you remember that hearing where she grilled petraeus on the surge. she's very tough on him and her explanation of the surge in this book is unresolved. but then and you say joe she was in favor essentially of the afghanistan surge and becomes, and there's some writing the book on syria in particular where she becomes an allay with petraeus. >> rose: there were complimentary things about her. >> i asked petraeus before the iraq thing whether there was any democrat who understood the way his mind worked and he said you mean aside from hillary. >> rose: she does put her so the hawkish side. benghazi. >> she talks about benghazi for 34 pages. yes the longest chapter in the book. she offers little by way of new detail other than explaining where she was. this has been one of the questions from her critics. she went home at one point. her home was retrofitted where all kinds of gadgets so she could still be in touch. she was defensive slash defiant about this towards her critics. she basically says i've talked about this people are playin politics with thi

believes me with great hesitation may disagree with general petraeus but it is wrong to call this just a sectarian conflict. it is but that has another dimension that is deeply concerned and not just iraq but syria and libya and northern pakistan called al qaeda. americans may have the trouble understanding the difference between sunni and shechem with the a understand al qaeda. >> there is some differences in how fast they should kill us. excuse me. [laughter] neil: he thinks that get involved will only exacerbate all of this? >> i think there are two things that need to be done and first is to stop the advance by the jihadist is proud of the greek to most americans but the black flag sam costumes carrying slogans and they do have differences with the leadership but give me a break. neil: are there more brutal? >> yes. the thoughts are disturbing. apparently dozens of people so they pose a global threat and to stophe advance is an iraq. and to help moderate syrians this is not just accuracy sunni or she had. neil: but isn't maliki the reason why we have problems? >> we're trying to sa

dick cheney, who embraced david petraeus and believed he has a great deal of wisdom here.ave been very eager to see the president make some other choices on air strikes. >> it makes him look like they are just trying to be against the president because, oh, he's for something. we have to be against it. i think petraeus really did buy some political time and space for the president. >> very interesting play there. as people are lining up on all sides of this. it seems we're reliving it iraq debate. chuck todd, thank you. i know you'll be standing by as the president comes out and makes his announcements. we, of course, will be carrying all of that live right here on msnbc. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." follow the show online on facebook and on twitter @mitchellreports. ronan farrow daily is up next. >>> i'm meteorologist bill karins. we're going to watch severe storms once again today. watch out around washington, d.c., baltimore, down to virginia beach. damaging wind and hail possible with those storms. and once again, the threat of heavy rain

folks, this is a big deal that petraeus is essentially on the president's side on this one, arguing that air strikes could end up fueling a sectarian war. now, he's for doing something if there is major political reform by maliki, not minor. nevertheless, secretary of state john kerry told my ole pal, savannah guthrie, that no final decisions have been made. here's part of that exclusive interview that aired on the "today" show. >> nothing is off the table. all options are still available to the president. the president has not made a decision on those options. we are very intensely vetting each of the possibilities. >> keep in mind, by the way, secretary kerry internally is the strongest advocate for significant action. he'd like to see it sooner rather than later and he wants a little symbolic shock and awe. as we reported yesterday, the idea of a shock and awe campaign simply isn't a viable option, according to military leaders. as joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey told a senate committee wednesday, they simply don't have the targets. >> these forces are very much interming

my journey with general david petraeus and the remaking of the iraq he wore. a couple of things to add on peter, the first is that he went to west point, graduated top of his class. he is the recipient of the most prestigious award of distinguished -- presented a couple of years ago. >> i remember it well. [laughter] peter. >> well, thank you all for being here today. i appreciate the attendance. we have a lot to talk about. for and ilking abroad was saying it's amazing how many thatexperts there are now iraq has become news again. i do consider myself one, having spent 28 months of my life there. it felt like 28 years. some of you may not agree with what i have to say, but that's fine because one of the great things i've discovered in my transition from 26 years in the military to now being an academic is it no longer matters whether or not i'm right because i have tenure. [laughter] theght, so i'm going to use islr.m thatorganization has goals expand beyond iraq and syria. they don't call themselves the islamic state of iraq and syria. it includes palestine,

