martha: when you look back at it, it was back in june that ben rhodes said we were going to be really begin to give support to the opposition forces. we identified which part of the opposition we wanted to back and yet we have learned nothing about what happened after that statement that came from ben rhodes and nothing about how much or what kind of support we have given them other than the fact it is said to have been non-lethal. that has raise ad lot of questions with a lot of people here who have been watching the situation closely. so we're just getting started there is so much to look at this morning. supporters of u.s. military action in syria are warning that the say the cost of doing nothing would be catastrophic. watch this. >> i'm saying that i think the president made sense in a lot of things he had to say but we're a long way from achieving what i think would be the most effective strategy. martha: so if you don't have john mccain on your side in terms of a military plan then you've got a long haul and a big lift in congress. what if congress says no? our panel is going t

ben rhodes is president obama's deputy national security adviser for strategic communication and joins us from st. petersburg from the summit. ben, thanks for joining us. i know we have a little bit of a satellite delay. we'll try to compensate for that. but what can the president do facing the opposition from president putin, the strong language that putin used against secretary kerry, and the continual opposition from the united states. >> andrea, we don't expect the russians to support action in syria. the fact of the matter is for nearly two years now they've repeatedly blocked action through the security council. they've opposed efforts to have a resolution of opposing chemical weapons bradley. i think what the president is doing in st. petersburg is the same thing we're going to do in washington which is make our case. make our case that the assad regime used chemical weapons, gassed to death hundreds of children over 1,000 people and violated a fundamental international norm that is key to american international security and to global security. so what we're doing here in st. pe

. >> ben rhodes serves as deputy security adviser for strategic for president obama. >> good to talk with you, kristen. >> i want to start with the latest reports on russia pressuring assad regime to put the stockpile of chemical weapons under international control. what is your reaction? is this a realistic course it take? >> kristen, i just made a few points. we'd have to take a hard look. any transfer of chemical weapons to international control would be a positive development. we've been highly skeptical to date. they have not even declared their chemical weapons stockpiles. they have used chemical weapons in violation of international prohibitions, so we'd be very skeptical and we want to make sure there's a verification mechanism to make sure they are following through on any commitment they make. the last i make is an important one. we are only having this discussion around the russian proposal in the context of the threat of u.s. action. what's clear is the threat of u.s. action, credible threat of u.s. military action is what is bringing forward these types of ideas. that ma

white house deputy national security adviser ben rhodes said the u.s. has been concerned about efforts by al shabaab to recruit americans. fbi agents say there are reports that more than 40 young people from somalia exiled communities in minnesota and other states have traveled to somalia over the past few years. the agents say they went there without letting their families know. >>> deaths from a bombing at a church in northwestern pakistan on sunday have risen to 82. it's the country's worst-ever attack against christians. two suicide bombers blew themselves up amongst hundreds of worshippers at a church in person a wa. se sectarian violence has been rampant. but attacks against christians are rare in the predominantly muslim country. all nonmuslims are attacks to retaliate against u.s. drone strikes in pakistan. christians called for an end to the violence. they protested across the country in cities, including the capital islamabad, and karachi in the south. >>> a chinese government official is vowing to take a tough line on north korea. beijing wil

ben rhodes. mr. poll already, the big numbers that jump out are 59% say don't do it. 55% say don't do it even if congress authorizes it. 71% say we don't see how doing this helps us here in america stay safer. what is the case to go against those numbers? ? chris first of all we'll continue to make the case we can't allow a dictator to gas to death hundreds of children and get away with it. if you send a message to bashar al assad he can gas to death hundreds of children over 1,000 people it risks unraveling the ban on chemical weapons and that emboldens his allies, hezbollah and iran and sends a message in the future to any terrorist group, any dictator that there are no consequences if you use the world's worst weapons and that is a direct threat to the united states of america and to the security of the world. >> 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 them? >> well, first of all, i thin

. >> ben rhodes, thanks for being with us.ome sleep. >> thank you. >> coming up next, what do hard core libertarians and far left liberals have in common? a lot when it comes to firing off cruise missiles. how the crisis in syria is creating an identity crisis in washington. still ahead, she called him mr. wonderful. now a new film is detailing princess diana's most intimate and private affair. humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch, up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance

deputy national security adviser ben rhodes said, quote, the type of action we are contemplateing again does not come with significant requirements of international participation, bret. >> jennifer griffin, thank you. >>> do you think costs should be a factor in the decision to attack syria? let me know on syria. can you follow me on bret baier. president is in saint petersberg, russia. it is the topic of syria that's eclipseing all others and has the u.s. directly at odds with the host country. senior white house foreign affairs correspondent wendell golar is traveling with the president tonight. >> reporter: mindful of the lasten counter, president obama and putin had smiles for the cameras at the start of the g20 summit in st. petersburg. syria hung over the gathering like the fumes that killed 1,400 people last month, even though it wasn't on the agenda. syria was discussed on the margins, but mr. obama's attempt to punish the government seemed to go nowhere. chinese officials warn more violence could impact the global economy. pope francis sent a letter to the summit, asking the le

