The isis fighters were killed. No iraqis or americans were killed. Whos winning this war that congress is being asked to wage . Im joined my rear admiral john kirby, the Pentagon Press spokesman. Thank you for joining us. Thats my question. It looks to me and based upon your statements today that isis is still on the offensive. No i dont know that id say that, chris. They certainly have been on the offensive the last couple of days, but our assessment is that strategically theyre still very much in a defensive crouch. We need to keep this in . Al baghdadi the town near the base is actually contested right now. We dont assess that its completely fully in their control and this attack never got beyond the perimeter, the extreme perimeter of a base thats roughly the size of boulder, colorado. So im not saying were not taking it seriously, but i dont know that id go as far to say that isil is back on the offensive. Who took that land back . Who took that territory back from the isis forces . The americans took the forces back or iraqi forces . Iraqi Security Forces have been battling with isil in an anbar. The situation is still very contested. I dont want to call it one way or the other, but its iraqi Security Forces that have been doing the exciting there in alanbar. Heres my question to you. Most americans are angry every day they see a guy burnt to death with gasoline a real soldier, for no other reason than sadism and theater of some kind. You see a Young American killed and we dont know how she was killed but she was killed because she was there. And its very personal because we watch this on television. And yet we dont want this side to win. Yet, we dont see how, if you look at the map and the countries of iraq aptd syria, you dont see how anybody can close in on them. We dont have much faith in the iraqi army. We hear about the Free Syrian Army being trained. We see the good fighting being done by the kurds and the great air force attacks being done by the jordanians. But how do you kill isis at this point . Whos doing the killing . Well thats a great question, chris. Id say that, first of all, this isnt just about killing them its about degrading and destroying their capabilities. About slipghrinking their ability to govern and to control assessed area, important area population centers. The air strikes are having a dramatic effect on them. What you didnt see when they lost kubani they just happened to time the loss of kubani with videos of the execution of those two japanese hostages because they knew it was a strategic defeat for them and they didnt want to admit that. They got kicked out of kubani. In iraq they have lost hundreds of square kilometers of territory and it shrinks a little bit more every month. They dont have the same influence that they once had. The other thing, chris, that weve said is this is going to take a long time. This is not something were going to achieve in just a matter of months. You have to remember weve just been at it about eight months of kinetic air strikes. Its going to take a while. Thank you we thank you for your service to the country. Thank you. Im joined by nbc chief Foreign CorrespondentRichard Engle over in iraq. My same question to you looking at it from your Vantage Point right now. How is this war going . Are we winning or are they always where they have been, in control of that territory . Reporter well i think the admiral was right on many many points. The isis is being harmed by the air strikes. They are losing territory. The air strikes have forced them to change their communications. Some of the top leaders have gone underground. Theyre not using skype and the internet the way they used to be. But the problem is much bigger than just fighting the militants and killing their leaders. Isis has grown up and established control in the very big cracks of many unresolved conflicts. They are growing up in the space where the iraqi kurds and the government of baghdad dont get along. They are getting in the space between the Free Syrian Army and the government of bashar al assad. So until these Big Questions are settled, is this region where i am now, Northern Iraq does this become an independent state . Does assad get to stay or is there really a Rebel Movement that the u. S. Is backing . Until these questions are answered isis will still find a way to operate, it seems. A quick yes or no. Does the United States have a strategy for answering those questions . The future of assad and the future of the kurds, et cetera . Do we have a policy . Reporter most people i speak to say absolutely not, no. Most people i speak to are incredibly frustrated. They say there is a military plan in action. They are very happy with the air strikes. They are happy that isis leaders are being bombed but they dont see at all a clear political vision of what iraq is supposed to look like at the end of this. Right now the u. S. Is backing three different forces in iraq. Its backing the iraqi army and its backing the peshmerga, the Kurdish Forces where i am now and its backing some sunni tribes in anbar and other places. Its backing three different sides, who all hate each other and want Different Things for the future of iraq. So i dont see exactly how that is going to lead to a peaceful and stable outcome. Youve been reporting on the atrocities committed by isis against the women. The u. S. Started bombing isis to stop an atrocity. Thia thiaia zitis were trapped but not all were saved. Thousands of men have been killed and the women by the thousands too were taken as slaves. We met 12yearold huada and a 19yearold in Northern Iraq. They had been bought and sold raped and beaten for months before escaping from their tormentors tormentors. Fereda didnt want to show her face but told her painful