that's why you heard petraeus' comment. >> speaking ahead of the president. our coverage is just beginning. we'll speak with a journalist imembedded with the kurdish fighters. the kurds are in the north, sort oft out of the mix. their fighting force is tough. the journalist with whom we will speak is watching the reaction unfolds in a key city which ill tenants would need to secure before getting to baghdad. the view from the ground in iraq coming up from the fox news deck. foot and asked for less. because what we all really want... ...is more. there's a reason it's called an "all you can eat" buffet. and not a "have just a little buffet". that's the idea behind the more everything plan. it's more of everything you want. for less. plus, get the droid maxx by motorola for 0 down. get more with our best plans on the best network. for best results, use verizon. and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still expe

so colonel, what would petraeus do? >> well, i spoke with general petraeus recently.e both agree that you cannot allow isis to gain a permanent foothold in iraq. the creation of a terrorist state in the heart of mesopotamia would be highly de-stabling to worldwide markets and would be a threat to europe and the united states. so we have to do something, the question is when and how much? >> and robert, to you, do you really see the u.s. dropping bombs on iraq? i mean, what can be done i guess short of air strikes? >> well, as far as the sort of broader strategic issues i know that the state department, the department of defense have been talking and engaged with the baghdad government. but it is going to take some formidable forces of a coalition of stakeholders in the area, first with baghdad. turkey is also a key factor here. and an alliance of those that need to force some kind of bulwark against them and outside the province. >> and colonel, we're hearing about isis who is using u.s. equipment left there when the troops withdrew? i guess why didn't the u.s. see th

>> general petraeus said he doesn't think it is a good idea to do these airstrikes. be taking sides and he doesn't think we should get in, what do you think of that? >> he once told me i had excellent posture. perhaps he is saying and somebody who has been on the ground, i do take wit what he ho say seriously. but i'm look at this from a national security standpoint, looking at it from a military standpoint whether or not we are willing to cede that much ground. this is about the middle east, this is about an eventual take. it is naive to say we will pull out and not do anything. we are in this position because we did not hand them the right when we could. >> we agree we have a problem, how do you solve the problem? >> here is the issue, we all agree this is a terrible threat. >> this is a terrible threat to the united states, no question. they did not exist before we went into iraq, i think that is something to consider when we think about taking action, the unintended consequence of our actions. i appreciate kimberly's passion on this, but bad things come from thos

david petraeus says no air power, we don't want to use air power to come in on the side of the shi'asi don't know what ron panetta says i want to know what dick cheney would do now. >> the first thing i would say is recognize it for what it is. it's part of a much larger problem and we need a broader strategy and we need to reverse course, a lot of policies that are now in place with the military. >> rose: that goes beyond iraq. >> that's right. but i would start down that road because there are a lot of things you can do there that need to be addressed. with respect to iraq itself, the things i found especially within the last few days, the position for example that ayatollah sustani but for the shi'a and a lot in iraq and lebanon the rough equivalent of the pope, always been cautious and careful what he says and does politically. and has called for maliki to step aside. very very significant. >> rose: did he actually say he has to step aside. >> the press report i saw recommended maliki step aside. think think that's a major major shout across and i think it offers the possibility t

and general petraeus had it won. those are if at any tifundament. we had the conflict won and had a stable gun. and a residual force that we've left behind, we have forces in bosnia, korea, japan. but the president wanted out and i predicted it in 2011, can you go back and look at the quotes. >> big picture, senator. you would have us in iraq with a stabilizing force that could somehow prevent what's happening there, which is a complete meltdown, afghanistan, and we would be well into syria now as well, correct? >> oh, afghanistan? you're going to see the same thing happen in afghanistan if we don't leave a residual force behind there. >> and then iraq and then we're also going into syria in your estimate? i'm just wondering how long can we do this? how long can you ask this of american troops and think it's okay? i just want to know. and i know with all due respect, sir, you served and you paid a price but how long do we do this? >> with all due respect, do you think we ought to pull our troops out of korea? do you think we ought to pull our troops

