"fareed zakaria gps" and his interview with national security adviser susan rice is next for our viewers here in the united states. >> this is "gps." welcome to all of you in the united states and around the world. i'm fareed zakaria. we'll start with an exclusive interview with president obama's national security adviser susan rice. on iran, syria, the middle east and more. then, the terror attack in kenya. a somalia based terror group carried it out. i'll talk to that country's president who says al shabab is a threat to the entire world. and then to syria. i will talk to one of the most concerned parties, president gul of turkey, which is of course syria's neighbor. and you might have heard that in iran's delegation to the new. was t was the only jewish member of parliament. we'll talk to him. here's my make it. for the past self-years, the president of iran has held a breakfast meeting with a small group of journalists during the u.n. general assembly. in recent years, that event was a depressing routine. mahmoud ahmadinejad dressed in his shabby suit would saunter in, ramble and ran

no mention of any of those things from susan rice. she made a very -- use a moral and emotional argument to stop chemical weapons attacks and moving on to a real political argument. saint every time chemical weapons are deployed they pose the risk of somehow ending up in the hands of anti-u.s. forces such as hezbollah or al qaeda affiliates. she did not explain how u.s. airstrikes would stop those chemical weapons from falling into the hands of groups that are hostile to the u.s. nor was there any mention so far and the press conference of the changing diplomacy today. that is to say the syrians have effectively signed on to the proposal to put their chemical weapons in to international supervision. secondly thomas the u.n. secretary-general backing the proposal in a press conference at the united nations just a couple hours ago. the diplomatic game has changed considerably whereas susan rice is really going back to the old message that seemed to existed before the secretary's statement that we heard earlier today. we have these diffe

we heard from susan rice and may hear from hillary clinton here soon. why do you believe there are members on both sides of the aisle who are now not just undecided but adamant nos regarding any military strike? >> well, i've been a democratic whip in the house. i've been through votes like this before on the executive branch and congressional side. the administration is just getting their momentum. members of congress have been home. they've been hearing from constituents. this is not popular. they are now on the turf of the administration. they will get briefings. they will get intelligence data. this is the time when those undecided and i think the undecided number is the biggest, when you can turn them. this is when you can also work on those that have come out negative. members of congress will have about a week in the house before there is a vote. i've seen the executive branch, clinton, bush administrations obama administrations. right now they have the tools of persuasion. and you're now on the administration's turf. the administration and presi

thank you so much. >>> a key figure behind the scenes, national security adviser susan rice. key figure susan rice at the moment saying that the administration has no expectation of losing the vote in congress. rice speaking with nbc news's brian williams in an exclusive interview. take a listen. >> do you draw that bright an distinction between a death of incendiary bomb by a school, machine gun fires, and chemical weapons, which seems to be the bright line on this? >> chemical weapons, which can kill with indiscriminate abandonment, people who are innocent are employed in conflict, it is of a greater magnitude, because if terrorists get ahold of those weapons, they can be used on a massive scale. >> president vladimir putin also speaking out on the subject of syria, saying he will consider military action. he's one of bashar al assad's greatest allies. jim live in turkey, good morning to you. what more did the president say here, vladimir putin, and what are the implications? >> hi, richard. well, these comments from vladimir putin made in an interview with the associated p

. >>> also, an nbc news exclusive, national security adviser susan rice tonight on what the president would do if congress says no. >>> fighting alzheimer's, maria shriver reporting this evening on how they're preparing aarmy of doctors to take on the coming expected onslaught of new patients. >>> and how she did it. 64-year-old diana nyad inspiring millions, making history. but it took more than sheer grit to get her there. "nightly news" begins now. >>> good evening. a lot of americans headed off for their labor day holiday weekend, believing the united states was about to launch a military strike against syria. tonight, however, and for the time being, those plans are still in place, but on hold until both houses of congress have their say. this is an unusual circumstance we're in, an american president drawing the line at the use of chemical weapons. telling the enemy what he plans to do, before then postponing those plans. and today, trying to make sure none of this intensity gets lost or wears off. secretary of state john kerry said, not acting would turn all of us americans int

