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Impression were going to risk it. we don't want to risk even further slaughter of the people so the president needs to be clear not only with the american people about the limited scope of this potential military action but clear it with the syrian people so they don't expect too much so we don't get ourselves drawn in and essentially own this conflict. >> but general, again, from a military perspective, the rebels will clearly see any intervention by the americans, british, french and others as a plus for them because it's a strike against the assad regime. so effectively welcome the internat...

We need to be loyal to? >> i think to put it in kind of blunt terms, our loyalty needs to be to our interests first and foremost. we need to see greater democracy, greater tolerance in the region and that's also where our values lie. in the short-term, we don't know, for example, what the head of the egyptian military intends, if he intends to give up power and so we have to have relations with all the different parties and try to push them toward the outcome we're looking for. it's not a matter, i think, of taking sides. i think it's a matter of using our levers of influence. so as we look mo...

Pains to say, we are not taking sides. >> no, we are not talk taking sides. but in our panel, congressman dennis kucinich makes the point if the building behind you there is almost always a presence of egyptian military. and they come and they see the members of the congress. if you are not a member of congress until you are visited by a general from the egyptian military. so we do wield a lot of influence. there is an awful lot of dialogue and discussion and contact between the administration and the egyptian military so. he posits the point that maybe we do know more about this. and we are t...

>> reporter: the nra began brokering the sponsorship before the shooting. nascar donated money to newtown. and at the day tone that 500 he won praise in painting his race car in tribute to victims. last month the sponsorship was announced. >> reporter: nascar flatly denies taking sides. a source says the network is obligated by contract to air the race. a track president isn't hiding his feelings about senator murphy. >> the american public isn't engaged in this but the senator keeps trying to stir it up. i can appreciate that. he's in connecticut and we're in texas. his values adopt fly here.

100-round ammunition clip to kill and wound as many people as he possibly can, our government believes that we should do nothing. >> are the media inflaming the issue? plus, with the london olympics underway, nbc news pulls out the stops to promote the network's coverage of the games. >> back here in london with tower bridge lit up so beautifully behind us, with less than 24 hours to go now until the opening ceremony -- >> is this promotion in the guise of news? we'll talk about that and more with veteran sports writer frank deford. i'm howard kurtz, and this is "reliable sources."...