in chief. but i am president of the world's oldest constitutional democracy. so even though i possess authority to order mill marry military strikes, i believed it was right in absence of a director imminent threat to our security to take this debate to congresss stronger when president actions with support of congress, and america more abroad together, this is true after a decade that put more and more war making powers in hands of president, sidelines people's representatives from the critical decisions of about what we use force. now, i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and of afghanistan, idea of any military action no matter how limited is not going to be popular. after all, i have spent four of and a half years working to end wars, not start them, our troops are out of iraq, coming home from afghanistan, i know americans want all of us in washington, especially me to concentrate

assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the important of this strike would be -- purpose would be it detour assad from using chemical weapons to degrade his regimes ability to use them and make clear to the world we will not tolerate their use. that is my judgment as commander in chief. but i am president of the world's oldest constitutional democracy. so even though i possess authity to order mill marry military strikes, i believed it was right absence of a director imminent threat to our security to take this debate to congress. i believe your democracy is stronger when president actions with support of congress, and america more abroad together, this is true after a decade that put more and more war making powers in hands of presint, sidelines people's representatives from the critical decisions of about what we use force. now, i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and of afghanistan, idea of any military action no matter how limited is not going to be popular. after all, i have spent four of and a half years working to end wars, not start them, our troops are out of iraq, coming home from afghanistan, i know americans want all of us in washington, especial

regime's use of chemical weapons poses grave risks. if assad is prepared to use chemical weapons against its own people, we have to be concerned of the forces fighting supporting the assad regime could akwcquire them use th. it poses a direct threat to our friends and partners and u.s. personnel in the region. we cannot afford for hezbollah or any group determined to strike the united states to have incentives to acquire or use these kmchemical weapons. the norm has helped protect the united states forces and our homeland. weakening this norm could em bolden others to use weapons. north korea has a massive pile of chemical weapons that thre threaten our treaty ally. i've just returned from asia where i had a very serious and long conversation with south korea's defense minister about the threat that north korea stockpile of chemical beps presents to them. our allies throughout the world must be assured that the united states be fulfill its security administrations. dpif the united states must demonstrate that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. the president has made clear that our military objectives in syria would be to hold the assad regime accountable and degratd its ability to carry

the assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike the purpose of the strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons to degrade his regimes ability to use them and then make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use that's my judgment as commander in chief but i'm also the president of the world's oldest constitutional democracy so even though i possess the authority to order military strikes i believed it was right in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to our security to take this debate to congress i believe our democracy is stronger when the president acts with the support of congress and i believe that america acts more effectively abroad when we stand together. this is especially true after a decade that put more and more war making power in the hands of the president and more and more burdens on the shoulders of our troops while sidelining the people's representatives from the critical decisions about when we use force now i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and afghanistan the idea of any military action no matter how limited is not going to be popular after all i've spent four and a half years working to

them. it is about convincing the assad regime it is unacceptable to use them and that is this military operation. we are postured for the possibility of retaliation and i can assure you our regional partners are as well. >> let me just ask that question with a little more clarification from you. i know you are in the military and you are to the point. that is great. you are in charge. can you see that escalating, though, with you as military involvement in the region -- have you made a contingency plan with u.s. military involvement in the region -- have you made a contingency plan for us being in and escalated military operation in the region? >> in the spirit of your compliment on my conciseness, yes. [laughter] >> do you see escalation as a possibility? u.s. military escalation as a possibility? >> i could never drive the risk of escalation 20 -- to zero, but i think the contributions we will seek from others, it begins to limit that risk. >> one last question since i am nearly out of time here. general dempsey, you mentioned earlier that you are concerned about removing assad from power. wil

. >> assad says i didn't use chemical weapons so can you guarantee the american people, mr. rhodes, that chemical weapons were used and the assad regime used theming about a dictator who has already killed tens of thousands of people. he's already used chemical weapons and i think people see in the videos at cnn aired other day the tragic, horrific consequences of what he's done. it's not surprising someone who would use those weapons would lie about it. what we have in terms of our intelligence in addition to all of the thousands of open source materials, the videos, the social media, is intelligence that shows syrian chemical weapons personnel preparing to use these weapons in the days leading up to the attack including distributing gas masks to their troops on the ground, then firing rockets from a regime-held neighborhood into opposition-held neighborhoods, 11 different sites, then an explosion of social media confirming an attack took place, thousands of people coming to hospitals with symptoms of chemical weapons attacks, and then afterwards we have intercepted communications of senior figures in the assad killing machine discussing the r