as susan rice said in that talk, they are watching this very closely. if we didn't follow through on this, they're going to follow through on their wmd program. >> thank you so much. a lot happening in this sorry. we'll be right back. ... ... ... ... ... >>> now for something completely different. h is a growing debate in the swimming community today over whether 64-year-old distance swimmer diana nyad really did accomplish her decades long dream of completing the 110 mile swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage. her crew says that, i mean, they were both all around her the whole time. she finished the swim in 53 hours. but now some of her fellow long distance swimmers are shedding some doubt on the evidence here. that's here moments after that historic swim was finished. >> i have three messages. >> quiet! >> one is, we should never ever give up. two is, you're never too old to chase your dream. three is, it looks like a solitary sport but it's a team. >> team effort. there was a team with her all the way. and tomorrow she's going to meet some o

susan rice expected to speak about syria in an our. we'll bring you that live just ahead. after the break, politics of intervention, as president obama seeks congressional approval will his party vote yes. we'll discuss when the progressive change campaign committee's adam green joins us next on "now." [ male announcer ] what's important to you? at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. hanging out with this guy. he's just the love of my life. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan that works best for you. mi familia. ♪ [ male announcer ] we want to help you achieve your best health, so you can keep doing the things that are important to you. keeping up with them. i love it! [ male announcer ] helping you -- now that's what's important to us. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. ron: i'm sorry, who are you? jc: i'm your coworker! c'mon guys, i'm dr

susan rice, hillary clinton, john kerry. susan rice said there is no negotiating with these people. hillary clinton, on the other hand, said maybe we should sit down and negotiate this. i'd like to find out where the american people are now. in the last poll, 48% of the american people against attacking syria. guess what, we went from 48% against to 63% opposing attacking syria right now. so it's gone up 15%. 70% of republicans oppose. 66% of independents oppose. and 53% of democrats oppose doing this. the american people don't want this. i can't figure out why in hell we're going to do this. >> from a communications standpoint, let's talk about the messaging. it seems they are not connecting with the american people to be able to get the kind of support across the board that they need. perhaps there was some problems, you know, with the videos that came out. people were very suspicious and didn't want to get involved in syria. a lot of "that's not our war, our problem." >> i think you're being kind in the way you're describing their situation. so if you want to support the presiden

national security adviser susan rice is next for our viewers here in the united states. >>> this is gps, the global public square. welcome to all of you in the united states and around the world. i'm fareed zakaria. we have a very important show with two presidents and iran's only jewish member of parliament. we'll start with an exclusive interview with the national security adviser, susan rice, on iran, syria, the middle east and more. >>> then the terror attack in kenya, somalia terror-based group carried it out. i'll talk to that country's president who says al shabaab is not just a threat to somalia or kenya, but the entire world. i will talk to president ghoul of turkey, which is, of course, syria's neighbor. in iran's delegation to the u.n. was the only jewish member of parliament. we tracked him down and i talked to him. but before we get to all that, hew eris my take. hassan rowhani presents himself as a striking contrast to his predecessor. for the past year, the president of iran has held a breakfast meeting with a small group of journalists. in recent years that had become a

critics saying the plan to dispatch susan rice to tomorrow, should be making a case for the strike on syria, and alsos on an anniversary of the 9/11 attack and the anniversary of the benghazi. he says this is not the time to send her to make anyone's case yet there she shall be. what do you make of this? >> a very bad optic. is it an arrogant move by the administration to have susan rice come over, who was promoted to national security adviser as she just blatantly misled the american people about what happened in benghazi a year ago to the day. so if you're sending susan rice, doesn't seem you're serious about benghazi, and also affects your credibility as far as talking about what happened in syria. it really -- is she deceiving the members of congress? that's a horrible move to have susan rice try to are kick late- -- articulate your point on the anniversary of four americans being abandoned and losing their lives. >> neil: i'm thinking how ineffective the administration has been in making its case to strike syria. whatever people's views on the subject, since the president has bee

susan rice joins the president at the summit. tracie potts is live in washington. good morning. what is the president hoping to accomplish on this trip? >> reporter: he's hoping in sweden to get some good discussion going on climate change. and security and trade. those are going to be the focus. and he did touchdown in sweden within the last hour. we watched high school president obama arrived in stockholm for those meetings and we'll hear from him in just a you few hours at a joint news conference with the prime minister. from there, he heads to russia to st. petersburg for the g-20 summit where the official topic will be the economy, you but unofficialubut unofficially, issues surrounding syria and whether the u.s. and other countries may strike regarding chemical weapons. that is really going to be the big issue. the president is going there to answer some questions and also trying to garner support especially from countries like france that have shown an interest in possibly joining the united states in this. another big question for the president from world leaders there,

