Announcing the principles that will be guiding our translation of it into legislation. Weve still got a lot of hard work ahead, but im very pleased with the progress. Frankly youre announcing this week . Yeah, well be senator menendez and i and senator schumer, senator graham, senator durbin and some we are weve been working together for some weeks now. Well be coming forward. Its not that much different from what we tried to do in 2007. Martha, whats changed is honestly is that there is a new i think appreciation on both sides of the aisle, including maybe more importantly on the republican side of the aisle, that we have to enact a comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. Weve been so this is comprehensive. Its not piecemeal. Yeah, this piecemeal stuff, the way the senate works, very briefly, is that you bring up one section of it, someone has an amendment that brings up another part of it. Weve seen a lot of that lately. Weve definitely seen a lot of that lately. But what about a path to citizenship . That has to be also part of it, but from my perspective also, and im sure senator menendez understands as senator schumer and durbin do that my state, most of the drugs now coming across the Mexican Border into the United States comes through across the arizona sonora border, so border enforcement is very important. We have made progress on border enforcement. Theres been significant improvements but still have a ways to go, but im confident, guardedly optimistic, that this time we can get it done. Citizenship is obviously the most controversial aspect for some of your republican colleagues, and youve gone back and forth. In 2005 you were for it. By 2010 you wanted Border Security first and, quote, certainly no amnesty, so youre solidly behind a pathway to citizenship. How do you convince some of those republicans who are not behind it . Well, first of all, ive always been for Border Security. I mean, there are citizens in my state who do not live in a secure environment. We live in a pretty secure environment here, certainly in the senate, weve got guards and theres people every night in the part the southern part of my state that have drug traffickers and people going across, the guns. So how do you convince republicans about the path to citizenship . Well, look, ill give you a little straight talk. Look at the last election. Look at the last election. We are losing dramatically the hispanic vote, which we think should be ours for a variety of reasons, and weve got to understand that. Second of all, this we cant go on forever with 11 Million People living in this country in the shadows in an illegal status. We cannot forever have children who were born here who were brought here by their parents when they were small children to live in the shadows, as well. So i think the time is right. By the way, we just acted to avert a Nuclear Option in the senate. Believe it or not, i see some glimmer of bipartisanship out there. How about weve got president obama out this week also pushing a plan. Yes. Does that help, hurt . I think it helps. I think its important that we all Work Together on this. I think it can be helpful, and i look forward to sitting down. Im sure we will, the group of us who are working on this legislation with the president and the white house and our colleagues on the other side of the capitol. I want to move to benghazi. Obviously the hearings this week. Some very contentious part of those hearings. Uhhuh. What were you really trying to accomplish in that . You knew a lot of the answers. All the senators knew a lot of the answers because of the accountability review board. So what were you looking for there . Well, first of all, we dont know a lot of the answers. We dont know why the president and the secretary of state ignored the warnings. Why didnt the secretary of state who said she was, quote, cleareyed about it, not see the cable that came on august 15th that said, the consulate cannot stand a sustained attack on the consulate. Why wasnt the department of defense assets there . Seven hours that went on. Some of those questions were answered whats that . Some of the questions have come out of pentagon and have been answered about why it took so long. Actually not satisfactory. How on september 11th, of all days, with all these warnings didnt we have assets there for seven hours to theres so many questions that so this is not over in your mind at all, not over. What did the president do during this period of time . Theres two movies been made about getting bin laden with every ticktock of heavy minute. We still dont know what the president was doing, but more importantly, martha, more importantly than that, very quickly, is whats happening all over north africa . Whats happening in the middle east . Things are deteriorating in a rapid fashion, and its because of a lack of american leadership. Deteriorating certainly in north africa. A lot of presence of al qaeda. Iraq, syria. Lets go to syria and talk about syria. I actually spoke to secretary of defense leon panetta last week about syria, and he had some pretty alarming things to say. He basically said those shells that the u. S. Knew they were loading, artillery shells are still sitting there loaded with chemical weapons. Take a listen to this. Well, theyd have to obviously decide whether theyre going to put them on planes or try to load them into artillery, you know, weapons of one kind or another. There are different ways to deploy this stuff. Are you talking about minutes, hours . I think it you know, its the kind of thing that would still take a matter of hours to be able to do it. That, the red line for the obama administration. Yeah. But you have really backed arming the rebels and a nofly zone. Yes, the rebels are i mean, bashar assad is being supplied by the russians and the iranians with Iranian Revolutionary guard on the ground with weapons. Everything that the opponents of intervening in syria said would happen if we did have now happened because we havent. The president said its a red line, the use of chemical weapons. Bashar