Memory of those four little girls and all the others who have sacrificed so much on the long march toward freedom. Thanks for watching. Im al sharpton. Hardball starts right now. Conflict. Lets play hardball. Good evening, im Chris Matthews in washington. Let me start tonight with whats on all of our minds right now, this wild, angry push for war. Another one in the land of islam. Here we go again, going in with all the field marshalls urging us on. All the tongues wagging, demanding that the United States get itself back in the latest outrage from mesopotamia. Im sorry, for isis and isil, or whatever were calling the
beheaders. So we go in with our planes bombing, not exactly shock and awe, not a single arab country is saying theyre with us. And the United States not even daring to ask them to do the dirty work on the ground. And yes, the bombs will work, people will die. There will be pictures in the world press of Mothers Holding babies and the wounded in hospital beds and there will be an outcry against us. And the young of the islamic world will begin to choose sides with their people who are they really dont like, but will cheer as they stand up to the great United States. And its all happening again, getting draw into the quick sand of arabia, i see us being blamed and hated. I recall the feeling of anger i felt when i saw the two brave americans face their executioners in the desert. I want to hit the enemy so hard theyll wish they never dared humiliate us this way. So i understand president obamas resistance to the bugels
of war. From the people who are yelling charge from the safety of their cubicles, or the American Enterprise institute, or whatever lilly pad of people with the time to urge for war that others must fight. This must i know. The number one cause the world war ii was world war i and just assuredly the war were about to fight will lead not to pieeace, but to another war. It happened when we banished the sunnis from leadership in iraq. Kicking their generals and other officers to the curb, only to have them rise up and join isis. Nothing is easier than to join within enthusiasm into the latest war. And nothing is harder than to think of how to avoid starting the next one. But thats what president s are for. And what i believe i know, this one is trying to do, amid all the cries for blood and a far scarier entanglement in the
endless wars of the mid east. Senator, i know you must feel this conflict between the visceral want to get even with what they did to our guys and are probably going to do to more of our guys and the quick sand we walk right back into when he get into another war. Your thoughts . Chris, i agree. Everything youve said i agree with. The bottom line is, i come from West Virginia, and you hit us, and embarrass us, and attack our people, were going to come after you. We all feel that right now in my state of West Virginia and all over this country, the barbaric actions theyve taken against americans and other western ers. But weve spent eight years training a 280,000person army in iraq and we see what we got for that investment. With that being said, what makes this different . How do we choose who the friendlies are . How do we know they wont be turned against us . Since theyre in there trying to fight against assad and theres hundreds of different factions fighting the assad regime if you will, and isis would say, why dont you join with us, and well fight assad for you and with you . Theres no guarantee whatsoever. It makes no sense to me, that if we havent learned anything, weve learned that until those people are willing, the people who live in that region, that should be a ground war for them. They should take back their homeland. They should clean up the mess they have over there. The atrocities that are being committed. We, as the United States of america, have said and should simply say this, we will use our air power, tactical power, technicians, Everything Possible that we can to rid of that horrible evil, but its going to have to be a ground assault by the people that live there, not by american troops coming back in. Well, heres the problem. We have new poll numbers. If you want to know how confounding this problem is with isis. Look at this new poll from nbc and the wall street journal. 62 of americans say they support the president s plan to take action against isis. Thats nearly 2 3 who want to attack by air, by us doing it. 68 of americans also said they have little confidence the plan will work. Thats more than 2 3 who dont think attacking isis will do any good. Talk about a confounding situation. In West Virginia, we understand the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Thats what we seem to be doing here. Think of all the blood and treasure that weve spent, if money or military mite were to change that part of the world, wed have done it by now. It hasnt happened. To think now, were supposed to be sucked back in, we have close to 1600 troops over there. I understand that we need to support and protect our embassy
there, the airport that we need strategially. But basically moving out now and trying to fight this war for them and make no mistake about it, if we get an american killed, if we dwet an atrocity such as what weve seen on tv, happen to an american soldier, well send 170,000 if we had to to protect them. We will get pulled into this thing one way or another, and its ridiculous for us to put ourselves in that type of harms way. I agree with the air strikes. I support the president. I thought he gave a good speech. I respectfully disagree spending 500 million trying to arm and find out who the friendlies that we can trust or count on. Heres someone who disagrees with you, senator Lindsay Graham took issue about the red line about new combat troops or boots on the ground the way its said now. Lets watch him. Were fighting a terrorist army, not an organization. Its going to take an army to beat an army. And this idea well never have