joining us now is ben rhodes. he's a deputy national security adviser for president obama. mr. rhodes, thank you very much for being here tonight. it's nice to have you here. >> good to be with you, rachel. >> a lot of the focus right now, a lot of the commentary on what's happening in this diplomatic push is how hard it's going to be to make sure that syria does this. that they actually secure their whole chemical arsenal. what's your reaction to that worry and that criticism? >> well, i think it is a concern. what we've seen in the last three weeks is progress that could not have been anticipated before we raised the profile of this issue on august 21st. syria had not even acknowledged that it had stockpiles of chemical weapons. now not only have they done that, they've signaled their interest in joining the chemical weapons convention. what we need to see, though, is that there is a verifiable process that is established, so not only do we have their words and their commitments, but there's a sequence of actions that are set up, so these weapons can move under international

maybe some of it is secret, but this idea that we can't, to quote ben rhodes back in june, i can't give you an inventory of what we're supplying. and then it turns out we're denying them gas masks. i think we should be very clear about what we're supplying them, we should be open about it, and we should be open about who we're working with. that's the best way to find out whether we're working with the right people or not. >> what i'm hearing is from you, expert, a lot of conditions you want to see. i'm hearing the same thing from senator johnson. a lot of conditions. that's why i was surprised that the leadership in both parties, particularly the republican party, i'll start with you, mr. wolfowitz. why do you suppose house speaker john boehner was so quick to sign on and back the resolution without knowing what the resolution's going to be? without knowing if the conditions that you and senator johnson are talking about are going to be in there. why do you think he jumped in so fast? >> i'm not here to read the speaker's mind. but i think what the president has done, quite unfairly, i

and ben rhodes, deputy national security adviser, guy who writes a lot of the president's speeches among said, you know, it remains an orderly political transition remains a goal of the obama administration. >> u.s. position remains assad leaving power is part of the political process but we must also act to specifically remove chemical weapons threats. >> what i said in response to that, that's fine that that's your goal. but it's a rhetorical goal. and we want all children to have access to unicorn rides. but i'm not knocking it. trying not to knock anytime a facetious way. but they're not working on that anymore. and the inadvertent problem here, the inadvertent problem that arising when you start negotiating with the assad regime about its cw problem, you're not talking to them about the larger problem which admirably you keep bringing up, wait, he's murdered 99,000 people without chemical weapons just with guns and bombs. >> stick with us, jeffrey. we're going to take a very quick brk come back with our special coverage of the crisis in syria. president obama did six networks interv

the white house national security adviser ben rhodes says the administration is open to this kind off it can advance american objectives but some experts are now warning that this president of iran won't be any different than the last. >> rowhani is bringing with him the p.t. barnum doctrine and that is there's a sucker born every minute and he's hoping there's one in the white house right now. >> so far president obama and iran's president rowhani have communicated by writing derts to each other, but before things advance any further, lawmakers here in d.c. want to make sure the safety of israel is a priority. >> we need to make our decisions and consultations with israel. it is, in fact, israel that they have threatened to wipe off the globe. >> meanwhile the former israeli ambassador to the u.n. is calling president huenny's rhetoric part of a charm offensive, and he is pleading with the white house to remain firm in their position that a nuclear armed iran is unacceptable. >> words and talk are very cheap in the middle east. and this iranian president is trying to create the impr

host: ben rhodes, the deputy national security advisor and deputy assistant to the president has an op-ed in "usa today." gives the headline military action in the broader strategy. farther of it says in the days ahead the administration will be double the efforts to build a bipartisan support for the show. the decision to protect the national security interests of the united states of america. edward, washington from the state of washington. democrats line. caller: just wanted to thank you for the show and off comment. there are certain things in life we have to do no matter how much we don't want to do it and also to try to make sometimes we want to be comfortable watching tv doing nothing when the truth is that if we want the freems, we have to scomplatch and the freedoms cost. ey have to have to put the presents' teacher and teach ourselves how much to get involved until things we shuent also how the involve ourself if so n things we should. host: camden is next from ohio. republican line. caller: how are you doing? host: call ir, go ahead. caller: thank you. first of all, i have to t

