Watched. Because many of us have taken issue with the stand your ground and the castle laws we feel could lead to people doing what is wrong to innocent people. This verdict was important to say lets pause and look at these laws. Thanks for watching. Im al sharpton. Hardball starts right now. Back to iraq. Lets play hardball. Good evening. Im Chris Matthews in washington. Let me start with the u. S. Military action right now over iraq. This evening, washington time, president obama sent u. S. Planes into Northern Iraq in order to drop water and Food Supplies to those trapped or threatened by the relentless onslaught ofInsurgent Forces. With the militant Islamic Group isis trapping or threatening many of the religious minorities including thousands of christians in the sinjar mountains of Northern Iraq, the United States has its military planes ready to strike should the group attack either our relief planes or a nearby american consulate. The white house released a photo of president obama and his National Security team in the situation room at the white house. Where is this mission taking us . How long is president obama willing to sustain the attack on the isis militants if they continue the advance . The push to convert or kill any iraqi who comes in their path. Put another way, is there a reason to believe isis will relent, pull back, buckling to the u. S. Superior fire power . If so would we americans need to reenter the countrys combat every time the Insurgent Force went on the move . Those are the questions tonight. One of the political consequences to expect here. Aggressive action by president obama still will encourage the down beat of criticism. His foreign and Security Policy has been taking at home. Lets get the latest from jim miracle at the pentagon. Reporter with isis rebels only days away from seizing the city, u. S. Airplanes are on a air trigger. The u. S. Consulate is there in the city with some 30 to 50 state Department Employees and scores of u. S. Military advisers working there with the Iraqi Military. As american Surveillance Drones scan the battlefield, u. S. Fighter aircraft and bombers are poised to launch air strikes against the isis rebels. If those fighters halt the advance and retreat, american war planes will likely be ordered to hold their fire. If not, the president s order to strike will be carried out. At the same time under a deadly assault from isis islamic militants, up to 40,000 yazidis, a small religious sect, were forced to flee or face execution
if they didnt convert to islam. Mostly women and children sought refuge atop the sinjar mountains but the rebels blocked the roads. With no food or water many died of thirst and starvation. Faced with a massive humanitarian crisis, u. S. Military car go planes with combat escorts are expected to begin air drops of food, water and medicine at daybreak. Thats nbcs jim miracle from t the pentagon. Kristen welker joins us now. Thank you for joining us. This is a big development. The United States is getting back into the war front. Basically check me on this. The president s word is well be there in an alert position ready to act if what . If our consulate is attacked or, what else . What will spring us into action, put us on the attack again in
combat mode. Thats the accurate way to view this, chris. I am told according to Senior Administration officials they are monitoring the movements of the extremist forces who have been moving into the northwestern part of iraq. They have been taking over a number of cities and so the question is will they continue those missouriments . If we see them move to the u. S. Consulate, that could be a trigger for u. S. Action. Youre absolutely right. Military war planes at the ready to begin airstrikes if president obama believes thats what is happening. That the extremist forces are continuing to move north. Based on my conversations here, chris, i can tell you that there is a sense of urgency because they see it as such a dire humanitarian situation. The 40,000 christian minorities who are trapped on that mountain without access to food or water and, of course, the order has gone out to begin the
humanitarian mission. The air drops that will deliver food and water. We expect it to begin at daybreak. Again, the question is will air strikes begin . This president is reluctant to reengage in iraq. He ran on a platform of getting out of iraq. Getting out of of afghanistan. The white house insists there wont be boots on the ground. Based on the president s thinking he sees it similar to libya. This is a humanitarian crisis and hes considering military intervention from the air. Hold on. I have Michael Hanlon here. Is it possible to do a pinprick . Be ready, take a shot across the bow, they move back, do it again. Seems you are opening the door to a sustained commitment here. You are also telegraphing on purpose, clearly, what you will do tomorrow morning which is presumably done for deterrent purposes. They hope isis doesnt want to
