it's hard to see this being a significant issue. >> paul begala? >> i think right the power of incumbency but the responsibility of power. when barack obama took office, there were 32,000 american troops in afghanistan. now there are 90,000. he has put a powerful stamp on america's military conduct in that region. and he is now responsible for every one of those troops who he saw today. >> right now the timetable 22,000 troops to leave by the end of this summer. some 68,000 to remain until 2014. gloria borger, headline from you. >> i think what the president did in going over there and signing this document was essentially a strategic embrace of afghanistan saying we're not going to desert you. we are going to be committed to you at least until 2024. and he came with a plan, anderson, and said this is how we're going to make the transition to the sovereignty of afghanistan to having its own troops lead the way. quicker than some of us thought in their own defense. and also talked about interestingly enough, a negotiated peace in which he said we wo

paul begala and general marks. we'll be right back.

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paul begala. he's advising the pro obama super pac right now. and gloria borger, peter bergen and a fascinating read, taking you inside this search. let's get a quick reaction from everybody about this speech. >> i think you have seen the power of incumbency. but i have to add also, i think in the best communist, post-9/11 world both parties are split about foreign policy. there's an ambivalence about fighting and winning and we want everyone to come home. we want our troops home. this is a difficult time in foreign policy. it's hard to see this being a significant issue in the election. >> paul begala? >> i think you're right the power of incumbency. but when barack obama took office, there were 32,000 american troops fighting in afghanistan and now there are almost 90,000 and there were 160,000 fighting in iraq and and now a very few. he's put a stamp on the military conduct in the region and he's responsible for every one of the troops he saw today. >> according the president some 68,000 to remain until the end around 2018. gloria borger? >>

this case against a lot of people's recommendations, perhaps, and went ahead and won it. >> okay, paul begalafromme, i want to get your reactions quickly to what we just saw from john edwards. paul? >> well, you know, what you saw there was a terribly emotional man. i think you'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel at least something for the guy, particularly when he talked about that baby who he had disavowed on national television when she was born. and you could clearly see that he knows the pain that he's caused. i think that's a good thing. you know, the only dumb thing f. scott fitzgerald ever wrote was that there are no second acts in american life. there are second and third and fourth acts, as we have seen. but senator edwards has got a long way to go. i think he probably did himself some good. i was -- the one omission that john edwards already pointed out, he needs to thank that lawyer of his, abbe lowell, who did a wonderful job. >> right. david? >> well, i have no appetite to see john edwards punished further. he's been dragged through the limelight in a way that has to be

plumbers. >> thanks very much. >> let's dig deeper in the strategy session and the cnn contributor paul begalar in chief of redstate.com. what do you think, paul, about this whole bane capital cory booker that has been generated over the past few days. >> i advised the pro-obama ads and the ads featured real people who mitt romney has laid off and he shattered their lives and sometimes it happens in business. i think people understand that, but here's the deal. some of his investments in bain were very smart and he made a lot of money and i think that's great and i applaud that. some went horribly wrong and he still made money off of them, and even as he was laying off people like pat wells who is in one of our ads and that's wrong. he did that many times, but also a whole lot of times he took companies that drove them into bankruptcy and canceled the retirement and jobs of the workers. that's wrong. >> it doesn't look like the democrats will back away and they see it as a lending issue for the president. >> yea, and i'm not sure that it is. and i get where paul is coming from, and i think the

paul begala is now advising the president obama super pac. now his critics say he's using it in his own campaign ads. isn't b that a flip-flop? >> sure. but there's a difference. back then it was a hypothetical debate. and he didn't like hillary clinton saying. he said if we have actual intelligence about a high value terrorist target and president musharraf won't act, we will. when he said that he was attacked by mccain, clinton, and romney. romney called those ill timed and i do not concur. they attacked obama for saying he would go into pakistan to kill bin laden. the president kept his word. this is a legitimate accomplishment and impressive accomplishment. i just think senator mccain is an honorable guy. i have no criticism for him. but for some of my friends from the bush administration, one of their first ads showed a flag draped body being carried out of the world trade center. i think that was beyond the line. this is a legitimate triumph that the president led and has a right to claim credit. >> ari is that what this is? a legitimat

also, paul begala. four years ago, he said invoking bin ladin on the trail was a political move. now he's using it in his own campaign ads. isn't that a flip-flop? >> sure, but there's a difference. there was an accomplishment. he did say, friday august 3rd of 2007, he said, these are his words, if we have actual intelligence about a high value terrorist targets and president musharif won't act, we will. when he said that, he was attacked by senator clinton, senator mccain and governor romney. governor romney called those remarks ill timed and he attacked obama for saying, they would go into pakistan if there was actual intelligence locating bin ladin. i think senator mccain is a very honorable guy. i think for some of my friends from the bush administration who have a problem with this, one of their first ads, which showed a flag draped body carried out of the world trade center, if they knew that, that was really beyond the line. this is a legitimate triumph that the president led. and he has a right to claim credit for it. >> is this a legitimate triumph that the president has