brian williams returns and his guest will inkwlooirnd susan rice. >>> still ahead at 5:00, a billionaire in trouble. allegations of conspiracy on the water and new trouble for oracle ceo larry ellison's team. >>> and i want everybody to have the same equal playing field. and i'm going to make it possibe. >> he treats his students differently because he wants them to succeed. how a south bay teacher is providing them with the skills to get into college while saving their parents thousands of dollars. >>> plus -- >> i'm scott budman. fashion goes hi-tech. coming up, how pininthe rest lets designers share their creations with their fans. >>> and good afternoon. i'm jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center, sunshine today and a gorgeous day throughout the santa clara valley and plenty of blue sky. full details in that seven-day forecast on what's to come in a major warmup. >>> next monday, the city of san brew no will mark the third anniversary of the tragic explosion and fire that killed people but the mayor says rebuilding is far from complete. the city says almost half of the 38 ho

fareed's full interview with susan rice airs sunday morning, that's at 10:00 a.m. eastern. also at 1:00 p.m. eastern. you'll want to see it. let's bring in our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. this is historic dramatic stuff we're seeing. >> no question. after all the disappointment earlier in the week about the handshake that wasn't, now we have the surprise phone call. it truly was a surprise. we only got word via president rowhani's twitter feed even before the president was able to announce it. it came at the last moment, the president calling president rowhani on the way to the airport, the first communication of its kind since 1979. it was just a 15-minute phone call, but one that was 34 years in the making. >> the very fact that this was the first communication between an american and iranian president since 1979 underscores the deep ms. trust between our countries, but also indicates the prospect of moving beyond that difficult history. >> reporter: the prospect of reaching an agreement on iran's nuclear program seemed out of reach just weeks ago.

you heard susan rice there. just amazing. giving us the details of how this actually went down. 15-minute phone call with translation. i'm going to say that's probably five minutes, maybe seven if you're lucky. just having listened to the farsi translations over time. focused mostly on the nuclear issue in terms of the content. should the president have had the conversation directly? >> i think it was a great conversation to have. and i think it is part of a broader effort. where you see the united states using tough sanctions, the threat of force to get diplomatic leverage and then get the opening for diplomatic opportunities. >> chris, what do you think? talking, you would think is never a bad thing. except for what matters most is is there substance to the talks. could it be a mistake to have the president directly involved? once he is directly involved, the ball stops there. there is nowhere else for it to stop. and anything he says becomes a real negotiating point. a real promise. a real commitment. >> you're right. this

refers include susan rice -- --efers include james rice susan rice, james clapper, and martin dempsey. then rice commented on seriousness of the situation at the new america foundation earlier today. this is about 45 minutes. >> hello, everybody. i am the very new president of the new america foundation. i have been here a week and i have already come to appreciate the enormous work that goes into setting up an event like this one. thanks to all of our teams. since all of you are here to see ambassador rice, since she has kindly helped us gather you, i cannot go without a love for the weekly long, our new digital magazine. sign up for that on your way out. it's a great pleasure to be will to introduce susan rice, the national security advisor. she became national security advisor in july, the first woman to her deposition in a democratic administration. she moved back to the white house after four very successful years as u.n. ambassador. she was on the frontlines of what seemed like a steady series of national security and global security crises, in north korea, iran, libya, sudan, m

national security advisor susan rice addressing syria. let's listen in. >> today, i want to take this opportunity to explain why syria's use of chemical weapons is a serious threat to our national security. and why it is in our national interests to undertake limited military action to deter future use. there's no denying what happened on august 21st. around 2:30 in the morning, while most of damascus was still asleep, assad's forces loaded warheads, filled with deadly chemicals onto rockets and launched them into suburbs controlled or contested by opposition forces. they unleashed hellish chaos and terror on a massive scale. innocent civilians were jolted awake, choking on poison. some never woke up at all. in the end, more than 1400 were dead, more than 400 of them children. in recent days, we've been shocked videos from gutta and other neighbors near damascus. as a parent, i cannot look at those pictures, those little children laying on the ground, their eyes glassy, their bodies twitching and not think of my own two kids. i can only i