will use that as a green light for everything less than that. 60,000 have been killed. How do you know who the rebels are . How do you know i met them. You met them all. No, but ive certainly met enough to know who they are, but the sad news is that as every day goes by, more and more jihadists gain more influence and theres more and more of their presence which is going to make the postbashar assad situation even more and more complicated. The jihadists are pouring in there, so, of course, i know who they are. Just quickly, tell me quickly, chuck hagel, does he have your backing now . You met with him this week. No, but i want to see what happens in the hearing, and i think it would be important to make a judgment after that. Are you closer than you were before . You had specific concerns. Did he answer those concerns . Not really. We had a very, i think, a good conversation. Weve been friends for many years. So well see what happens in the hearings here. Big news this week on lifting the ban for women in combat. Uhhuh. Are you a supporter of that, or are you a little worried no, no, i support it. I think women are obviously are prepared to serve side by side with men in combat. I just want to emphasize, though, there should be the same physical and mental standards for anyone to perform certain roles and functions in the military. And they say there will be. How about Selective Service . Women . I was just going to say, i think we ought to grapple with that one. Maybe maybe well draft you first, martha. Okay. Ill volunteer before that. Thank you so much for joining us, senator mccain. And we turn now to new jersey democratic senator robert menendez, who presided over the hearings for secretary of state nominee john kerry, and should kerry be confirmed, is set to become chairman of the Senate Foreign relations committee. Welcome, senator menendez. Thank you for joining us. Whats your reaction to what senator john mccain just said . I mean, obviously youve been working with him and know in terms of immigration. I dont think youve been working together on some of that other stuff so much. Well, i think john said it well. I am cautiously optimistic, and as someone who has spent years between the house and the senate, trying to get comprehensive Immigration Reform, im cautiously optimistic. I see the right spirit. I see things that were once off the table for agreement and discussion being on the table with a serious pathway forward. Of course, it will have the enhancement of the Border Security. Weve done already a lot with more customs agents. We have more border patrol. We have more physical impediment than any time in history but using greater technology, focusing our resources in a better way is something that well achieve. Looking at making sure employers dont hire individuals who are undocumented, thinking about future flows and how we take care of the American Economy by that. But also very clearly having a pathway to earned legalization is an essential element, and i think that we are largely moving in that direction as an agreement. What do you want . Senator mccain said its helpful that president obama is out on the road. What do you want to hear from him . How committed is he to getting this done . He also wants gun control. Right. Well, i was at the white house on friday with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus leadership, and the president made it very clear in that discussion that this was a top legislative priority for him in this session of the congress and that he expects to work with all of us in an effort to achieve the goal, and hes fully committed to it, and i think thats why this week he starts the clock by the speech hes going to make out in las vegas. And that pathway to citizenship, that has to be in there . Absolutely. Latino voters in first of all, americans support it in poll after poll. Secondly, latino voters expect it. Thirdly, democrats want it, and, fourth, republicans need it. Shouldnt the president have invited some republicans to that meeting in the white house . Well, it was the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. I know, but isnt there a way to find some republicans he could invite into the white house . I know theres in his first term he invited a very large crosssection of democrats and republicans, and i think he understands the unique role that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus plays in the question of Immigration Reform, and thats why he wanted to hear from that leadership, but i am sure that those bipartisan meetings will take place and, most importantly, i am really pleased by the nature of the bipartisan meetings that we are having with a group of six senators, three democrats, three republicans, and i understand a similar process is taking place in the house. Thats Real Movement forward. If you think about it, martha, at one time pathway to earned legalization was off the table. We were talking about sending people back as touchbacks if they had any opportunity, thats not really being discussed. Were making very significant progress. Let me move also on to benghazi. Do you think this is over . John mccain clearly does not think this issue is put to bed. Well, look, i think that i dont know how much more can be said about the realities of what happened in benghazi. We have the administrative review board. They made it very clear. Secretary clinton then what were you trying to get at . Took responsibility. Well, first of all did she make mistakes . My republican colleagues insisted on having that hearing before we could move on to senator kerrys nomination. And i thought it was important to hear from the secretary to close the chapter. Where, in fact, she is moving forward as she said on those 29 recommendations by the administrative review board, how do we change the lines of authority within the state department so that its very clear who is responsible for embassy security, how do we change which they said theyve implemented most of them. Absolutely, and thats very important so that, in fact, there are very clear lines of