i recommend it highly, my journey with general david petraeus and the remaking of the iraqi war. couple of things to add on peter. first that he went to west point. graduated top of his class. we will remember that. secondly he is reseparate contribute of most prestigious award presented by atfb a couple years ago. >> i remember it well. peter? >> well, thank you all for being here today. and appreciate the attendance. we have a lot to talk about and you know, i ziad, dr. ziad and i were talking about breakfast and amazing how many iraq experts there are now that iraq has become news again but i do consider myself one having spent 28 years or 28 months of my life. >> felt like 28 years. >> felt like 28 years, two different tours. and some of you may not agree with what i have to say but that's fine because one of the great things i've discovered in my transition from 26 years in the military to now being an academic is no longer matters whether or not that i'm right because i have tenure. [laughter]. all right. so, i'm going to use the acronym,isil, the islamic state of iraq and

david petraeus says no air power. i don't know what panetta says. i want to know what dick cheney would do now. >> the first thing i would say is recognize it for what it is. it is part of a much larger problem. we need a broader strategy and we need to reverse policy. >> that goes beyond iraq? >> i would start on the road because there are a lot of things you can do there need to be addressed. with respect to iraq itself, the things i found noteworthy in the last few days, the position the ayatollah has taken. a remarkable man. for the shia, he is the equivalent of the pope for catholics. a man of enormous respect and regard. he has always been cautious. he has called for maliki to step aside. very significant. >> did he actually say yes to -- say he has to step aside? >> he directed him to step aside. that is a major shot across the bow. it offers the possibility you may get a change in government. that may be the brightest spot. >> that is the obama administration position. to create some coalition government made up of shia and sunni that you ca

there are some writing on the book in syria where she becomes an ally with petraeus. that is fascinating but you don't really get it. >> he said complement her things about her. whethere asked petraeus there was any democrat who understood the way his mind worked. he said aside from hillary? >> she does put yourself in the hawkish side. benghazi. >> she talks about it for 34 pages. it is the longest chapter in the book. she offers little detail other than explaining where she was. she went home at one point. her home was retrofitted with gadgets. she is very defensive/defiant. she says she talked about this and people are playing politics. advance of what will be potentially new testimony from her before the select committee. i don't think this chapter is going to do much to quell any of the criticism about how she performed her what she did. >> what is the criticism of her? >> she was either absentee or didn't take security warnings seriously enough. she says there were cables issued in her name. >> is the problem for republicans is that they think the obama administ

. >> i would dispatch general petraeus on the next plane to baghdad.be ryan crocker along with him. sit down with maliki and say, maliki, prime minister, you're going to have to transition out of your job. we've got to have national reconciliation. otherwise, your country is going to be torn apart. that is the next step. and -- but the immediate crisis is the military one and the most immediate along with it is the iranians pouring into iraq no matter whose side they are on. then you have iran, syria, iraq. all in a line and iranians are realizing many of their ambitions. >> let me ask you one political question because hillary clinton raises it in her book. she expresses regret on her vote back in the end of 2002 in favor of going to war against saddam hussein. she writes this. i thought i had acted in good faith and made the best decision i could with the information i had and i wasn't alone in getting it wrong but i still got it wrong, plain and simple. you voted to go to war against saddam hussein. did you get it wrong then, too? >> obviously. but

i agree with general petraeus. i would love to see a coalition government. the problem is and my concern, is that we can't wait until that happens before we now come in and stop the onslaught of isis. if we do, you may have a fall of the iraqi state. if the iraqi state falls, you'll never be able to build it back up. >> you have to take it into consideration in terms of how you're dealing with al maliki and many of the isis, isis is moving across iraq. a lot of sunnis are joining them. that's a problem. so we're having, we're joining shia and fighting sunni. >> congresswoman, not long ago, president obama and vice president biden were practically giddy about prospects for iraq. take a listen. >> iraq's not a perfect place. it has many challenges ahead. but we're leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant iraq. >> i am very optimistic about, about iraq. i think it's going to be one of the great achievements of this administration. >> you know what, at the time they were absolutely right. iraq was a success story. and then we abandoned it. and now --

next is the insurgents david petraeus and the plot to change the american way of war. the united states military was never more powerful than at the start of the iraq and afghanistan engagements. the u.s. naval and air capabilities outstrip those of any combination of hostile nations. in short the united states was superbly trained and equipped for poker three not for the insurgencies and terrorism. these new conflicts proved expensive in casualties and resources with a victory in sight. fred kaplan post the story of how a group of highly educated and fresh thinking officers struggle to transform hardened cold war strategies into flexible counterinsurgency doctrine. they found many insights by returning to strategic thinking of the past era and they stressed the importance of understanding alien cultures. if the group david petraeus was the most in-depth and wielding power, personality and politics to overcome at least for a time the old guard. modernized military strategies can offer some success but they cannot do it fo pick up for poll decisions to engage in conflic

