so given that the opposition is now behind and in a weakened state losing ground, there is no end game from the white house. it isn t to push assad out. and at this point it isn t enough weaponry to regain lost ground from the opposition so that they can be in a position to find a political settlement. now, i want to switch gears for a second and talk about what s going on with the nsa and the surveillance pral. senator mark udall is one of the lawmakers who are calling to limit these programs. let s quickly listen to what he had to say. the key, when the founders wrote the bill of rights, could not only take your property and your treasure, but he could take your life and maybe most precious of all your liberty. i think we owe it to the american people to have a fulsome debate in the open about the extent of these programs. steve, do you think this outcry about civil liberties abuses will change anything? maybe a little bit. if you d asked me three or four days ago, i would ha