division. Also, how do we make sure, in fact, we look at intelligence in a different context. There doesnt have to be a specific threat. But we look at the environment in any place in the world where our Foreign Services are operating. I wanted to move on to chuck hagel, as well, and his nomination. Do you support chuck hagel . Is he the right man to be defense secretary . I have a meeting with senator hagel this week. I look forward to asking him a series of questions about israel, about iran as the major sponsor of the iran sanctions in the senate. I am concerned about some of the comments he has made about sanctions in the past. I think its our best peaceful diplomacy tool to try to get the iranians to ensure we have no Nuclear Weapons which we cannot accept from iran and i support the president s view that its not and you expect he will be confirmed . Well see. I think that theres been enough senators who have said they would support him, but well see. Of course, theres the hearings. That always, you know, gives us an insight, and i look forward to his personal answers to a series of my questions. I want to go in the end here just something very quickly happening in your home state between newark mayor cory booker and 89yearold senator frank lautenberg, who basically suggested this week that booker deserved a spanking because he was coveting his seat. Do you agree with that . Should cory booker be making moves now . You know, that election is next year, and all of the back and forth now is something im really not focused on. Is booker being disrespectful . You know, thats a question for senator lautenberg and mayor booker. Because youre clearly not going to answer it. Thank you very much for joining us, senator menendez. Up next, our powerhouse roundtable with instant analysis of senators mccain and menendez plus, will we get a democratic super bowl matchup in 2016 . Hillary clinton versus joe biden . And the Senate Investigates zero dark thirty. The films screenwriter is here to respond. Well be right back. Were sitting on a bunch of shale gas. Theres natural gas under my town. Its a game changer. It means cleaner, cheaper americanmade energy. But weve got to be careful how we get it. Design the wells to be safe. Thousands of jobs. Use the most advanced technology to protect our water. Billions in the economy. At chevron, if we cant do it right, we wont do it at all. Weve got to think long term. Weve got to think long term. Some of our peers on the other side expressed their ambitions for your future. I salute you and look ahead to 2016 wishing you much success and extending to you my highest regards. Madam secretary, first let me thank you for your service, and i wish you the best in your future endeavors mostly. [ laughter ] a little bit of a love fest up there. A lot of speculation over secretary clintons future even during that hearing over benghazi. Well get to that coming up. Our roundtable is here. George will, editor in chief and publisher of the new republic and facebook cofounder chris hughes, democratic strategist donna brazile, Arizona Republican congressman David Schweikert and the host of nprs morning edition, steve inskeep. Welcome, everyone. And i want to start with you, george will, on what youve just heard john mccain talking about saying, im going to give you some straight talk, a path to citizenship has to be included in this. It does, and ill tell you why. The interesting thing, martha, is that this debate is coming to a rolling boil and a moment when for almost two years now net immigration from the south of the United States is approximately zero. We sort of solved the problem. You want to stop immigration, have a huge recession. That will take care of it. Second, what no one can say has been involved in the process but the rest of us have to say over and over again, the 11 million undocumented immigrants are not going home. The American People would not tolerate the police measures necessary to extract from our community a significant portion of them have been here ten years or more. 5 million have had children. Those 5 million children are american citizens. I did the arithmetic. In order to deport 11 Million People would require a line of buses bumper to bumper from san diego to alaska. Its not going to happen, therefore, the question is, how do you get to citizenship . Congressman schweikert, i have a feeling you have something to say on this. Well, you know, and actually being from one of those border states. Arizona where john mccain is from. And senator mccain actually touched on this. If you go to the southern part of my state, i have people who actually live in fear for whats going through literally the back of their house, their property. So the devils ultimately in the details. What will happen to the populations today, but what will happen to our Border Security for those of us who are border states. What will happen in the visa system . Will we actually have a visa system that works that tracks those who go over the state and what does the future look like . Intel just put up a 6 billion plant in my community and were having trouble finding enough electrical engineers for them. Will we move to like great britain, australia, new zealand with a point system so we can bring in the greatest talent from around the world that will grow our economy . Tell me if im wrong, though, congressman, it seems a couple of years ago the question was if there was going to be reform or some kind of change. It seems to me now the question is what form it will take. When i talk with people in your partys leadership in the house which might be the biggest obstacle theyre making moves and so most to prepare for this putting people on the right committees to make sure theyre ready to move some legislation. I guess maybe having been in my state legislature, 20 years ago we were talking about it back then and a lot of it as john mccain pointed out, things have changed, and there was this election, so this does seem to be the time. That also introduces the question of president obamas capacity to lead on this. You know, w