. >> that is general david petraeus, the former top commander in iraq. the report, however, shows isis is bolstered by the lack of air power over iraq which allows them to march almost at will now to the edge of baghdad. neil? >> thank you very much. so, you have someone like general david pet trace saying we reside -- we'd get missed up in a sectarian war, and we might go slow. what do you think, general? >> well, i think i agree with general petraeus and mike hayden and ambassador john bolton that both say we reserve our efforts and not become a shia air force or, in this case, an iranian air force. we have to be careful. make no mistake, we can use air power, we can take them out, we can do it without ground facts. it's obvious that the tanks in mosul or other cities, they're enemies so we don't need the ground troops on the ground on this one. but unless maliki brings the sunnies and the kurds back into the government, and you have a coalition government that can 1fh only helping iran and that's why i'm very, very reluctant to want to do that, and wo

the last one as executive direct officer to general david petraeus. at the time, the commander of multinational force iraq. peter is now a professor of military history at the ohio state university. he has authored two books on iraq war. the most recent of which is "search." i recommend it highly. "my journey with general david petraeus" and "the remaking of the iraqi war." first, he went to west point, graduated top of his class. we will remember that. and secondly, he is a recipient of the most prestigious award of distinguished presented by atfp a couple of years ago. >> i remember it well. >> peter? >> well, thank you, all, for being here today. and i appreciate the attendants. we have a lot to talk about, and, you know, ziad, dr. ziad and i were talking about breakfast and i was saying it's amazing how many iraq experts there are now that iraq has become news again. but i do consider myself one, having spent 28 years, or 28 months of my life there -- >> it felt like 28 years. >> yeah, it felt like 28 years. two different tours. and some of you ma

now to retired general, particularly with petraeus? >> you have appointed the sectarian civil war one of the bloodiest we have seen in the last 100 years. said it your advisers and with the intelligence report but with an air campaign is totally different didn't have the intelligence in place to discriminate between the bad guys and the civilians. neil: that raises an interesting point that the west should not commit forces from the west with clear intent of winning. but to be committed only with political and military objectives in a reasonable assurance of support from congress and the public. what you make of that? >> absolutely right. if you applied in the air campaign but then the doctor and kicks in. that is no big deal. but to cross the line when you bomb the city's we may very well drive sunni into the arms of the enemy. neil: you know, this region far better than i. but we don't know who our friends or enemies are. we don't like these guys. we hate to these guys so to cease and desist and to wash our hands altogether? >> this

i know you have more clarity about what general petraeus is advocating for in iraq. tell us about why that's important. >> that quote like a lot of quotes was in the context of a ten-minute discussion. the fact of the matter is he has a london times article out with an explanation where he advocates military intervention against isis. it's a threat for the just to iraq but direct threat to the united states and he's asking also for our allies to intervene as well against this threat. >> explain to us what military intervention means for those of us out there military specifically what does he want? >> it would mean air strikes. >> drones specifically? >> i don't think he specifies. the implication would be drones and manned aircraft. >> what do you think timing is on this? obviously that's not what the president is doing right now. he has a different strategy going into iraq. how much time do we have to figure out what strategy is the right one? >> i think we're wasting incredible amount of time with a slow methodical decision making process. the president has moved