they come away convinced, not only chemical weapons were used but the assad regime used them against their own children. that is one. second, a very powerful public case beyond even the intelligence that we have that has gone around the world. contemporaneous with the terrible events of august 21st. social media, doctors, mgos all reporting on what happened. i think the case is very powerful. if you look around the world, dozens and dozens of countries have said chemical weapons were used and assad used them. i think the case is strong and not a lot of doubt about it, not only in the united states, but around the world. >> will the president address the nation and make the case for why military action is warranted and, perhaps, even more importantly, articulate a plan to get out because, as you know, big concern what we've seen with iraq was supposed to be quick. been over a decade now. how we get out is very difficult. it's easy to get in. will that be part of the speech? >> chris, i think it's safe to say that the president will address the american people on the need to hold assad

people saying do you have beyond a reasonable doubt to prove the chemicals were used and b the assad regime used them. when you have the inside game and outside became, the public hearings on capitol hill critical not only to answering the question questions but to shaping public opinion because right now a lot of lawmakers tell you the safe vote, unlike the iraq war vote the safe vote is a no vote so the president has to sway and the most important people he'll meet with today are the house republicans. he doesn't have good relationships with them, very few personal relationships with them, they don't trust him or support his policy issues. he needs speaker boehner and the republican chair to lobby their members saying this is the right thing to do even if you don't agree with the president. >> the big word we hear is this is an urgent situation. did they come back to take care of aboutis in. >> they're starting to trickle back. the key members, the senate foreign relationless committee will have a hearing today, a lot of the key house members from the national security committees are making their w

terrorist groups like hezbollah have has forces fighting in syria supporting the assad regime could acquire them and usehem. this risk of chemical weapons proliferation poses a direct threat to our friends and partners and to u.s. personnel in the region. we cannot afford for hezbollah or any terrorist group determined to strike the united states to have incentives to acquire or use these chemical weapons. the syrian regime's actions risk eroding the nearly century old international norm against the use of chemical weapons, a norm that has helped protect the united states forces and our homeland. weakening this norm could embolden other regimes to acquire or use chemical weapons. for example, north korea maintains a massive stockpile of chemical weapons that threaten our treaty ally, the republic of south korea and the 28,000 u.s. troops stationed on the border. i've just returned from asia where i had a very serious and long conversation with south korea's defense minister about the threat that north korea's stockpile of chemical weapons presents to them. our allies throughout the world must be assured

. >> the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. >> the details, any military strike would be limited in duration and scope, and he assured americans no boots on the ground. >> i will not pursue an open-ended action like iraq or afghanistan. >> the president laid out the evidence of the august attack and said the regime of bashar al assad are responsible. >> the images of many massacre are sickening, men, women, children lying in rows killed by poison gas, others foaming at the mouth gasping for breath. >> and as the president makes his case for military action, a potential alternative emerged tuesday. syria agreed to a russian plan to turn over its chemical weapons, but hurdles remain, like the exact language and a potential resolution. >> this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force. >> in congress, some hesitation but also optimism that a strike could be avoided. >> i am very skeptical, very, very skeptical,

briefings they feel pretty confident that, in fact, chemical weapons were used and that the assad regime used them resistance is is people being worried about a slippery slope and how effective a limited action might be. and our response based on my discussions with our military is that we can have a response that is limited, that is proportional, that, when i say limit sed both in time and in scope, but that is meaningful and that degrades assad's capacity to deliver chemical weapons. not just this time but also in the future. and serves as a strong deterrent. now, is it possible that assad doubles down in the face of our action and uses chemical weapons more widely? i suppose anything is possible. but it wouldn't be wise. i think at that point mobilizing the international community would be easier, not harder. i think it would be pretty hard for the u.n. security council at that point to continue to resist the requirement for action and we would gladly join with an international coalition to make sure that it stops. so, you know, one of the biggest concerns of the american people, you know, cert

assad regime use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them, and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. that's my just a moment as commander in chief. i'm also the president of the world's oldest constitutional democracy. i believed it was right in the absence of a director imminent threat to security to take this debate to congress. i believe our democracy is stronger when the president acts with the support of congress and i believe that america acts more effectively abroad when we stand together. this is especially true after a decade that put more and more war making power in the hands of the president and more and more burdens on the shoulders of our troops while sidelining the people's representatives about when we use force. i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and afghanistan, the idea of any military action, no matter how limited, is not going to be popular. after all, i've spent four and a half years working to end wars, not to start them. our troops are out of iraq. our troops are coming home from afg

syrian leaders believe this will only embolden the assad regime and allow them to use chemical weaponsng the russian plan does nothing to punish the assad regime for its crime for using chemical weapons. opposition groups don't trust vladimir putin and they certainly doesn't trust the assad regime. >> conor powell live in the middle east. >> and rod labor became the first player to win the coveted grand slam. don bud was the first to win in 1948. for decades none came close. then in his big year he dominated the u.s. open and followed it with wins at the french open. rod labor would turn professional the next year. at the time the events were amateur-only events. he aced the competition 51 years ago today. and now you know the news for this tuesday, september 10, 2013, i'm shepard smith. the president address will be just before 9:00 eastern. as always, "the o'reilly factor" is next. thanks for trusting us with your news and information. have a good night. >>> tonight -- >> this cannot be a game. that we have made very, very clear to the russians. >> maybe that's why the russians cance