you saw the president's national security adviser, susan rice. you saw the u.n. ambassador, samantha power speaking there as well, making the case about chemical weapons in particular, how alleged chemical weapons use is a qualitatively different matter for the united states than anything else that has been going on in syria's horrible civil war. the president for his part tonight, you heard savannah ask him about the congressional vote on using military force in syria, the president saying i would not say that i am confident about that vote. things are moving so fast now. things moved on this so fast today that you actually have to note that that interview was done before the senate postponed its vote. the senate tonight decided to postpone its vote. they had been due to vote on the syria issue wednesday. that plan changed today after all the options on the table seemed to change. now that russia and syria have unexpectedly pounced on john kerry's remark that syria might avoid a u.s. military strike by handing over and destroying all its chemical weapons, now th

susan rice is now giving guidance on syria. she said today in action in syria will embolden north korea and iran. this anyway we can keep such trite out of the mouth of u.s. officials forevermore? >> i think there's a credibility problem they have created themselves and i think susan rice was doing her best to address it. i feel when you look around and remember they are the two key people pushing and pushing on doing something about libya. hasn't turned out so well. now she is a different position, she will be much more careful about what she is saying. she didn't have a choice today. >> i do think what this shows is lame-duck status of president obama begins today and the coronation of the secretary clinton begins tomorrow. lou: who will have much more on the lame-duck status as we will ask her to stick around. we would like her to stick around. thank you. presence push for the strike against syria will take up with the congressman was among the very first to demand this vote that approaches on capitol hill. >> a triple digit

susan rice is now giving guidance on syria. she said today in action in syria will embolden north korea and iran. this anyway we can keep such trite out of the mouth of u.s. officials forevermore? >> i think there's a credibility problem they have created themselves and i think susan rice was doing her best to address it. i feel when you look around and remember they are the two key people pushing and pushing on doing something about libya. hasn't turned out so well. now she is a different position, she will be much more careful about what shis saying. she didn't have a choice today. >> i do think what this shows is lame-duck status of president obama begins today and the coronation of the secretary clinton begins tomorrow. lou: who will have much more on the lame-duck status as we will ask her to stick around. we would like her to stick around. thank you. presence push for the strike against syria will take up with the congressman was among the very first to demand this vote that approaches on capitol hill. >> a triple digit r

. >> it was just monday that susan rice, the former u.s. ambassador to the united nations said the russians cannot be trusted to support security council actions. >> let's be realistic. it's just not going to happen. >> now, the president is losing votes on capitol hill, so he's put stock in the russian proposal and dispatched kerry to geneva to meet sergey lavrov. >> it wasn't until lavrov put forward a proposal to act on the need to secure syria's chemical weapons and ultimately, destroy them, that that avenue was opened. >> while the president paused to reflect on the 9/11 anniversary, the debate over syria was not far away. a 15-year-old girl who lost her uncle on 9/11 used some of her time at a remembrance in new york city to make this plea. >> we love you and miss you very much and president obama, please do not bring us another war. >> in his old remarks at the pentagon, the president again repeated he understands the nation is war weary. >> let us have the wisdom to know that while force is at times necessary, force alone cannot bui

>> including one today, including the white house, we had with the national security advisor susan rice. and president obama took questions from the congressional black caucus. this is an important decision to the american interest i'm a new member and i take my decision very seriously. >> what are they going to give you for information now? what will win over your decision at this point, what have you not heard? >> my focus has been on three areas, is first is there not a coalition much partners? why is american acting without partners? what is the cost? i have an air force base in my district where thousands of people have been laid off. many who are taking furlough days and cuts in their pay, and this is money that is going to be diverted from other parts of the department of defense budget. and the third concern and probably the most important one is what are the objectives after the strike? obviously, the underlying issue here is the civil war in syria. that is not going to be addressed from a strike alone. and we want to hear from the president, what the long term strategy is in s