some of these tribal leaders, they did eventually work with general petraeus and other u.s.over there as part of that u.s.-led surge, but a lot of it involved cash. u.s. taxpayer dollars. the u.s. paid off these sunni leaders thousands, millions of dollars in fact in hard cash. and once that cash dried up, the support for the u.s. seemed to dry up, as well. explain what happened there. >> and nic's point all incredibly valid. back in those days, al qaeda was in sort of the beginnings if you like, the genesis of isis, as well. when the u.s. went in and engaged these tribal leaders, did bring them into the fold if you like and, yes, they did pay them, too. you had the sons of iraq, the awakening as it was known. they turned their guns on al qaeda and that chankd aged and impacted greatly the course of the insurgency. enter nuri al maliki. the shiite sectarian leader who within days literally hours of the u.s. leaving iraq back in 2011 started rounding up his sunni political opponents, persecuting sunnis to the point and importantly, too, going back on an agreement to keep payi

the last one executive officer to general petraeus. peter is now a professor at military history at the ohio state university. he has authorized two books on the iraq war. my journey have general david petraeus and the iraqi war. he went to west point and graduated top of his class. secondly he is part of the most 67ing wshed award presented by atfb a couple of months ago. peter. >> thank you all for being here. i appreciate the attendance. we have a lot to talk about. you know, dr. zeod and i were talking about breakfast and we were saying it's amazing how many iraq experts there are that had has become news again. i do consider myself bonne r won having spent half of my life out. some of you may not agree on what ip have to say. in my position from transitioning into the military to an academic i realize that it no longer matter if i'm right because i have tenure. i will use the as you laislamicy do i use that name. they have goals that expand beyond syria. they don't call themself the islamic state of iraq and syria. they call themt

we need david petraeus. we need the ones that won the war.what this administration is obscuring, we had that war won thanks to the serge and thanks to general petraeus. we blew it and we took everybody out and we didn't leave a residual force behind. that's a tragedy because we lost over 4,000 brave young americans. >> having lost those 4,000, more than 4,000 brave young americans, does that demand that we go back in this their honor or does it mean in your mind that maybe we should call -- just end it now. end our losses? >> i think the question is will these people be a threat to the united states of america? this group of isis in the estimate of our director of national intelligence will plan attacks on the united states of america. it has really almost nothing that do with the casualties. it has everything to do with the threat that they pose. we need to use air strikes. right now if we don't do anything, then you will see the iranians come in and they are already in. you will see them in greater numbers if maliki feels he can not get hel

and i would say the leader of that would be general petraeus. i would say that general maddes is one. i would say that general keane is another one. i would say that bob kagan is another one. there is a group of people, along with myself and the senator from south carolina, that predicted every single one of these events because of an american lack of reliability and american weakness, and the president of the united states declaring that conflicts are at an end when they are not. an exit from iraq and now an exit from afghanistan without a strategy and without victory. so drastic measures need to be taken. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is one who has gone along with this policy for a long time. we need a new chairman. we need a new national security advisor. we need a new team. we need a new team that knows what america's national security interests are and are more interested in national security than they are in politics. so, mr. president, i -- i come to this floor today with great sadness because all of this could have been avoi

i should say senator john mccain earlier today said he thinks the president should bring general petraeusdeal with the iraq situation right now. not sure that's about to happen. aside from that, what do you think the u.s. options, realistic option are right now? >> i think senator mccain was trying to score a few political points there. there's a great deal of knowledge that the generals have with their experience in iraq and afghanistan for that matter. what i think the u.s. really needs to focus on are four things here. up front helping iraqis to stop isis from advancing further. as you look at the longer term, it's an understanding that not only do we have to show support for the iraqis but that this is a wider regional problem. you alluded to this earlier. you're talking about islamic state of iraq and greater syria. this is not just a problem on one side of the border. finally, this is going to be about political reconciliation. there have been a lot of people talking about whether or not maliki has what it takes to bring sunni and shia together. >> people are discussing right now is

probably, david petraeus and ryan crocker. send them back. send them back, those that worked so closely with the sunni like general mcfar land, then-colonel mcfarland, the people that built up these long relationships with the sunnis. send them back. maliki will listen to david petraeus and ryan crocker. send back a planning team. a group of really smart people that can work with what's left of the iraqi military leadership and identify tactics and strategy that can reverse this tide of the isis which is about to engulf them. send some air power. send some air power with targets we can identify. and i am fully aware of the risks associated with it. i want to repeat over and over and over again, there are no good options. and also make it very clear to maliki that his time is up, that he must arrange for a transition. now the shia won the election, the majority of the votes. a majority of any of the parties but not an overall majority of the vote. this new government could be headed by a shia. but it has to be a shia that can reach out to the

