Peoples lives. And find out late are we were wrong. We cannot give life back after we take it. And the system is too flawed to take that chance. Today is another example of why. Thanks for watching. Im al sharpton. Hardball starts right now. When is enough, enough . Lets play hardball. Good evening, im Chris Matthews in washington. Tonight we ask the brutal question, can president obama live with americans being beheaded every two weeks from now until january 20, 2017 . This is precisely what the Islamic State is threatening. The only question is how the president can top them from doing it. Also on hardball tonight some republican cant dates trying to win back women promise
overthecounter pirj control pills. The judge in virginia cuts through the mcdonalds desperate Legal Defense and joe biden musteris his troops but we start tonight with this horrific challenge to the united states. How do we, how does the president deal with these beheadings . How does any president sitting in the off yl office sleeping in the white house knowing this is going on, thats promise of more beheadings than could at the present rate reach 60 by the next inauguration. Does this mean more . In asetonia on the eve after nato conference, strong wording stating justice for steven sotloffs killers. Whatever these murderers think they will achieve by killing innocent americans like steven, then they have already failed. They failed because, like people around the world, americans are repulsed by tlir barberism. We will not be intimidated. Their horrific acts only unite us as a country and stiffen our resolve to take the fight against these terrorists. And those who make the mistake of harming americans will learn
that we will not forget and that our reach is long and that justice will be served. Our reach is long and justice will be served. The president didnt lay out how he would do it. Some say his rhetorical signals talk about stronger measures to come. Listen to his words now. Our objective is clear. And that is to degrade and destroy isil so it is no longer a threat. Not just to iraq but also the region and to the united states. Degrade and destroy. Later the president seemed to soften that language a bit saying goal was to make isis a manageable problem. We know that if we are joined by the international community, we can continue to shrink isils sphere of inflouens, its effectiveness, its financing. Its military capabilities. To the point where it is a manageable problem. A manageable problem. Anyway, senator Barbara Boxer joins us. She sits on the Foreign Relations committee. Sewn tore boxer, what do we do . Well, i think the president s acting. You know, can you listen to his speeches all day but he has already notified congress in several letters to us that he is going after isis in iraq. He did that to protect americans in iraq and also to free the cities. Is he is already acting. And the boots are on ground are not american boots. The airplanes are ours. The intelligence are ours. We have security personnel. But the bots on the ground are iraqi boots and kurdish boots. So thats kind of a way we will move forward. And for those who have complained that the, you know, the president is too deliberative, good lord i want a deliberative president after a decade of war and 4,000 dead americans and tens of thousands wounded. Sew is acting. When he sends out a signal like today, youre not going to get away with what youve done, he means it. Ive seen him capture bin laden. Ive seen him go after the terrorists that brought benghazi on us. And he is continuing to do that in africa. So he means what he says even though he may be calm and wear a tan suit, he means what he says. What about in sir wyria doin these beheadings. Weve been listening to them, especially the fellow with the english accent. They have who knows how many possible captives. You say hit them in iraq. What stops them from doing what they are doing in syria . The president is putting together a strategy. For working on the syria issue. The fact is its got to be done carefully with the coalition. Isis is a threat to the world, chris, to the civilized world. To t. O. That region, to other muslims, the most people theyve
killed are muslims. So he is moving forward. And in syria, i happened to meet in turkey recently wi, like a mh ago, with the head there against ba shir alassad and they will work with boots on the ground in syria. And i think thats all happening. Were not going to sit back and this president isnt going to sit back. He is acting in iraq. He is putting together a strategy. He did say in an inartful way. A better way to put it is im working on a wingining strategyo go after isil. It is happening chris, already. This is a tragic moment in history. You cant imagine now we would see this barberism, but were seeing it. And anyone in the world who can justify it is an outliar. So we can put together a coalition and go after these people. Frankly, we have to. Lets look at what general
zinni said on meet the press this sunday. Lets look at this and you react to what you hear. Here he is on meet the press on sunday. I talked about two pregads, he said, of american soldiers meeting isis. You watch and then react, please. The boots on the ground question is a tough one. I wish we werent so paranoid about boots on the ground. We cant even define it. There be forces, people that can call in and adjust fire and advisers to be with these units. And very simply put, if you put two bre grades on the ground, they would push isis back into syria under a heart beat and probably take less time, less cost, and i think fewer casualticasualt casualticasualth casualties he over all. The question is, do you want to do Something Like that or not p. My position is that we are going after isis on the theory this is counterterrorism. I wont vote to put combat boots on the ground after