Guests:
David
Kirkpatrick (NYT)
Rep.
Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Rep.
Joaquin Castro (D-TX)
Ben
Wizner
Harry
Smith
Franklin
Graham
Eugene
Robinson
Robin
Wright
Dr.
Peter Stearns
Andrea
Mitchell
Elliott Abrams
Gregory:
OMG a NYT report says al-qaeda
was not involved in Benghazi and it
was
in response to a video like the administration said!
Audience:
oooh
Gregory:
how does this make Obama
look bad – we'll take a look
no
evidence of Al Qaeda involvement
and
fueled by anger over a video –
how do you know for sure?
Kirkpatrick:
everyone knows this –
it was all local people
Gregory: hmmm
Kirkpatrick:
there's no chance it was al qeada
Gregory:
but Republicans say it was
Kirkpatrick:
if you call people who hate
democracy
al qeada maybe but the
GOP
hates democracy too
Gregory:
Susan Rice said it was
spontaneous
and in response to a video
Kirkpatrick:
it was not exactly a copycat –
it
was armed men but not al qaeda
Mitchell:
was it pure uncut terrorism
or
impure terrorism?
Gregory:
good question
Mitchell:
everyone covered up the
fact
that this was a CIA outpost
Gregory:
who cares – people died
and
Obama basically killed them
Kirkpatrick: missions in places
like Libya are usually so safe
[
break ]
Issa:
the American people were lied to!!
It
was never about a video!
Gregory:
were you wrong about that?
Issa:
it must have been terrorism
because Benghazi is a small town
with
no access to videos
Gregory:
interesting point
Issa:
anyway it doesn't matter if it was al qeada
Gregory:
you said it was the whole
reason
for Obama's alleged cover up
Issa:
I never said that I only blamed
Obama for Americans being killed
Gregory:
I see
Issa:
Obama didn't launch F-16s
because he doesn't care
Gregory: I see
Issa:
also maybe Obama covered
up
terrorism or maybe not
Gregory:
okay
Issa:
also no Americans can live in
Benghazi
now which is Obama's fault
Mitchell:
you claimed it was
al qaeda which was wrong
Issa:
not true – anyway it doesn't
matter
because Obama killed people
by
not doing anything for 8 hours
Gregory:
do you stand by your
statement
that the administration
lied
about Benghazi?
Issa:
they said things that were inaccurate
Gregory:
isn't that the fog of war?
Issa:
they were under attack and
people
said under oath about what the
Ambassador
might have done hypothetically
Gregory:
initial reports are often wrong
Issa:
but the initial reports did not
name
a video as a prime cause and
which is clearly nefarious
Gregory: anything else?
Issa:
Clapper said he lied to Congress
Mitchell:
how do you answer
the
charge that Obama totally failed?
Issa:
I must reluctantly agree
Andrea
but I also admit Obama
should
be impeached
Gregory:
right
Issa:
also Obama let people die
because
he's evil
Gregory:
let's switch gears and
turn
to bashing Obama over Obamacare
Issa:
okay
Gregory:
will Obamacare survive?
Issa:
Obamacare will start killing
people
on January first
Gregory:
I see
Issa:
I fear people will get subsidies
for
health care and milk like people
do
in the third world and start to
look
at health care as if it's
something
they should have
Gregory:
got it
Issa:
we must drive down
health
care costs
Gregory:
I'd love to ask you how
to
do that but we're out of time
[
break ]
Gregory:
Benghazi!
Castro:
Issa has tried to exploit a
tragedy
for a year and it turns
out
it was all a fairy tale
Gregory:
over one million Americans
have
signed up for Obamacare which
is
a failure because you need seven
million
people signed up by March
Castro:
there are also the lifetime
caps
and pre-existing conditions
which
people like
Gregory:
why not keep the good
things
and get rid of the unpopular
things
like the mandate?
Castro:
can't do it Fluffy
Gregory:
what about extending
unemployment
benefits?
Castro:
it's only $300 a month but
people
really need that
Gregory:
happy new year Juan
Castro:
you too Dick
[
break ]
Gregory:
a federal judge upheld
bulk
collection of metadata so your
client
Ed Snowden is not a whistleblower!!
Wizner:
we always knew there
would
be legal disputes about
his
whistleblowerness
Gregory:
what evidence do you
have
that this program has been abused?