joining me right now is kevin can madden, and political strategist, paul begala.rights, full equality. promised not to discriminate against the gay community. how does that square with romney's position today? what did full equality mean to romney back then? >> well, i don't know the full context of what the debate was taking place in 1994, but i expect in answering that question and in talking about the issue he was talking about discrimination. and that he didn't believe that then as he does now that we should -- that we should discriminate against people base only their sexual identity or sexual orientation. he still holds true the that belief. i think on the issue of marriage i think it comes down to the definition, how the government defines it and what the contract between two people is and that -- his belief is that a marriage should be defined very simply as that -- as a union between one man and one woman. >> but in south carolina when he was talking to conservative groups back in 2005, he made it sound as if he didn't like the idea of gay people having k

joining me is kevin madden and cnn political contributor paul begala.evin, full rights, full equality, the words he used in 1994, promised not to discriminate against the gay community. how does that square with romney's position today? what did full equality mean to romney back then? >> i don't know the full context of what the debate was taking place in 1994 but i expect in answering that question and talking about the issue, he was talking about discrimination. and that he didn't believe that then as he does now, that we should discriminate against people based on their sexual identity or their sexual orientation, and he still holds true to that belief. on the issue of marriage, it comes down to the definition. whether it's how the government defines it and what the contract between two people is and what -- his belief is that a marriage should be defined simply as a union between one man and one woman. >> but in south carolina, when he was talking to conservative groups in 2005, he made it sound as if he didn't like the idea of gay people having kid

joining me now, democratic strategist paul begala, chief white house correspondent, jessica yellen and cnn contributor, alex castellanos. jessica, some in the white house have been telling you this was the plan all along. given the past few days the way it sort of rolled out, some believe it doesn't seem all that planned. was it? >> reporter: no, it doesn't look planned at all, does it, anderson. so the official story here is as follows. senior administration officials telling me a few months ago the president came to the conclusion that he is for same-sex marriage. he came to that because in part through discussions with mrs. obama, also because of sasha and malia, his children have parents who are same sell, and they kept saying to him, it's not fair that those parents don't have the same rights -- >> you mean they have friends who have parents. >> reporter: yes, friends who have parents who are same-sex couples. those conversations as well as the others he referenced helped him come to this decision. then it was just a question of time when he would make that decision public. these

the reaction pouring in and we'll hear what his political allies are coming in, also paul begala and alex castellanos is standing by to debate in the session and james carville's blunt warning. our coverage continues right here in "the situation room." we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. of all

paul begala is watching this unfold, watching this historic document exchange hans. > i think david frum makes a good point. i do not see this as political at all. the war is very, very unpopular with the american people and they are weir of this war and they don't even support the president's timeline of 2014. we'll see how many troops he expects to lead there in 2024. the president, i don't think his critics have, and he's being political here because frankly the position he's taken in afghanistan has been one that's not been overly popular with the american people. the american people are a war-weary people right now and it will be difficult enough to leave troops there until 2014 and there will be a great deal of skepticism to find out how many troops will be there until 2024. >> that's a long time and a lot of people will be wondering what's going on? i want everybody to stand by. we have a lot more coming up including the president of the united states and he'll be speaking to u.s. troops in afghanistan. we'll have live coverage. much more of the breaking news r

joining me is ari fleischer and paul begala. boehner is saying the next cut has to have dollar for dollar cuts. but the budget office increases the debt by $5 trillion over ten years. why is that okay? >> right. well, you have to ask the speaker that. i think -- first, let me just say, john boehner's patriotic american, he's a good man, he's a good congressman. he leads his party ably. but what he is proposing is to purposefully damage our country, to take the full faith and credit of our nation to the brink. and they did this once and as you noted it hurt the country. it didn't just hurt the democrats or the republicans, it hurt a lot of middle class families and we should never do that again. the debt ceiling has been raised for 95 years. we used to not have a debt ceiling and there's no real need to have it. it's a contrivance that congress put in in 1917. but every time we've done it for 95 years until this past time, it's been done in a bipartisan way because no one has ever wanted to risk our full faith and credit because

paul begala writes a column in "newsweek" now, for example. and it happens on right as well. with looking to the mainstream places, it's more confusing than even in the last cycle. >> in 2011, you saw a debt ceiling, where everyone who studies the economy you knows you have to increase the debt ceiling, but polls showed that large numbers of of americans didn't think we should raise the debt ceiling krl. it's dangerous. >> we're going to stay fact checking and flack checking during the 2012 election campaign. why the homework of today can change the world of tomorrow. time for a preview "weekends with alex wit witt." >> a body found in the barn in the back of churchill downs where the kentucky derby was ran yesterday. and ten students charged in connection with the florida a & m drum maij beaten and kicked to death. why were they charged with hazing and not murder. and sebastian junger doesn't consider himself to be the next earnest hemingway. and we'll have a wrestler from this year's olympics. maybe he will want to show me some moves, but i'm wearing a skirt. not doing that