stories. What did you say to them i asked them. We said we are human beings she said. They said you are our property. They said you are stwi delinfidels and we will do what we want with you. Is this what goes on in war of the most basic kind of war where you win and you take the other sides women and rape them . It seems so barbaric is an old word but what is it . This is pretty basic stuff. Reporter it doesnt it doesnt happen in modern war, frankly. Right. Reporter it is not the kind of thing that has been happening for i would call in the civilized world in a lot of places for a very long time. This group, isis is proudly reviving an ancient practice of enslaving the enemies, taking infidels as bride, as booty of war and carrying out absolute atrocities against them. This is not an isolated case of two young women, one of them just a girl who were captured. The village that those two girls were from was entirely taken. The men were marched out into the fields and gunned down. Around 500 men killed executionstyle. Made to lay on their bellies when they were machine gunning their backs. The women, hundreds of women were taken back to the isis stronghold in Eastern Syria and then distributed in an open auction among the men. And isis is very proud of this practice. And then once the men have taken possession of these women, there is an internal market. They sell them from one to the next to the next and make them wash their clothing make them clean their quarters and if they put up any kind of resistance, theyre locked in isis jails, they are beaten. The older woman, the 19yearold girl who we spoke to that you just saw that clip of she tried to kill herself seven times while she was in isis hands before she quite amazingly managed to escape crossing the desert on foot for hours and hours until she found a safer place and someone was able to pick her up. Well thank you. Nbcs Richard Engle who is over in iraq. Thank you, sir. Meanwhile, back here in washington the prospects for passing an authorization for military action against isis seems to be running into roadblocks on capitol hill. There are strong critics both on the left and the right. Im joined by Eugene Robinson and director for the huffington post, howard fineman. Horrible. Youre better at some of these words. Basic, the basic bar bear tee of the booty of war being the women. Grab the treasure grab the women, kill the men, rape the women. Its horrible animalistic, awful, primitive, horrible its just awful. And it so enrages the conscience of any human being is this because theyre a different religion, the yazidis . I believe so. Theyre infidels and theyre unworthy and, therefore, you can treat them that way, i suppose. According to the littest nbc marist poll when given the details of what the president is asking for, a majority of americans said they Want Congress to vote in support of the president s authorization for military information in that resolution. Twothirds of americans also expressed confidence the United States and its allies will be able to defeat isis and the country is open to u. S. Troops on the ground only about a quarter say that supports sending a large number of u. S. Ground forces. Four in ten are open to sending a limited number of u. S. Troops. Only 26 are against sending any. Howard, thats hard to read and these things are very mobile. These numbers move the minute there are casualties the minute something goes wrong, the games over. Well, the American People are often more sensible than the people they choose to lead them here. I think in this case theyre expressing the ambivalence and confusion you see here in washington. On the one hand when they see the pictures and hear the reporting of people like Richard Engle, they say weve got to do something. Yes, we support the idea of use of military force. Yes, were crossing our fingers and we think it can work maybe. Military force, maybe. When you also ask them do you support or oppose the current plan do you think the current plan will work, theyre confused about it theyre hesitant about it. That very ambivalence and confusion is embodied in the proposal that the president is putting forth. This proposed authorization for the use of military force lays out the horrors that Richard Engle was describing in graphic detail. But then what it says is okay were going to go there only for three years. Were not going to have enduring offensive Ground Combat operations. We dont think that largescale American Military involvement is the right way to do it. So the president is expressing, i think, a lot of the ambivalence that the American People have. And then so you look at that and you go through that and you say, okay what is going on here. What are we doing . And then the backdrop is whats actually happened happening. So you listen to Richard Engle and in iraq were supporting three different groups that hate each other, right . They havent met us yet either. We dont know what they think of us. Thats in iraq. Thaeps thats the place where its going better, okay . In syria, the people were supporting, the Free Syrian Army, the moderate rebels our policy is such that theyre getting clobbered, right, by isis, the people we hate the people were trying to defeat and assad, the dictator whos equally horrible who we say has to go. Theyre the ones who are thriving. By the way, what gene just described is a microcosm of what were doing in the entire region. Were supporting sunni, shia and kurds throughout the region. The saudis are our close al i say, the ultimate sunnis. Were trying to make a deal with iran on nuclear weapons, theyre the ultimate shias. This whole region is a hall of mirrors. This authorization proposal reflects that. The views of the American People reflect that. We need to pull back from