what weve been through. And i think a better strategy is the strategy that the president is putting together. We are there with intelligence, under with counterterrorism, there with secure it to protect our people. We have boots on the ground, people in the region who have more at stake than anybody who know the region. Thats what i think is happening right now. And i think it is showing that it is working so far in iraq. You know, too soon to know but its looking much better. So i think that thats the strategy. Im not going to go back to sending troops back into iraq, combat froops. I just wont do that and i dont think there is a stomach for it in the country or congress. Or frienkly, this president. I dont think he wants it. I think youre right. Thank you very much, senator Barbara Boxer. Joining me right now is david rode, Investigative Reporter at reuters. I think you just heard it, that is fairly representative, right and left of congress. They dont want boots on the ground. They dont want regimentis of soldiers there, they dont want it. Is that going to create a long Term Solution here . Americans can go in and clear the area but as soon as they lead, the state comes back. Thats my argument. What do you do to stop beheadings spp. You cant. This president goes to bed every night knowing the next day, next wednesday, whatever, that there will be another beheading. How do you stop them from do wlag they are doing is pli question. There is no way to stop them with the people they have. The troops they sent in is too protect the americans in the Baghdad Embassy and in erbil. There are thousands of people in that embassy. There are helicopters. Thats what he is doing is stopping more americans from being hurt in the Islamic State. There are journalist, missionaries over there, straggling hikers. A lot of americans they can get their hands on. Its true. But thats the broader problem with kidnapping. European governments page huge ransoms up to 10 million per prisoner. The u. S. And brits, we dont pay the ransoms. We seem to accept that if you fall into this situation, you know, you may die. I dont know if youre getting at my point. Theres a nationalistic reaction. This is not a criminal act by one group of people against a couple of of our people. It is an attack on our country. How does the president stop this attack on our country. This humiliation, taunting of him and our country by beheading people on international television. They are sending us pictures of this. And we just, what . Wait for the sunnis to get together because we cant move the shia into that part of the world and the kurds only defend their area . So how do we get into that part of iraq and syria where the state of islam, islaming state, is created right in our face right now. There is no sunny coming in from
jordan or saudi arabia. All that money we have spent for years and nobody is coming in to fight these people. The senator said, nobody likes them, theyre not doing anything about it. I agree. The rhetorical problem you point out is this a barbaric and we will bring justice here. But then we make it a manageable problem. I dont know how the American Public will react if these public beheadings continue. He will stop them by preventing less people from being captured. I dont have an answer. I think if you send american troops into stop beheadings, 8,000 pro brigade niece eastern syria, i dont know if americans would support that. Yeah. So where are we at, expert . So no. This is the problem. This is what you do in hostage a cases. Can you do rescue raid which they attempted. We have been dealing with this for decades. What do you do . Pay ransom . Okay, let me suggest
something. This has been said in years of mideast funding. The brits before us and soviets. Okay we pull out, have stand back weapons. Used to be artillery, now it is air fire. So we think we can just drop bombs and skip away to aircraft carrier. Oh, no, they figured out something. They can grab americans and execute them. Send us pictures. Flaunt it and there is nothing we can do about it. This idea we fly over countries and cant get hurt by them is wrong. They have proven it is wrong. Bots on the grou boots snz boots on the ground is not the only way to get to america. Are we at war or not at war . And the president shifts back and forth. You know, a lot of americans dont want to be at war. Is this an existential threat or not well, lets stop with that. An existential threat, that
americans will be wiped from the planet. Call it the united states. All right. And attacks on the stop with the neocon language. It is the united states. It is not existential. This is netanyahu talking, lets stop that. Israel faces that sometimes. The Islamic State carries out attacks in new york or americans who fought and start coming home. Aagree, there is no consensus, are we at war or are we not . Yeah. You say we are. I think we are when they start beheading people. I think thats the sign they are taunting us and they are out to get us. Thank you. A problem with women voters and a trio of candidates taking an unsuspecting step to fix it. They support Birth Control pills over the counter. No prescriptions. No side effects. Dont worry. Is that smart. A jury delivering the fate of Bob Mcdonnell and his wife,