i think this issue on susan rice, frankly, is petty. at this point she is the national security advisor. se is talking on behalf of the president of the united states. i think that's her role. frankly, the one that must change hearts and minds of congress and the american people is president barack obama. >> l.j., the representatives said the credibility here goes beyond just this syria crisis. what do you make? do you agree it goes beyond the syria crisis and there is a credibility problem? >> i think that this entire conversation, the messaging of all of this has been bad in most part. i agree it should have happened two years ago. when he was saying things that this guy needs to go, assad needs to no. he should have been educating the american people and working with congress about why he felt that way. last year when we knew there were chemical weapons being used, that conversation should have happened. at this point what he is doing now is scrambling for the most part. it makes the messaging even more clouded. i agree with ana. he

ambassador susan rice. [ applause ] >> good afternoon, everyone. let me begin both by thanking ann marie for your kind words and your invitation to be here today and apologize to alloff for the late start. if i eve learned anything in my new job is that i'm not the master of my own schedule anymore. anne marie, i was to thank you for your principles leadership, both in government where we worked together so closely, now at the new america foundation. i wanted to commend you and your colleagues here for the many contributions you make to our national security discourse, including on the challenge that brings us together today. in response to bashar al assad's barbaric use of chemical weapons against syrian people, president obama after careful consideration has decided it's in the national security interest of the united states to conduct limited, military strikes against the syrian regime. president obama has asked congress for its support in this action. pause in a democracy, our policies are stronger, more effective, and more sustainable when the

a pro pose sal that susan rice, secretary of state john kerry and other top officials on monday were saying, basically, it would never work, it's unreasonable, but by tuesday when the president addressed the nation and then the last 48 hours the administering has been pushing the proposal because right now, without votes on capitol hill to approve the use of military force, the president doesn't have another way out just yet. so, what they did at the briefing was say a number of things. number one, shot become a little at putin and said, at least there's freedom of expression and promotion of human rights here in america. that's while he ways allowed to even write the op-ed, and jay carney was trying to say that vladimir putin, by writing this, has now taken ownership of this issue and is putting russian prestige on the line. so if he doesn't follow through on getting a deal with the syrians, it's going to be a big blow to russia you. see them trying to offload the onus of the from the obama administration to the putin administration. jay carny says it's not a bad thing for the presi

the letter addressed to national security adviser, susan rice, includes a series of questions that must be answered before they can make any decision. >> what if there is retaliation against turkey or israel? what would the u.s. be required to do in that case? >> they are not alone. other bay area democrats want to know more of the facts and any alternative. >> i think it's not a slam dunk. he says in the last few months, thanks to nsa surveillance and syria, lawmakers on the right and left are pushing back. >> it's an extraordinary coalition. >> as for letter, brady says it's good for public policy. >> asking very good questions, and that they are doing what elective representatives should do, which is to ask the hard questions of the administration. >> questions he says the administration should offer. >>> 73% of the bay area believe that syria did carry out a chemical attack on its own people. the bay area is split about what the u.s. should do about that. 23% say we should stay out of it. 30% say we should. >> the america's races haven't started and the defending champs are behind.

he's going to be left alone, kind of similar to what happened to susan rice. you have the president unable to communicate with his own party and gather the support he needs. now you have him unable to get the support of key allies. i mean, this is sort of like a man without a country in a way. he's going to be forced into unilateral action, plus he can't rely and count on the most trusted people around him because it's like a leaky sieve. it's unbelievable how much information is coming out. and it must be people that don't support him because the comments and leaks as you say are not flattering. >> one of the things, andrea, people who work in the white house support the president. they understand he has the right to change his mind. if he did change his mind, which is what it sounds like after thinking it through he decided to change, but how did you think the vote will go in congress? there was a report earlier about the misreading of the congress and the mood of the congress in this. do you think that mccain and graham can be persuasive with enough republi

five republican senators, and on monday susan rice, national security advic adviser will be g a speech. richelle? >> a great wrap up, we have an intense few days ahead. >>> according to a new gallup poll support for action abroad has decreased since prior engagement. only 36% favor military action in syria and 51% oppose. stay with us for the latest on this story. we'll have th president obama's address on tuesday. >>> today millions are still unbuild employed. the market is still on the mend. >> five years ago this month america and the world edged to the economic abyss. on september 7, 2008, warning sirens sounded when the government took over fannie mae and freddie mac. financial titans were macing big bets on the homing prices. one week later lehman brothers collapsed triggering a global freeze on credit followed by a government takeover by aig. overnight the recession became a global crisis. >> this is what brought us to the brink of collapse. >> all because we got a house we couldn't afford? >> congress was forced with one choice, bail out the very banks that led the economy into