any boots on the ground to defeat them in syria is fantasy. To destroy isil, what i was told, or what i heard in your interview, wont even come close to destroy isil. Its delusional in the way they approach this. Well, theres the senator. Though you often disagree with him, hes saying there, we cant avoid bringing a combat force into syria, not just to iraq. Well, i would just say to that, lindsay is a dear friend of mine and i respect him. And he works at this very hard and he is serving in the military, still does serve in the reserves, but with all that being said, i thank for him his services. I just disagree. If we believes we can train people and have a different result with boots on the ground, why didnt we have it before . Al qaeda is still out there. Have we forgotten about al qaeda, all the terrorist groups that want to do us harm . Theyre still there. And if isis, there will be something else, and it continues over there. And the bottom line is, until the moderate people, in that part of the world, that want to clean up their neighborhoods, their borders, until theyre willing to fight and die for their own country, for the freedoms and the quality of life they want, we cannot go over there and do it for them. Weve tried. Were not going to let them come here. Well hit them wherever they may be, hit them with our air strikes and ops as we have, but going back in, heres the thing. Well have no choice at all. Theyre going to give us a cr with this vote in a cr. Thats wrong. Those should be separated. They should not be put together. Do you think we should have should your body, the United States senate vote on whether we continue the air strikes . Absolutely, we should be voting on the air strikes. I think hell get total support for that. And vote on the ground. If you want to vote on Ground Support knowing vote on the training, vote on the 500
million of trying to pick who the friendlies are, vote on that one too. Dont put them altogether and say, if you vote against the cr, youre voting to shut the government down. Im not voting for that. Ill stay and do my job, but well separate the two and its worthy of that, its that important for the United States of america. Thank you, senator. Joined now by a republican from wisconsin. Senator johnson, i dont know if youve been watching this, but where do you stand on the air strikes . Where do you stand on boots on the ground, on special ops . And im talking about syria, obviously here as well as iraq, sir. Well, i was listening to you earlier, chris. Let me tell you, im in no rush for war. Theres no blood lust in my heart. Im just trying to recognize the reality of the situation and understand that i take my responsibilities as a United States senator very seriously, first and foremost to protect americans. And if you look at the reality of the situation, i was asking Deputy Assistant secretary to
describe the threat to isis poses to america. He said, listen, isis is funneling 30 to 50 suicide bombers into iraq per month. Theyre recruiting off the internet, very effectively. That same week that he testified there was an australian and a german suicide bomber, set themselves off in baghdad. Weve seen the First American suicide bomber in syria. Travel back to florida before he blew himself up. Returned to syria and blew himself up in syria in may. So what he was talking about, isis can funnel those suicide bombers back into the west, back into america. So thats a threat. I agree with the president that we face a threat. Now we have to take a look at what is the stated objective . Whats the goal . Is president obama putting together a strategy to achieve that goal and i have some real serious concerns across the board. I need more information, but theres no blood lust or rush to war from my standpoint. I take the responsibility very
seriously. If attacking isis led to the first beheadings, and i assume if you say theyre going to send people over here, if you have intelligence to that effect, well hit them harder over there. There will be reactions back and forth. How do we end it . I mean, certainly they can hit us here with suicide bombings. No one can stop a suicide bomb. If they do that, that would be to ignite our further military attack on them in syria. Why else would they hit us here, except to get us to hit them back . One of my concerns is if we dont destroy them how do we do that . Its like having a hornets nest in your background. Thats a danger to my kids, i got to get rid of it. But instead, well poke it with a stick for three years, that concerns me. What do we do to kill the nest . You have to be realistic. President obama has already got us into that war. But its not his fault, though. These are evil, despicable. You cant imagine what theyre doing to people. We sanitize the situation, talk about the fact that they enslave women. The fighters that took over mosul dam found two women bound, naked. They had been repeatedly raped, as a spoil of war. So these are barbarians. I dont see how you contain them, how you negotiate them. And they represent a threat to americans and america, youve got to deal with that situation. So i dont disagree with what president obamas trying to do here. In terms of getting a coalition of the willing go ahead. Should the United States senate vote on the air attack, the part you support . Absolutely. We should have a robust discussion, debate. We need a lot more information. We need to be realistic, forth right to the american public. Thats right now my concern about president obama and his speech. Weve got to have a debate on this thing. President obama and congress has to be honest with the american public. If the objective is to destroy