if assad is prepared to use chemical weapons against his own people, we have to be concerned that terrorist groups like hezbollah, which has forces supporting the assad regime, would use them we cannot afford for terrorist groups to acquire or use these chemical weapons. the syrian's regime's actions threatens to erode the nearly century-old norm against the use of chemical weapons, a norm that has helped protect united states forces and our homeland. for example, north korea maintains a master supply of chemical weapons that threaten our treaty partner the republic of south korea. i just returned from asia, where i had a very serious and long conversation with the south korean defense minister about the threat of north korea's stockpile of chemical weapons. our allies throughout the world must be assured the united states will fulfill its security commitments. given the threat to our national security, the united states must demonstrate through our actions that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. the president has made clear that the objective would be to hold the assad regime accountable, degrade its ability to take out these kind of attacks, and deterred the fu

us, or iran retaliates against israel all because we've come into this civir.srae >> this is not about eliminating chemical weapons, it's about convincing the assad regime it's unacceptable to use them. that's the limit of this purpose. we're posturing the retaliation, and i' i assure you that our regionallallieregional allies a. >> can you see that escalating the military involvement in the region, have you made a contingency plan of that happening, the syrian reaction to us specifically, can you made contingency plans for us being in escalated military operation in the region? >> in the spirit of your compliment of this, yes. then you see escalation a possibility. u.s. escalation in the region a possibility. >> i can never drive the risk of escalation to deserve, but i think this limited purpose in the region, the contributions that we'll seek from others. >> the limited purpose of deterring and degrading, whether we should use military force, i believe there are other ways we can contribute to that through the development of modern opposition but i remain cautious about taking the opposition's role in this. >> thank you, mr. chairman, the use of chemical weapons are clear, compel

assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them and make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. that's my judgment as commander in chief. >> he was very clear about his role as commander in chief. tell me as an average american, and you voted for him, how would you describe in a word or phrase barack obama as commander in chief? >> right now, weak. >> indecisive. >> i would say he's effective. >> embarrassing. >> average. >> middle of the road to average to better. >> he's dmon stated re strant and leadership. >> no leadership. vacillating and weak. >> i will start with your reaction. that's pretty positive compared to how the rest of the group responded. >> he's demonstrated restraint over the past couple of years and leadership. he's engaging congress. i think he's done a terrific job under the circumstances. >> your reaction? >> embarrassing. >> why? >> there was a time when america was the leader of the world. when our president spoke he had people behind him to follow. >> there is the issue. exercising restrai

assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to detour assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade the regime's ability to use them and make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. that's my judgment as commander in chief. but i'm also the president of the world's oldest constitutional dem mac see. so even though i possess the authority to order military strikes, i believed it was right in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to the security to take this debate to congress. i believe our democracy is stronger when the president acts with congress and i believe america acts more effectively abroad when we stand together. this is especially true after a decade that put more and more war making power in the hands of the president and more and more burdens on the shoulders of our troops while sidelining the representatives of the critical decisions about when we use force. now, i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and afghanistan, the idea of any military action, no matter how limited is not going to be popular. after all, i've spent four and a half years working to end wores, not to start

assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. that's my judgment as commander-in-chief. but i'm also the president of the world's oldest constitutional democracy. so even though i possess the authority to order military strikes i believed it was right in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to our security too take this debate to congress. i believe our democracy is stronger when the president acts with the support of congress. i believe that america act mrs. effectively abroad when we stand together. this is especially true after a decade that put more and more war-making power in the hands of the president and more and more burdens on the shoulders of our troops while sidelining the people's representatives from the critical decisions about when we use force. now, i know that after the terrible poll of iraq and afghanistan the idea of any military action no matter how limited is not going to be popular. after all, i've spent four and a half years working

assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them, and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. that's my judgment as commander in chief. but i'm also the president of the word's oldest constitutional democracy, so even though i possess the authority to order military strikes, i believed it was right in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to our security, to take this debate to congress. i believe our democracy is stronger when the president acts will with the support of congress. and i believe that america actes more effectively abroad when we stand together. this is especially true after a decade that put more and more war-making power in the hands of the president and more and more burdens on the shoulders of our troops while sidelining the people's representatives from the critical decisions about when we use force. now, i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and afghanistan the idea of any military action, no matter how limited, is not going to be popular. after all, i've spent four and a half