Wizner:
metadata collection is
a
general warrant like
King
George the Third did
Gregory:
but people have no legal
expectation
of privacy in their phone records
Wizner:
that's true for one person
but
not for many people
Gregory:
I see
Wizner:
Ed says he won
by
creating the conversation
Gregory:
if this is civil disobedience
why
not come back to America
and
face the musak?
Wizner:
because he's being charged
under
a law passed during
World
War One so it doesn't count
Gregory:
got it
Wizner:
also in a democracy it's important
to
disclose national secrets sometimes
Gregory:
in violation of
his
oath not to do that
Wizner:
no he only took an oath
to
follow the Constitution
Gregory:
oh okay
Wizner:
we just don't feel it's
fair
for him to do a lot of time in prison
Gregory:
would he ever come back to America?
Wizner:
sure if we got a deal
Gregory:
amnesty?
Wizner:
amnesty isn't always a bad thing –
lots
of people got amnesty including
for
torturing people
Gregory:
he's in Russia which has
no
free speech or human rights
Wizner:
he's only in Russia because
America
revoked his passport when
he
was passing through to take
in
the lovely Russia spring weather
Gregory:
I see
Wizner:
it's in no one's interest
for
him to stay in Russia
Gregory:
is that threat?
Wizner:
it could be
Gregory:
what can we expect
from
Snowden in 2014?
Wizner:
he's not a narcissist!
Gregory:
well then he doesn't
belong
in Washington
Wizner:
but you may see more
of
him in the coming year
[
break ]
Gregory:
what will be the big the story of 2014?
Robinson:
should government be big or small
Gregory:
that's a good one
Robinson:
also racial eruptions like
Zimmerman
will crop up again –
especially
as we debate the controversy
over
whether we should have ended slavery
Gregory:
are we still a world leader?
Stearns:
yes because the U.S.
economy
is growing
Gregory:
that can't be right because
it
makes Obama look good
Wright:
that's right David – India and
Brazil
and China are pushing America aside
Gregory:
excellent
Wright:
also Obama has lost Saudi Arabia
Abrams:
everyone in the middle east
thinks
Obama is receding
Gregory:
let me read a long passage
from
The Economist calling Obama
weak
and defensive
Stearns:
Obama needs to wind down
these
disastrous wars
Gregory:
dammit Elliott please
bash
Obama for me
Abrams:
the whole middle east is mad
that
Obama didn't invade Syria
Robinson:
hey stupid – invading
Iraq
was a really fucking bad idea
Wright:
Obama is using diplomacy
to
succeed where people like
Elliott
Abrams failed
Mitchell:
but Obama hesitated on Syria
and
now we can't control that
middle
east nation and that's sad
Gregory:
true
Mitchell:
but
Gregory:
Obama is retrenching and
we
still face terror threats!
Abrams:
it's terrible
Gregory:
I feel like I am Winston Churchill
after
World War One warning about
Adolf
Hitler and no is listening to me
– am
I right Elliott?!?
Abrams:
exactly – Obama has
appeased
al-qaeda and Obama
not
invading Syria is just like Munich
Stearns:
with all due respect to
you
Fluffy – you're a moron
Gregory:
how does a deal with
Iran
impact the middle east?
Wright:
even Iran wants to see
the
war in Syria ended
Gregory:
interesting
Wright:
everything in Iran –
women's
rights and democracy
depends
on a nuclear deal
Smith:
Billy Graham is 95 years old
Franklin
Graham: people are praying for him
Smith:
he was the President's pastor
Graham:
yes he was
Smith:
you were a prodigal son
Graham:
but I came back
Smith:
you questioned Obama's Christianity
Graham:
I am not politically correct
Smith:
Pope Francis said
'who am I to judge gay people'
Graham:
God will punish gay people
someday
and I just want to warn the
gays
about how vindictive god can be
Smith:
how nice of you
[
break ]
Gregory:
what about Pope Francis?
Mitchell:
Pope Francis is the
biggest
thing to happen in world this year
– I
was moved by his message about
caring
for the poor – it's novel for a
religious
figure to talk about that
Wright:
it's quite amazing
Steans:
I'm not naive but maybe
we
can have peace
Robinson:
we've seen advances
in
gay marriage – will the culture wars
be
over or will the fight go on
Audience:
go on
Gregory:
and that's another
episode of Meet The
Press