even worse than that was this general kean, his answer was let's put petraeus on an airplane. to go where? bahamas? >> i think he was just saying that. >> these people have been fighting for 4,000 years. this was predictable. if you want to stop them from fighting each other, so stay in there another 40 or 50 years. >> why make it easy? it appears as if president obama is making it very easy for the radical mus lumps -- muslims of achieving the goal of getting the caliphate. >> bhi not acting in syria at the time. if we had been more decisive in supporting the people on the ground in syria, of making sure sure that isid didn't have a chance to grow. >> iraq was pacified when president obama came in, and that changed when they decided to take out the troops but also they didn't redouble the efforts on the political side to try to make maliki a better lead. >> we spent hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars training the iraqi military to take care of themselves which was the idea. >> they don't have any backup, bob. >> how many u.s. troops would have to stand in mosul to s

he is the author of "surge: my genera journey with general david petraeus." >> an explosion occurred in nigeria where fans gathered to watch the world cup. that area has suffered many attacks by the armed group of iran. >>> kenya's president said actors looking to stoke ethnic tensions. 15 people were killed in a coastal town. we have more. >> she can't talk about what happened without shaking. but she said she's trying to be strong for her sons. they should be in school now, but everything has been shut down after the rampage that killed nearly 50 people. >> they are the only family who was not killed in this apartment block. 14 others were ordered out on the street. their throats slit. their bodies riddled with bullets, their wives forced to watch. they were christians, and something that the gunmen specifically inquired about. >> you don't know how to talk or even how to pray in islamic. it is going to be a bit worse for even christians than buddhist. they don't know how to arm themselves. >> they are worried that this will escalate into a larger conflict. she wants to move out. >

you, threading this needle -- i thought it was fascinating and want to bring back up what david petraeus said in london. to many, you know, the architect of the iraq surge and many republicans who have been critical of the president are big david petraeus fans. here he is warning, be careful. you don't want to look like you're militarily coming down on one side or the other in a religious conflict. that's the needle you have to thread. the united states doesn't want to look like it's taking sides in sunni versus shia but is trying to deal with this third element. we all know the history of the middle east. any time the united states has been portrayed as picking a side, it has caused problems down the road. and so this is yet, you know, the other question the president has not had answered well for him from his advisers, after he does something, then what? >> and ronan, if i can just say -- one of the reasons why petray urks going back to the surge, that the lever amg he had, petraeus, during the surge in iraq had complete backing by the president to do that. but though united states own

you worked on some of these issues with petraeus in the bush administration. in iraq, let's just take the example of iraq, not even talking about taliban. in iraq, all of that was conducted under the normal laws of war. there were insurgents who tried to kill american troops, who blue up marines with ieds who were released back, am i correct? >> if you take a look back at the arguments during the early phase of the iraq war, there are going to be people in conflict who do bad things. look even further back, this is when larry was at the state department, take a look at the arguments over the taliban and al qaeda. there were nazi ss officers during the second world war who were treated as prisoners of war. if they were war criminals, tried and in many cases executed. >> colonel wilkerson, this is a situation which there is a category of men being held in guantanamo being prosecuted by the american government for acts of -- for plots or committing acts of terrorism. these men are not in that category. that can't be stressed enough. >> actually, dealing with thes

that's how petraeus did it. that's the only way this will succeed this time around. >>> next up, the friday lightning round. we're moving our company to new york state. the numbers are impressive. over 400,000 new private sector jobs... making new york state number two in the nation in new private sector job creation... with 10 regional development strategies to fit your business needs. and now it's even better because they've introduced startup new york... with the state creating dozens of tax-free zones where businesses pay no taxes for ten years. become the next business to discover the new new york. [ male announcer ] see if your business qualifies. >>> look at the big picture here. he's not sipping mango juice anymore in benghazi. he's on his way to court. that's what is really important here. >> pentagon spokesman admiral john kirby defending the way the obama administration is handling benghazi terror suspect. we're back now for the friday lightning round. so word is that he -- the a prime suspect in the