susan rice is giving a speech here in washington all ahead of tuesday's address from the white house. full court press here from the administration. >> paul, thank you so much. stay with anger for the latest on this story. we'll have live coverage of president obama's address to the american people tuesday night primetime. >>> australia's prime minister kevin rudd has conceded defeat in the country's national election. >> i gave it my all, but it was not enough for us to win. >> rudd lost to conservative challenger tony abbott. his defeat ends six years of labour party rule. >> this was of course a comprehensive victory for the parties led by right of center tony abbott. i think disunity in the labour party has really branded the party in the eyes of the country. he took over the top job an then lost it to his deputy and then took it over again. voters thought if the labour party can't even run themselves how can they run the country? where happens now? tony abbott said he wants to slim down the straight. kevin rudd had a strong track record on foreign policy. tony abbott didn't. he s

susan rice spoke at a think tank today. we showed you that. we will be showing reaction. now it is time to hear your voices. lois, pennsylvania, democrats line. in favor.t issue.ve it is a you a u.n. >> joe, las vegas. >> i do not believe we should be going in alone. i do not have faith in this president. he lied about benghazi, fast and furious, but i do not trust him. if it was possible to get you .n. backing, that is a different story, and to go it alone, i do not back that. it is a heinous act what happened in syria, and if we cannot get the u.n. to access, but to go alone with this president, i cannot go for that. it makes no sense. >> thank you for calling in. a member of the house intelligence to midi, came to the stake out earlier. here are his remarks. >> hi. where do you think things stand with regard to trying to convince house republicans? you were at the white house today. >> basically -- let me just turn this thing off -- sorry. the white house and met with denis mcdonough, and it is going to be difficult to move individual members of congress. others who su

we'll start with an exclusive interview with the national security adviser, susan rice, on iran, syria, the middle east and more. >>> then the terror attack in kenya, somalia terror-based group carried it out. i'll talk to that country's president who says al

you were just watching susan rice making the case for limited strikes on syria as president obama launches a full-court press from dropping in on dinners with republicans to dispatching top officials to help make the case including former secretary of state hillary clinton. today the syrian foreign minister said assad regime welcomed an initiative first kboed by lavrov calling to surrender all chemical weapons to international control. in an interview with cbs news bashar al assad remained defiant. >> the government is not the only player in this region. you can different parties, different factions. you have everything in this region. you have to expect that. >> tell me what you mean by expect everything. >> expect every action. >> 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

the president was briefed on what has happened in geneva by his national security adviser susan rice. he called the u.n. ambassador and also the secretary of state john kerry to learn more about what had happened in geneva, and to congratulate john kerry on the progress that had been achieved with the russians. after that the president went and played golf on what is a gorgeous day here in washington. >> what does this mean for the president going forward. to go where the president was just a couple of saturdays ago saying he thought military action was the way to go. he was going to go to congress to try to get that, and now where he is now, what does this mean for the president? >> there are going to be very mixed reactions to what has happened here. i think there will be some who will applaud the president for his flexibility, and for stepping back from the brink and avoiding that military action, which the u.s. public was simply not enamored over, they were distraught over the idea of additional u.s. military action. but there will be undoubted be others who feel that the presiden

national security advisor susan rice met just yesterday with the president of somalia at the white house. and now we learn americans are caught up in this. did the terrorists, and i don't want to use this in a bad phrase, but it is kind of how it is, but almost get lucky, or did they go after our people, ambassador? >> i don't think we can tell at this point. that mall is upscale is the word people use, and that is a euphemism for a place where uh the lo of expats go, foreigners living in nairobi and the more wealthy kenyans. if you are going to attack a target in nairobi and designed to get maximum international attention, this would be the thing to go after. the fact that al-shabab was able to plan and execute an attack like this is significant. up until now there were kidnappings and hostage takings from resorts on the kenyan coast for the european tourists primarily. but this is much more extensive and much more threatening for kenya as a whole. i don't know if you heard from the administration. they were condemning the united states and condemning this attack and wanted to reach out

