Meet The Press – September 14, 2014

Host: Chuck Todd

Guests:

Dennis McDonough – White House 

Chief of Staff

James Baker – Fmr. Secretary of State

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Richard Engel

Bill Neely

Andrea Mitchell

Helene Cooper

Jim Vandehei

Nia-Malika Henderson

Mike Murphy

Bryant Gumbel

Todd: omg ISIS killed a British aid worker

Todd: Obama is bombing the hell

out of ISIS but won't send ground troops

Todd: OMG Obama hates terrorists –

he's just like George W. Bush!!

Obama: terrorists will find no safe haven

Bush: we will find 'em in their caves!

Todd: Richard why did ISIS

behead a British citizen?

Engel: ISIS is sending a message

to Turkey because they are

holding Turkish diplomats hostage

Todd: Obama expects the Iraqi

military to defeat ISIS – can they do that?

Engel: the U.S. spent billions

and years training the Iraqi army

Todd: oh that's good

Engel: no after all that effort they

are totally ineffective and hate America

Todd: is Assad happy with America?

Neely: he wants Obama to

bomb his rebel enemies

Todd: no doubt

Neely: Obama is a tough

position that's for sure

Todd: welcome Dennis

McDonough: good morning Chuck

Todd: let's debate semantics

– are we at war or not?

McDonough: the President described

his strategy in detail – we're bombing ISIS

Todd: but Obama never uses the word 'war'

McDonough: that's not true – Obama

often refers to the war on terror

Todd: damn I keep getting this wrong

Todd: the public is supportive

of this new war but skeptical

– why is that?

McDonough: maybe because the

last time we invaded the middle east

it was a colossal fuck up

Todd: what is success in this war?

McDonough: it's ISIS reduced to a

bureaucracy squabbling among themselves

Todd: Obama held up Yemen

as a good example yet I wouldn't

want to live there

McD: it's an example of the U.S.

bombing the shit out of terrorists

Todd: is there any country

pledging ground troops in this war on ISIS?

McDonough: not yet – fingers crossed!

Todd: but you can't defeat ISIS

without soldiers on the ground

McDonough: that's why we need

to arm and train Syria moderates

Todd: that's the group we're

pinning all our hopes on?

McDonough: some of them 

are very nice people

Todd: can you pledge there will

never ever be US troops in Syria?

McDonough: we need ground

troops which is why we're backing

those wonderful Syrian rebels

Todd: Obama said he wouldn't

mind if Congress voted on this

McDonough: no he said he would welcome it

Todd: does Obama think he

needs Congressional approval

to start a war with Syria

McDonough: we've got the

power to bomb Syria now

Todd: what does Obama think of Ray Rice?

McDonough: he's shocked by

any video of a man knocking

a woman unconscious

Todd: did the NFL do the right thing?

McDonough: belatedly yes they did

[ break ]

Todd: Helene what's you

analysis of our new war with ISIS?

Cooper: suddenly we're hitching

our wagon to these so-called

moderate Syria rebels

Murphy: Obama was naïve in 2008

because he said we can't be a superpower

Todd: ha ha that's not true but funny

Murphy: now Obama is finally doing

the right thing – bombing the middle east!

Vandehei: even if we kill all of ISIS

we're left with a powerful Assad

Todd: right

Vandehei: my brother was in Baghdad

and he was a boot on the ground

Todd: it's a huge fucking mess

Henderson: we destroyed al-Qaeda

and now we have to fight ISIS which is worse!

Todd: no wonder the public is skeptical

Todd: welcome James Baker who

basically ran the US government for years

Baker: hi Chuck

Todd: please bash Obama for me

Baker: when I heroically created

a coalition in 1991 it was very heroic

Todd: so heroic

Baker: we need troops on

the ground to take on ISIS

Todd: so true

Baker: and who's going to hold captured territory?

Todd: where are the Saudis?

Baker: they're not fighting ISIS

because we don't have forces

on the ground there ourselves

Todd: so you think we need

to put massive us troops there?

Baker: oh no no

Todd: oh no?

Baker: no we should only use

special forces like SEALS and Delta force

Todd: would you bring in Iran?

Baker: no because this should

be War of Sunni All-Stars

Todd: what's the ultimate resolution?

