To Grade News Today

If last nights debate was the moment for the underdog candidates, how did they do? who had a strong enough night to get some donor dollars flowing their way. todd graham is our go to guy. hes the debate director. he joins us to grade the performances of the candidates who really had a make or break performance. lets start with cory booker, julian castro and michael bennet. first, the new jersey senator, how did cory booker do? >> he had a decent debate. i thought it was better than his last deba...

Welcome back, everybody. the american people didnt like it. congress didnt like it. hell, members of his own party didnt even like it. the it is president obamas bm-away strategy for syria, but the commander in chief can be tone deaf at tamimes. >> i think that folks here in washington like to grade on style. and so had we rolled out something that was very smooth and disciplined and linear, they would have graded it well, even if it was a disastrous policy. im less concerned about style points....

Would have graded it well, even if it was a disastrous policy. >> would we love to get rid of chemical weapons, yes? but im skeptical this is a game plan that would lead to an outcome. and it looks more like, frankly, an effort to guarantee that assad stays in power. and as i recall, two years ago, the policy of this administration was regime change. >> with some angst on the left and the right about what the president said in that interview with george stephanopoulos. in fact, traditionally, ad...

>> reporter: questions remain though whether the security council will agree on a tough chapter 7 resolution that includes the threat of military force. >> i think its a fact that the russians now have more influence in the middle east as a result of their intervention and the administration buying their solution than they have had since the 1970s. >> reporter: the president is also taking heat from the left. after this claim in an interview that aired sunday on abcs "this week with george steph...

But certainly he did give our president a life line, but that life line was brilliant because it gave him position of top and assad now has got no problem with the rebels. the rebels -- forget it. i was never a big rebel fan to start off with. im trying to figure out who are the rebels. so i dont care about that. but assad now is solidly in control. >> steve: and because it is such a mess over there. george stephanopoulos had a sit down with the president of the united states and essentially cal...

Exactly how they graded the iraq war until -- >> this doesnt change your view of president bush? >> im less concerned about style points. im much more concerned about getting the policy right. >> the policy is worse than the style. what could be worse than our policy? were being scoffed at and laughed at. our country is going to hell. what could be worse than whats happening to this country? our country. >> brian: you run a huge corporation. very successfully. if you had a vice president making ...

Those who may be in similar situations. thank you for being with us today, rebecca. coming up, we have president obama who said the deal in syria was not about getting style points in washington. do you buy that? a man of style, donald trump, is here next. ♪ ♪ mine was earned in djibouti, africa. 2004. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protect...

Work together to deal with these chemical weapons stockpiles and work to try to bring about political transition. >> do you trust he has the same goal? do you trust that? >> i dont think that mr. putin has the same values that we do. i think obviously by protecting mr. assad he has a different attitude about the assad regime. >> you have had some -- a lot of armchair criticism. im sure you are used to that. >> i am. >> senator corker foreign relations committe chairman said you are not comfortab...

Do you buy that? man of style, donald trump, has a lot to say. how do i know? we just talked to him in the hall. hes here live. >> steve: and words of wisdom from americas favorite tv family. >> youve got the table that you eat around and you pray around: weve got the curvy couch. a new member of the family. whats the key? you work with your family every day. whats the key? >> steve: we spent two days with the folks from "duck dynasty." you dont want to miss what happened. "fox & friends" hour t...

He taped an interview that aired earlier today on "this week." >> words like ad hoc, improvised, unsteady come to mind. this is probably the most undisciplined stretch of foreign policy in your presidency. what do you make of that? >> well, i think that folks here in washington like to grade on style. >> and when the president sat down with anchors from nbc, abc, cbs, fox and pbs, the questions signalled a widespread view that his strategy didnt quite seem to add up. >> are we back from the brin...