. >> reporter: president obama, briefed by national security adviser susan rice issued a statement welcoming the agreement and saying again the threat of u.s. military force opened the way to a diplomatic solution. in his weekly media address the president pledged to follow both courses. >> we will maintain our military posture in the region to keep the pressure on the assad regime. >> reporter: but the white house gave up on including force as part of a u.n. position. they cited russia's opposition reiterated by lavrov again today. >> translator: of course in this approach if we don't there is nothing said about the use of force. >> reporter: today john mccain and lindsey graham said the plan is meaningless without a u.s. threat of force and does nothing to resolve the underlying civil war. privately the russians told the u.s. they are speaking for assad. that remains to be seen. secretary kerry already had to call turkey's prime minister today after they slammed the agreement for letting assad off the hook. u.s. officials say they expect delays if this works eliminating syria's huge stockp

rice and james clapper all on a conference call to make sure they're on board. members of the white house work both sides of the aisle for their support. >> congress returns to work next monday but i understand there are meetings that are taking place ahead of what's going to lap in the full session of coming. >> that's right. the senate foreign relations committee begins the debate for the resolution of action against syria. that is going to be live webcast so we'll be able to follow along with that. the day after they'll hold a closed secret meeting, the top of a series of meetings all going to be debating what this resolution is, what the final form of it may be. and again voicin voicing congrel skepticism for the president's plan so far. >> and paul with regards to the comments outside the beltway, are you finding that the people there, the people who are not part of capitol hill mirror what is being said in these polls now? >> again that's right. the polls that you mentioned, polls have shown broad american skepticism, getting involved in syria, if congress

susan rice who has been more forceful behind the scenes on taking action, gave a speech just earlier today at a think task and started to layout a stronger case that america needs to do this to put its money where its mouth is an send strong signals on behalf of its allies to iran and north korea you can't use weapons of mass destruction. when is he said we need to tie this into stronger better objectives in the middle east, i think they are going to try to say we're not doing this to send a shot across the bow but for a stronger objective and that's something the public needs to hear. >> let's say congress does vote this down. we decide not to take military action and syria does in fact use chemical weapons again. then what? is that a big i told you so from the administration? >> i think the administration would be badly weakened if we got anywhere near that place. they are looking for ways so that doesn't play out. they are not talking about hypotheticals right now but they feel confidently. i walked out of the white house briefing a short time ago, inaction would create greater in

that was of course susan rice who's the national security adviser to the president making the case for military action toward syria. after introducing and fighting hard for a compromise bill to expand background checks on gun sales last april, we know here joe manchin is forging an alternative on military action in syria. joined right now by freshman democrat from north dakota heidi heitkamp on that. giving diplomacy one last chance. gives assad 45 days to sign an international chemical weapons ban or face the threat of all elements of u.s. military power. requires president obama to provide congress a diplomatic plan to end the violence in syria. compels him to build more international support before striking syria. both have announced thafr intentions to vote no on the current resolution to authorize the president to use military force. senator joe manchin joins us right now. thank you. let me just go through where you stand. do you deny there's any question or do you believe there's any question about whether saddam hussein used chemical weapons and he ordered the action? >> you mea

then at 12:30, national security adviser susan rice will deliver remarks and former secretary of state hillary clinton will make public remarks at 1:00 p.m. at 2:00, the senate where the president has the most support for military action convenes. at 3:00 p.m., the house armed services and intelligence committees will hold their own briefings. also this afternoon, the president will sit down for interviews with nbc and five other networks, hoping to blitz the american air waves at dinner time tonight. but it was this morning where syria's bashar al assad got the jump on the propaganda database, warning against any action with cbs' charlie rose. >> they didn't present anything. nothing so far. not a single shred of evidence. the united states is an all low time -- their credibility is at an all-time low. >> and assad didn't mince words about how he would react to u.s. involvement in his country's civil war. >> should expect everything, should expect everything. >> tell me what you mean by expect everything. >> expect every action. >> including chemical warfare? >> that depends. >> nbc's

he's going to be left alone, kind of similar to what happened to susan rice. you have the president unable to communicate with his own party and gather the support he needs. now you have him unable to get the support of key allies. i mean, this is sort of like a man without a country in a way. he's going to be forced into unilateral action, plus he can't rely and count on the most trusted people around him because it's like a leaky sieve. it's unbelievable how much information is coming out. and it must be people that don't support him because the comments and leaks as you say are not flattering. >> one of the things, andrea, people who work in the white house support the president. they understand he has the right to change his mind. if he did change his mind, which is what it sounds like after thinking it through he decided to change, but how did you think the vote will go in congress? there was a report earlier about the misreading of the congress and the mood of the congress in this. do you think that mccain and graham can be persuasive with enough republi