the macro analysis here its con founding. How about a microanalysis. Youve got a boy over there, a son over theres or a or a husband. How do they even know what the war is and if theres any chance . Yeah. What are you fighting for, just to show were fighting . No its got to be better defined. Its got to be better defined now, and i think thats why you know its interesting on the hill. Look i think this hill debate is great. I dont know if its going to go anywhere, but it needs to be had, right . And the initial reaction is you know, theres concern from the left theres concern from the right, as there should be. Totally different reactions. And so maybe well get someplace. And they have got to ask these questions. Im afraid theres got to be theres got to be a narrative here. Heres the explosive model in math where theyre going different directions. One wants more restrictions, one wants less restrictions. Theyre not going together, the right and the left are no it could happen. Im not convinced in the end there will be a positive vote in favor of this information because of that explosive the president says in the letter that accompanies this proposal, although existing statutes provide me with the authority that i need to take these actions. 2001. That one, that one. Guys, youre the best and you cant solve it. Its not your job to solve it to understand it. To understand the darn thing. Thank you, gene robinson. And it does get down to our fighting men and women over there and what they can conceivably achieve. It cant be a war of attrition against isis. Howard fineman, gene robinson. As america debates a new war with isis a war in afghanistan we thought was over is escalating but under the radar. Weve got the cloak and dagger story of how u. S. And afghan troops are using an Al Qaeda Leaders laptop they captured to attack militants in secret night raids. Plus is 2016 still in the cards for Chris Christie . More and more republican insiders say they just dont think the jersey governor can win their partys nomination. And this weekend marks the 40th anniversary of saturday night live. Well look at some very funny intersection of comedy and politics and how comedy can destroy a politician bike gerry ford. There was a profound sense of loss we felt this week. Three guys died this week. The older you get, the more you know them. This is hardball, the place for politics. Our experienced investment professionals are one reason over 85 of our mutual funds beat their 10year lipper averages. So in a variety of markets we can help you feel confident. Request a prospectus or summary prospectus with Investment Information risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. Call us or your advisor. T. Rowe price. Invest with confidence. Theres confidence. Then theres trusting your vehicle maintenance to ford service confidence. Our expertise, technology, and high quality parts mean your peace of mind. Now you can get the works, a multipoint inspection with a Synthetic Blend Oil change tire rotation, Brake Inspection and more. 29. 95 or less. Mccollum. The Oregon Governor has now resigned. The fourterm democrat quit this afternoon. Hes been embroiled in an ethics scandal with allegations that his fiancee used contracts to land contracts for her business. At one point he had decided to resign but then changed his mind. In recent days he lost support of the states top democrats. The secretary of state will assume the office. Shell be the first openly bisexual governor. Well be right back. Ts you . No. Its called grid iq. The 4 51 is leaving at 4 51. They cut the power. Itll fix itself. Powers back on. Quick thinking traffic lights and self correcting power grids make the world predictable. Thrillingly predictable. Welcome back to hardball. President obama ran as the president to ends wars. In a 2012 Campaign Stop the president gave a timetable for getting u. S. Troops out of afghanistan. This november you get to decide the future of the afghanistan war. You know governor romney had nothing to say about afghanistan last week. Yeah, he hasnt offered a plan for the 33,000 troops who will have come home from this war by the end of this month. He said that ending the war in iraq was tragic. I think it was the right thing to do and i said i would do it and we did. I said wed take out bin laden, and we did. We are bringing our troops home from are afghanistan, and i set a timetable. We will have them all out of there by 2014. Well then in may of 2014 the president gave a new timetable for the afghanistan drawdown. The plan would bring the u. S. Force there to 5500 by the end of 2015 and bring all u. S. Troops home by the time he leaves office in early 2017. Now the commander of u. S. And nato forces in afghanistan wants some leeway. General John Campbell is wanting to keep more than 5500 troops into 2016 to keep Training Centers open longer than currently planned, but still end the military mission entirely in 2017. Part of the reason for slowing the afghanistan withdrawal may be this news reported by the New York Times today. Headline data from seized computer fuels a surge in u. S. Raids on al qaeda. In this excerpt, its all in the shadows now said a former Afghan Security official. The official war for the americans, the part of the war that you could go see, thats over. Its only the secret war thats still going on but its going hard. Will president obama agree to slow the afghan withdrawal . Joining me right now is Matthew Rosenburg of the New York Times that wrote the article i mentioned and laitha al cori. Let me start with you, matthew matt rather. How does it all fit together the fact they found this laptop they know the plans of the Al Qaeda Group there. Does that mean we see an opportunity thats worth waiting around for . I th