isis, i dont think we have a strategy in place that will accomplish that goal. Im concerned about poking that hornets nest with a stick for three years. The public agrees. 2 3 of the public support the president with training the army, but they dont think its going to work. Why support something you dont believe is going to work . Thats what i mean. Thank you. Coming up, the nfl has a big problem, and its not going away at all. Especially among women who are speaking out. Whats the league going to do against players that commit violence against women . What exactly does the nfl stand for . Plus, look whos back in iowa for whats being called the unofficial kickoff of the 2016 president ial race . Hello, iowa [ cheers and applause ]
im back [ cheers and applause ] just ask yourself, if shes not running for president , what is she doing there . Hillary clinton in iowa, she looks like shes running. And Allison Janney joins us, one of the stars on the west wing show, joining us to talk about what shes doing to help americas veterans with their drug problems. Finally, let me finish with political reality for democrats. I think we just saw a piece of it. This is hardball, a place for politics. At ge capital, we bring expertise from across ge. So i call in our access ge engineers, and together with columbia, we work backwards. From the cabinet factory, to the place they peel the logs. We find the source and help replace the machine. Problem solved. If you just need a loan, just call a bank. But at ge capital, were builders. What we know, can help you grow. We are a collection of smalls. A home saved. A hero homebound for a new opportunity. A kitchen that kick starts careers wells fargo invests in our communities a little differently. Small measures that add up to make our whole even greater. Little by little we can do a lot. Because. Small is huge. Visit www. Wellsfargo. Com to see how big small can be. Sharp new polls show how close this battle for the senate is going to be. First to colorado where udall holds a fourpoint lead over gardner among likely voters in a new poll. 4642, in keeping with the last several polls. Next to iowa, this ones really tight. Braley with a onepoint lead over ernst. 4948, how tight can it get . In new hampshire, shaheen and brown, back to 48 apiece. Tied up among likely voters. 4 not decided. And finally to north carolina, another close one. Hagan is up by four, over tillis. And thats about the bet i make, just about four points, its that close, but shed probably win if it was held today. But it wont be held today. Perfect timing. Were offering our bestever pricing on mobile plans for business. Run the numbers on that. Well, unlimited talk and text, and ten gigs of data for the five of you would be. Oneseventyfive a month. Good calculating kyle. Good job kyle. You just made partner. Our bestever pricing on mobile share value plans for business. Now with a 100 bill credit for every business line you add. Snever miss a chance to dance. Just because you happen to sprinkle a little tinkle. Introducing a revolution in bladder leak protection, from the experts in feminine protection. New always discreet, for sensitive bladders. Up to 40 thinner, for superior comfort. Absorbs 2x more than you may need. For danceallyouwant protection. New always discreet. Now bladder leaks can feel like no big deal. Because hey, pee happens. Visit alwaysdicreet. Com for coupons and your free sample. Everyone is looking for ways while to cut expenses. S unique, and thats where pg es online
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child abuse as well as Domestic Violence. In some cases, the players involved are headed right back into the lineup that sunday. The anger and frustration from columnists, analysts and especially womens groups has fallen squarely on commissioner Roger Goodell. One group is flying banners over stadium which read goodell must go. Yesterday on espn, passionate terms about the leagues handling of these kinds of incidents. I spent this weekend answering seamlessly impossible questions about the leagues biggest stars. Mom, why did he do that . Why isnt he in jail . Why didnt he get fired . And yesterday, why dont they even have control of their own players . Our fans and our families, are we as parents supposed to compartmentalize everything thats happening . Are we supposed to simply separate a violent game on the field from violent acts off the field, and if we do, what message does that send . In the nfl, apparently seeing is believing. If the nfl and the ravens had to see that video to be moved to action, then shouldnt those who support the league demand the same, to see action, to see change before believing . As we wait on the answer to this central question, what exactly does the nfl stand for . A writer with sports illustrated, also a sports attorney. And cofounder of the womens rights group. What do you make that was an emotional comment there by hannah storm. It was, and i think its pretty reflective of the way a lot of people in this country feel about the nfls handling of this case around ray rice since the beginning. Its a central reason why were asking for Roger Goodell to resign. What we knew a couple weeks ago was that ray rice had committed some sort of violent action against his partner. What we came to understand just a few days ago, was that roger
goodell not only got a verbal confirmation, right, an admission from ray rice, but also probably had in his possession this video. I mean, its outrageous that the nfl you dont know that for a fact, though, do you . About the video weve all gotten to see in the last week or so. He had the other video where hes dragging his fiancee out of the elevator. We dont know for sure that he watched the video. What we do know for sure was that the nfl was in possession of it. Somebody had it. Let me go to michael. This whole question, to me, its institutional politics. Roman kacatholic church when th boys were bei