of course. The judge devastated the defense yesterday by telling the jurors that anything mcdonnell did as governor nor somebody could be considered an official act taen therefore a quid for the quo. And with a less than impressive roll out this summer, does joe biden think he has a shot . And advertising that vap id granolas who fear guns will not be comfortable here. Its the usual suspect p. That right winger, Steve Stockman of texas. This is hardball, the place for politics. Be sprayed to be made. And making something stronger. Will mean making it lighter. One day, factories will work with the cloud. One day. Is today. Yeah . Om. We got allstate, right . Uhhuh. Yes well, i found this new thing. Called Allstate Quickfoto claim. Its an app. You understand that . Just take photos of the damage with your phone and upload them to allstate. Really . So you get a quicker estimate, quicker payment, quicker back to normal. I just did it. But maybe you can find an app that will help you explain this to your father. Introducing quickfoto claim. Just another way allstate is changing Car Insurance for good. New poll willinging on two separate races. Lets check the hardball score board. In georgia, nun has a two point lead over purdue along likely voters. Nun 45, purdue, 43. Thats according to a new wbre
poll. A new Research Poll shows republican senator Mitch Mcconnell with a fourpoint lead over al john gunnederson grime. Mcconnell 50, grimes 46. Well be right back. S. Mcconnell 50, grimes 46. Well be right back. Welcome back to hardball. A treef republican candidates are trying to get into the fight for women, pushing back against the perception that the g po is out of touch when it comes to womens issues. Out in colorado, republican challenger, mark u dahl and Corey Gardner wants to make contraception for women available over counter without prescription. Here is gardners new ad. I believe the pill aught to be available over the counter. Round the clock. Without a prescription. Cheaper, and easier for you. Its a big reversal for gardner who support for antieye borgs measures like the person hood amendment has dogged them in this race. On march just after announcing his campaign to challenge it
all, gardner told the denver post that his support for a person hood amendment was a mistake. Gardner called it a bad idea driven by good intentions. Gardners new proposal was with Rick Santorum who had this to say about Birth Control last time around. One of the thung i will talk about, that the president has talked about before, is i think the dangers of contraception. The whole sexual libber teen idea that many in the Christian Faith say oh, thats okay. Contraception is okay. Thats not okay. Its a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. G po strategist and former adviser to Rick Santorums campaign and david corn, political analysis. Is this a turning of the tables by candidates by Corey Gardnerand gallespie and virginia elsewhere and mcfadden, congressional candidate to say, no, were not against women and Birth Control pills. In fact we will make it like buying anything else in the store. You dont need a doctor to get a prescription. Whats that how does that fit with the santorum thing about Birth Control being troubling . Lets be clear about this. I do not know a single candidate in the entire country whos republican, including Rick Santorum, that in any way wants to limit or end Birth Control for women p. So to imply otherwise would be morally wrong. Number two the only distinct here between corey guard are ins position and other candidates you mentioned is the argument of whether it should be allowed without a prescription or with a prescription being required. That is really the difference. Then third of all, one of the reasons that somebody like a Corey Gardner has to even do an ad like this is because the democrats have spent probably a billion dollars at this point trying to mislead people on this
whole war on women which is an outrage and unfair to actually women more than anybody. Just to stay on this subject with you, why do you think doctors require prescription . Why does the law require prescription . I understand im no expert and none of us are probably here, about the side effects of Birth Control pills. You dont just take them like family or other food product. You dont take them without medical concern. So say lucy goosy oh, everybody can buy them, it seems odd for them who have shown restraint. In fact your guy in the last election, Rick Santorum pointed out, it is a problem, a license do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. Thats a strong statement for a guy running for president and go looseygoosey in this other direction and say we will give them away like any other product we sell in a store. Thats a hell after 180. I dont think so. I think what Rick Santorum is referring to is when we advertise to young girls that
solution to everything is just dont worry about it, theres contraception, it is no longer about contraception, it is about what is the responsibility that we have to our children. Second of all, again, like yourself, im not a medical doctor, i know dosages can change from person to person. On prescriptions. And so then the argument needs to become is it the right thing to do or not to have it over the counter. Thats where the real argument is. But to try to somehow make it a pro or antiwomen is just plain wrong. Are you for making it overthecounter . Like buying anything . Buyi buying cereal, buy milk, buy anything . Why have it in pharmacy . Is that what youre for . I dont know the answer to that. No yb wur answer. Look, im not running for office. Last thing im going to do is sit here and tell what you i believe. No one watching your show particularly cares, what i they do care. It is clear that what is going on here is despite johns protesting, a lot have come to the conclusion that it is not good for Women Health Policy possess. It is defining rape and economic issues, not supporting paying bills and the hobby lobby decision. Whether being in favor or against them, it is clear a verdict is reached. Not because the Democratic Party brain washed millions of women but because women look and watch what is going on and they feel their issues are not being addressed as they would like to by the Republican Party which is why you have Corey Gardner in colorado who supported the person hood bill which ends up banning certain forms of Birth Control