was that from maybe the strategy session yesterday or even ben rhodes traveling with him overseas? >> reporter: well, it is coming from the president because he has hinted at this in the pbs interview a few days ago and others but yes there was a strategy session at the white house we reported on late yesterday. david axelrod, stephanie cutter, some former campaign advisors meeting what with white house aides here trying to figure out how to sharpen the message. that gets into the bloodstream of the talking points or not. the president beyond the political strategy has been trying to push some blame away from himself. that is natural for any president, to say, look i made this comment a year ago. it is not just about me but everybody coming together because of what assad did. but you're right, he is in a predictment, bill. bill: ed henry. we'll be in touch throughout the day from the north lawn. a fascinating press conference taken the story in another direction yet again today. martha: he needs support of congress. he said he doesn't feel he needs it legally. that he has the power

from democrats in the house and senate and carol you heard from deputy national security adviser ben rhodes, he said in the end he thinks the votes will be there in the house and senate but i think there is a very real feeling, a really sort of shift in the last few days at the white house they realize how much trouble they're in when it comes to getting some sort of congressional approval. >> you got that right, brianna keilar thank you. let's go to mark preston now, the cnn/orc poll also shows a majority of americans do not want the president to go it alone if congress votes no. again, if this is about national security, does it matter? >> well, carol, it certainly does matter for the president. we had this full court press right now, a lot is on the line not only what's going to happen in the next couple days but for the remainder of his presidential term. a lot of people think if he loses this vote in congress not only is he going to be damaged here in the united states trying to get what other domestic issues he needs to through congress and let's not forget we are coming up against th

we saw white house official ben rhodes, spokesperson for the national security council -- or foreignolicy talking about it being a great and tireless work by kerry. the white house feels pretty good about this. it is the result that a lot of people in congress were saying that they wanted, which is not to have military action happen. >> and we should note here, the white house released a statement a short time ago as well applauding the plan. but the president did add, quote, if diplomacy fails, the united states remains prepared to act. at this point, gayle, how real do we think congress is taking the president's threat to use military action? >> or how real is syria taking the president's threat? if it were hard to get the hill to go forward -- i totally agree with that -- in the shadow of people being gassed to death, can you imagine several months down the road? you talk to people who have been working on this for months and there is enormous frustration that nobody is talking about the killing and the atrocities and the shelling that goes on even today. in damascus and while peo

deputy national security adviser ben rhodes held a gaggle earlier this morning and walk out with majority of the leaders supporting them for a strike against syria and they will go along with the united states in terms of supporting this notion that chemical weapons should not be used. but they're not really saying which countries are with them. which countries are against them. we might get that after the summit is over. that's an indication there that perhaps they don't have all the support that they would like to have. one thing we should poin out, though, this news conference that president obama is scheduled to have at 9:50 this morning that could move around depending on how the bilateral meeting that is hapwing the french president is going and whether or not that runs late. questi carol, the big question opposed to the president is if he will take military action if he does not get congressional authorization? you played some of the sound from the town hall meeting with john mccain and some other lawmakers who say they're not convinced. listen to what a deputy national security ad

it strikes me that when the president made the decision to arm the syrian rebels, he did so with ben rhodes doing a conference call on friday after night, and on monday night at 11:30 p.m., the president went on "charlie rose" to talk more about the rebels. that is not selling a policy. host: what about other countries and how they watch us? guest: absolutely. it is not just the american people scratching their heads. with the gentleman said about egypt is right. the democratically elected government that we did not like, the muslim brotherhood, they believed they were betrayed. those that believe in democracy and secular freedom, and they think we have let them down because we let my comment morsi run a muck -- mohamed morsi run amok. we are playing a lose-lose game. host: ralph. ridgway, pennsylvania. go ahead. caller: the president ran his mouth with this red line talk. it was not a red line or i will go to congress. the republicans are falling for it. they cannot win either way. if it turns out good, the president will take credit. if it is bad, -- it is all about elections in 2014. gue

when the president made a decision to arm the syrian rebels, he did so with a -- you mentioned ben rhodes -- deputy national security adviser doing a conference call on a friday afternoon and then waited the weekend, and then on monday night at 11:30 the president went on charlie rose on pbs, okay? not exactly a chat in prime time to the oval office, to talk more about the rebels. that's not what i call selling a policy. and so if people have doubts out there, no surprise. >> host: to the topic of what's at stake, what about other countries and how they watch us? >> guest: absolutely. you know, i think, again, it's not just the american people who are looking at the united states and scratching their heads. the gentleman who called said about egypt, he's absolutely right. everybody in egypt thinks we've let them down. the democratically-elected government that we didn't like, the muslim brotherhood, they think they were betrayed by the united states because we talk about democracy. those who believe in genuine democracy and secular freedom, the women, the young liberals in egypt, they thi