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Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - MSNBC - 20130217:18:07:00

More tax increases. we agreed to that to avoid the fiscal cliff. we will not do that with sequestration. you are working with john boehner to make sure all republicans on are message. i was talking to a moderate democratic senator last week saying he thinks it could be into the spring or summer before members realize maybe we should do something here and we have to get home for our parades and for the fourth of july and it may drag out that long. irin, you have congress in recess until the 25th. the sequester deadline is march 1st, friday. you have four days. is there any sense of urgency here among lawmakers to get a deal done to avert the crisis? so far, lawmakers are more important of pointing fingers. i m not optimistic. we may see a replay of the ....

Republican-party , Message , Fiscal-cliff , Sequestration , Tax-increases , Speaker-boehner , Something , Senator-mccain , Members , Parades , Home , Spring

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - MSNBC - 20130217:18:50:00

Reached? i think there are hill aides working on a package. there are people looking an the problem and trying to find a solution. that said because of the congressional recess and deadline coming quickly, it will not happen march 1st. we will see the cuts take effect. it will not be like the fiscal cliff would have been because of the issue of resources drying up and contracts not being renewed. it is a different process and different kind of cut. congress has a month of wiggle room to figure something out. i m optimistic they will come up with a package to stave off the larger fiscal deal by the end of march when there is another looming deadline when the continuing resolution to fund the government ends. month of wiggle room? i will say i like robert s optimi optimism, but i think this is more what we will see. ....

People , Problem , Package , Solution , Issue , Process-of-elimination , Cuts , Effect , Fiscal-cliff , Recess , March-1st , Contracts

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - MSNBC - 20130217:17:52:00

You talked about oversight. you think there is oversight for the drone program. were you told in advance of the killings? for the planning purposes of air strikes against terrorists overseas? yes. if people make the target list, we know that in advance. joining me on the phone is congress member peter welch. thank you. before we get to the question of transparency, sir, do you agree with the use of drones in countries where we are not technically at war? that is the big challenge. there has to be a system of checks and balances. the drone is not a policy. it s a weapon system. a lot of us would agree if we had an opportunity to take out osama bin laden with special forces or drone in pakistan, our self defense right would give us the right to take action. it has moved well beyond that. ....

Oversight , Killings , Air-strikes , Advance , Terrorists , Drone-program , Purposes , The-battle-playing-out-in-congress , People , Question , Yes , Target-list

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - MSNBC - 20130217:17:54:00

How that hopower will be used. i have a question. what about the targeted killings of american citizens, although those as known terrorists like anwar al awlaki. i don t think we had the right to go after him wherever he was. we do have constitutional rights and a system of checks and balances. i believe it is absolutely essential that we incorporate those checks and balancing with judicial oversight and constitutional standards in the case of an american citizen. let s take a listen to the president s state of the union where he talks about the drones. throughout, we have kept congress fully informed of our efforts. i recognize in our democracy, no one should just take my word for ....

Question , Us , Citizens , Killings , Terrorists , Hopower , System , Checks , Balances , Rights , Anwar-al-awlaki , Case

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - MSNBC - 20130217:17:53:00

There is now a situation where the president is the judge, jury and executioner. it is thornier of who is on the target list and the system of checks and balances according to the constitutional system of government. the time for review of how we make these decisions is long overdue. it should involve congress. i think more actively than it does right now. also, i think there should be some judicial participation as well. i m getting a sense you believe that one person regardless of republican or democrat shouldn t be afforded all that power in a single set of hands. that s right. i feel that quite strongly. this is not about bush or obama. we have to give the commander in chief some flexibility. he more than anyone else has the responsibility to keep us safe. there are enormous questions of ....

President , Situation , Executioner , Judge , Jury , The-battle-playing-out-in-congress , System , Government , Checks , Balances , Target-list , Decisions