Baker: we need to have a conference

where we bring in every country

in the world where we solve all

the problems in the middle east

Todd: fantastic

Baker: I am wise

Todd: you didn't take out Saddam in 1991

Baker: yeah assholes kept bugging me

'why didn't you take out Saddam?'

well we were right and Bush's stupid son

wrecked it like a fucking idiot

Todd: so you disagree with 
Dick Cheney when he says he 
would invade Iraq all over again

Baker: the problems in Iraq now are not

because George W. Bush invaded Iraq

Todd: they're not?

Baker: it's because Obama failed

to arm moderate Syrians and leave

a residual force in Iraq

Todd: got it

Baker: in 1990 we formed a real

coalition and America was respected

around the world

Todd: and you got the war paid for!

Baker: thank you for bringing that up Chucky

Todd: well you are a moderate

Republican which in the Beltway

means you walk on water

Baker: so true Chuckles so true

[ break ]

Todd: OMG can Hillary win this time?

Mitchell: young people want s

omeone more liberal

Young voter: climate change!

Young voter: she's a Wall Street crony!

Young voter: she will work across the aisle!

Mitchell: liberals want Elizabeth Warren

or Bernie Sanders 

[ break ] 

Todd: speaking of that -- 

welcome to my Weekend With Bernie

Todd: Bernie Sanders is a socialist 

from Vermont -- welcome Bernie

Sanders: I am thinking of running

for President as an Independent

Todd: wow

Sanders: but I would have to

form organizations in all 50 states

Todd: what about Hillary Clinton?

Sanders: people are angry at the media and

financial and corporate establishments

Todd: so you hate Hillary

Sanders: no I like Hillary – I'm running

against corporate interests

Todd: ok so bash Obama for me

Sanders: Obama should have gotten

Congress to raise the minimum wage

by calling them assholes and fuckers in public

Todd: if that didn't work what would?

Sanders: they only way to change

America is attacking politicians

Todd: if a billionaire agrees 

with you is that ok?

Sanders: Citizens United was a terrible

decision and if a liberal billionaire buys

political influence it's still terrible

Todd: so rich liberals are bad!

Sanders: but let's be clear – it's not liberals

– it's rich conservatives buying the government

Todd: if you say so

Sanders: the Koch Brothers are

a danger to American democracy!

Todd: is the Democratic party

on your side or Hillary's side?

Sanders: that's the wrong question –

even Republicans agree with me 

that the government is bought and 

paid for by billionaires

[ break ]

Todd: let's bash Hillary

Vandehei: She's craven and old-fashioned

and behind the times

Todd: whoa

Henderson: ok but who is willing

to run against her? Martin O'Malley?

Todd: Bernie Sanders wouldn't attack Hillary for me

Murphy: Clinton just isn't a very good candidate

Todd: election 2014 and Obama

has bad approval ratings! Bill Clinton

had higher ratings when Democrats 

lost big in 1994!

Todd: Voters think Republicans would

do better on national defense! 

Who knows why?

Todd: on the other hand women hate

the GOP and there are a lot of lady-part voters

Todd: also the voters are not actual

voters since no one actually votes these days

[ break ]

Todd: OMG domestic violence 

is a terrible national problem 

which can only be solved by 

demanding Roger Goodell resign

Todd: 1 in 4 women will experience violence

and that doesn't cover stalking which hardly counts

Todd: Bryant should Roger Goodell lose his job?

Gumbel: his job description is to make

money for the NFL not make domestic

violence policy for America so I 

doubt he'll be fired

Todd: if the NFL does that breast

cancer thing again this year it will look bad

Gumbel: oh they will pinkwash again –

the NFL is very good at masquerading

Todd: are we NFL fans to blame?

Gumbel: yes – just like people hate

Congress but love their Representative

people hate Roger Goodell but love their team

Todd: the owners still make money

Gumbel: right – if viewers are upset about

how the NFL handles domestic violence

they should call the sponsors like Nike 

who kept backing Ray Rice after 

he punched his fiancee

Todd: the NFL had better go purple

against domestic violence instead of pink

Henderson: sure but that will just

be more hypocritical image control

Todd: good point

Henderson: does football go the

way of boxing – an obscure sport

dominated by Ukranian politicians

Todd: Hillary would love the 

Senate to go Republican

Murphy: Republicans actually dread 

it since they'd have to take

responsibility for doing nothing

Henderson: Presidential candidate

Ted Cruz would have to own GOP

Senate dysfunction

Todd: but easier for Hillary to run

against a terrible Senate

Cooper: exactly!

Todd: and that's another

episode of Meet The Press