pick a fight. Thats questionable. They would to to oh give up on the plan to talk over iraq. We know there is no way we are going in under any american president with tens of thousands of forces. Im not sure isis will lose northwestern iraq even if we start dropping bombs. It could be a prolonged engagement. Do they want the u. S. As an enemy . I dont know. Of course we are a super power, we know that. Is our fire power appropriate to people who are mixed factions moving across the ground, not in regimen tall form. They are moving spo infiltration mode. Youre raising the right question especially for the longer term. There is a short term crisis. Getting food and water to people on the mountains. I dont think there will be a lot of innocent civilians around the mountains to worry about. If you see people shooting at you, shoot back. Riding shotgun on the food supply. Exactly. I think this will go okay. We could lose people. But its unlikely. The harder question is the one you raised over the longer term. How do you help the iraqi state take back western iraq from isis. That has the challenges. A couple of things. Once you hear genocide the producers have raised that it changes the ball game. Because of our history in world war ii americans have been taught what we didnt do in rwand ark. Move when you hear genocide. Is that parlance making the rounds at that time white house, that people are being killed for being the wrong religion . Thats the exact right way to think of it. Genocide was the word that was discussed over and over again today during the Daily Briefing with White House Press secretary josh ernest. He didnt use the word genocide, but in my conversations behind the scenes thats a big concern. Thats why there is this sense
of urgency. Because there is a sense that this could escalate and could turn into genocide. There certainly is urgency to do something. I asked if syria, the president not acting on syria after saying he would. If thats weighing on him as he makes the decision. The response i got was that this humanitarian crisis raises to such an intense level that right now hes focused on that and trying to stem the flow of as many as 40 children who have died and tens of thousands whose lives are at risk now. Chris . This is diverse. There are so many different christian denominations. I wonder if the idea that seeped into our news that christians, per se, were under attack for being christians hasnt aroused the white house in a way to resist acting. I think thats a question they will have to answer. And that question that
specific question, we havent heard the president or Senior Administration officials weigh in on yet. I can tell you that certainly is something thaft was debated. Its something i anticipate the president will ask about if he decides to address this which i anticipate well hear from the president within the next 24 hours. Lets talk about political selfdefense. We know the issue of benghazi has been all over the place. Now that we know american consulate officials, dozens of them, are within striking distance by isis forces why didnt we pull them out . Why are they now exposed to to you. Im sorry. I think the administration, and youre absolutely right about that. There has been increased concern and focus on the consulates around the world in the wake of what happened in benghazi. I think this is a crisis that
escalated relatively quickly in terms of ethnic christians on the mountain top. You will recall several about a month ago, the u. S. Sent advisers to try to deal with what was a growing crisis and whats happened over the past several days is that the crisis has risen to such a level that now the u. S. Feels it has to intervene. I think thats why they didnt remove the forces prosecu s fro consulate yet. They didnt see the extremists getting as close as they have. Thank you for your great reporting. I want to go back to michael for the last question. Do you see a successful pinprick operation . Are we just deluding ourselves again . Once youre in, youre in. You can relieve the suffering of the group on the mountain, think. I hope. I hope without casualties. Delivering food to the mountain. Exactly. The bigger question is, no, its too hard to take back land thats now 5 million people. With this isis group thats growing in strength. As he tens of thousands with pinpricks. We need to help the iraqi army get its mojo back. That wont be possible until there is a new Prime Minister in iraq. As we speak, they are trying to work it out. If they can. Then president obama has a decision. Does he really want to reengage with demandos. Well see. I want to know what happens when you attack a group like isis. You have made them your enemy. They have ways of coming back at us. Thank you kristen and michael. Coming up, political implications of renewed u. S. Involvement in iraq. President obama ran against the war and won the nomination. Others say they are glad we got out. Whats the flaw in going back in. And you heard it last night. President obama hinting he may
take universilateral action. The right wing is working on practiced outrage and a lot of other people, too. Plus, the best kept secret of the 2016 campaign. Health reform is working. Just ask Kentucky GovernorSteve Bashear. Well do it tonight. Allison grimes knows it, too. Dont call it obamacare if youre a democrat. Call it kynect. Kentucky connect. Remember when rand paul took a bite of the ham hamburger and got out of dodge . He didnt like hearing about immigration from an activist approaching congressman king. Wait until you see the Campaign Footage shot using his table manner as the foil. This is hardball, the place for politics. We are coming back with the latest on the humanitarian Mission President obama is launching over iraq right now. The air strikes against
extremists hes considering. Hardball back after this. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. She can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. My mom works at ge. Thats why i always choose the fastest intern. R slow. My mom works at ge. The fastest printer. The fastest lunch. Turkey club. The fastest pencil sharpener. The fastest elevator. The fastest speed dial. The Fastest Office plant. So why wouldnt i choose the fastest wifi . I would. Switch to comcast Business Internet and get the fastest wifi included. Comcast business. Built for business. Welcome back to hardball. The news today and this evening that the United States may carry out air strikes in iraq against isis raises a host of political questions over there and back here. What would be required to change the situation on the ground over there . How long would it take to do it . Could we guarantee any military action would be limited, specific and achievable . Thats what they told the new york times. Once we get involved does that hook us into a longterm commitment . How do we walk away if isis is rampaging through iraq . These engagements almost always seemed simper before the bombs started dropping. Andrea mitchell and howard mineman from the Huffington Post and msnbc political analyst. It seems to me its very hard