this has nothing to do with the death of ambassador stephens. >> susan rice or whoever. we don't know who is responsible for lying to the american people. you may be comfortable with the american people being told a deliberate lie about the administration, but i'm not and i think we need to get to the bottom of it. why was no effort made to save those american people? >> it does not speak to the heart of the issue. >> this is not over as evidenced by the emotions at this table one year later. >> one more thing. going around this table here, think of the list of questions that remain unanswered to this day are what make this deal a legitimate topic for conversation, and a mean one, i'm sorry to say, that this is simply not over. >> it's gone, baby. it's in your head. that's about the only place. >> thank you, panel. see you next week. remember our discussion continues. that was really quite a terrific conversation. it continues every sunday on panel plus. you can find it on our website, foxnewscenter.com. we'll continue this discussion. actually, brit is going to be in ch

that was of course susan rice who's the national security adviser to the president making the case for military action toward syria. after introducing and fighting hard for a compromise bill to expand background checks on gun sales last swilz, we know here joe manchin is forging an alternative on military action in syria. joined right now by freshman democrat from north dakota heidi hinecamp on that. giving diplomacy one last chance. gives assad 45 days to sign an international chemical weapons ban or face the threat of all elements of u.s. military power. requires president obama to provide congress a diplomatic plan to end the violence in syria. compels him to build more international support before striking syria. both have announced thafr intentions to vote no on the current resolution to authorize the president to use military force. senator joe manchin joins us right now. thank you. let me just go through where you stand. do you deny there's any question or do you believe there's any question about whether saddam hussein used chemical weapons and he ordered the action? >> you mea

. >> susan rice said many times that rwanda continues to haunt her. the u.s. inaction on that. doug, in terms of putting this in a broader spectrum of the obama presidency and his circle of advisers, i think melissa is right to point out samantha power and susan rice and their sort of posture as humanitarian interventionists. i think we would also say if we look at all the issues on the president's plate right now, i do not think the president imagined he would be the president who would be credited with expanding the surveillance state, with getting potentially america involved in another middle eastern country. these things seem almost antithetical to who he is. >> if you read president obama's nobel prize speech, it was tough and it was ballsy. he spoke as an anti-terror hawk while accepting the nobel peace prize. he's the president who killed osama bin laden, he's been called the drone president. he is very vigilant on trying to make the world a safer place. but i think the moment of him being conflicted has to end. i'm getting calls from reporters doing stories, this the i

rice. the president also i should a written statement, in which he welcomed these developments, but also warned if diplomacy fails, the united states remains prepared to act. those words reinforced by his statement from the pentagon, saying that the u.s. force posture in the region remains unchanged. there is mixed reaction from capitol hill, democratic leaders reacting positively to the framework agreement, but two prominent republican senators, john mccain and lindsey graham are blasting it, saying it is an act of weakness, emboldening iran in its quest for nuclear weapons. they say vladamir putin and bashar al assad are leading the u.s. down a diplomatic blind alley and that assad will continue to delay and deceive, in their words. they maintain that this agreement does nothing to address the underlying problem of the conflict in syria, which has cost more than 100,000 lives and created an enormous refugee problem. >> egypt's transitional period is on today's agenda. interim president is

we've heard john kerry overseas, susan rice, the national security adviser here at the white house has a speech later this afternoon. she'll be meetin meeting with ky voting block with the congressional black caucus. and right now they're playing catch up. >> what if, and that is the question arising at this hour. what if the white house fails to get authorization from congress, will they go it alone? >> that's a speculative question, but i'll indulge you, there is historical precedence here. a lot of this depends on the procedure in the senate. will it be filibustered? will it get the required 60 votes? right now it looks like it will require 60 votes. will they have the votes then? if the senate passes it, and it does not pass in the house then when does the president do? there is precedence there as well in 1998. the senate authorized strikes n.a.t.o. campaign over the skies of kosovo. the house failed and the bombing went ahead any way. the president has a lot on the line in terms of foreign policies, credibility. >> and there are developments taking place overseas. today russia sa