certainly we can ride shotgun as i have said tonight. If anybody attacks the relief missions, dropping food, attacks our plaens we fire back. Thats the first our or two. Then what happens . We keep riding shotgun. What do we do about keeping isis from advancing all around that location . The fact is keep them isolated. Isis encircled the poor refugees. There are 10 to 40,000 people. 40 children have died already at least. Of thirst. Of heat. Lack of food. The problem now is you can get food and water to them. Its not an easy operation, but we can do it. We can get pallets out of the back with fighter jets, apaches, blackhawks escorting them. What if we are fired upon. What if there is a mechanical
problem. How do you get the isis fighters away from encircling them . They are still trapped therement getting them food wont get them out. Its entirely reactive now. It is a rescue mission, but its temporary. It wont last. Eventually you have to strike them. Whether or not they are going to do air strike is pending what happens and what the reaction is. I was there a couple of weeks ago. Thats where the consulate is. Its a safe place. It is an elaborate, beautiful city built up. It would remind you of kuwait city. Its oil money. This is the economic heart of the northern part of iraq. There is no way well let it be attacked and not respond. Howard . My thought, chris, is that barack obama, not that long ago, enunciated what he regarded as a new comprehensive theory of how he viewed the world. How america would engage in the world. As you said, limited, specific, no boots on the ground. Achievable. A careful, lawyers list of checkmarks before you go somewhere. It would be nice in the world conformed to what he expected it to be after iraq, after afghanistan, without putin on the rampage. Whats happening is the world isnt following his fivecheck system. I was over at the white house today for the briefing. The press secretary who was going at that time through all kinds of convolutions about what the rule is for engagement. And the fact is they are responding to the stories of the people on the mountaintop. And the fact that isis is basically moving steadily through the country. So youve got to throw out those nice neat rules and respond to the situation. When he does that, the whole idea of the new doctrine and the neat world he hoped to find is going to perhaps give him problems politically. Somebody said the president is a realist, not a neo
conservative. Hes a guy with a conscience. You start hearing the word genocide as christian reported or hear about a Christian Community with a lot of people in this country, obviously. You think, wait, thats us over there. People say, wait. We have to get this there and stop this thing. I would have said it until last labor oh day weekend when we thought a chemical attack, red line and delaware station in syria would have the same response. In fact, they walked township the waters edge and backed off. Ever since then, i think that was after the conversation with mcdonough on the south lawn. Exactly. Was there another conversation . It was. I heard there was a skirmish. It was. What do you make of it . He was 40 minutes late to leave for the signing of the veterans bill. We saw him come out of what we learned was a National Security meeting and an animated conversation with the formerNational Security adviser. Agitated . I dont know how to interpret it. One other quick thing. We have been hoping to get a real government in iraq. We were making progress having them get rid of malaki, find another shiite and have an authority that could order military engagement. Thats just about to happen. Now this. E bobby quartz joins us now. The question is its their country. Iraq should be able to police a situation where a bunch of militants are circling and driving to death basically on a mountain top a lot of iraqis. They are apparently not engaged in this military situation. They are not. The Iraqi Military was first confronted by isis or isil in mosul. They dropped weapons and left. Something similar is taking place farther north in area where is isil is now. The Kurdish Militia is known as the peshmerga. Instead of standing and fighting they are withdrawing into kurdish areas, determined to hold the areas. They are essentially giving up lots of territory, in which territory there are small minorities. Christians, yazidis. Preislamic communities that existed there since before the time of the bible. They are now under genuine threat of being eliminated. The word genocide, when used in this context is very, very real. How does the United States prevent genocide, prevent the elimination and mass killing of religious minorities without getting involved militarily if there is no other force able to do it, willing to do it. By itself the United States can do very little. You can provide humanitarian aid, knock Heads Together in baghdad. They have been trying to give build some backbone into the Iraqi Military. By itself the United Statescant do much. It will need a Coalition Effort that involves turkey which is very, very concerned about this. That involves other countries in the region. But primary it will need the iraqis to step up to the plate on this one. That begins with the situation in baghdad. There was a suggestion today that a post malaki government was beginning to take shape with whats happened in the last even