Meet The Press – August 3, 2014

Guests:

Andrea Mitchell

Dr. Nancy Snyderman

Dr. Tom Frieden (CDC)

Toby Cosgrove – Cleveland Clinic

Riyad Mansour – Permanent Observer

of Palestine to the United Nations

Ron Dermer – Israel Ambassador to US

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)

Sen. John Thune (R-SD)

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)

Kristen Soltis-Anderson

Mike Murphy

Gregory: good morning – today we're

all panicking over ebola and

nancy snyderman has the latest

Audience: eeek

Gregory: what's up doc?

Snyderman: the CDC is deploying

Disease Detectives

Gregory: isn't that a show on SyFy?

Snyderman: Dr Bantly was brought

here in a swift military operation

inside a hermetically sealed container

with little air holes

Gregory: when will ebola break out here?

Snyderman: it may not but the CDC

has 20 quarantine facilities all over America

Gregory: gee what a comforting thought

[ break ]

Gregory: doctor how is the

Ebola patient doing?

Frieden: he's doing pretty well

for a guy with the most dreaded

disease on the planet

Gregory: isn't it an unacceptable

risk to allow this guy into America?

Frieden: Fluffy he's an

American citizen who is sick –

are you completely heartless

Gregory: I'm a Beltway pundit –

I don't possess normal human feelings

Frieden: we can stop Ebola

in Africa if we try

Gregory: Americans are terrified

that Ebola will spread all over the USA

Frieden: Ebola is a formidable enemy

– if we're not careful it will spread

everywhere in America

Gregory: you're not making

me feel better doctor

Frieden: I feel the same

way talking to you

[ break ]

Gregory: how can we protect

the public from this modern typhoid mary

Cosgrove: the workers wear

those special suits you see in the movies

Gregory: those are cool but scary

Cosgrove: more people die from

the flu every year than from ebola

Gregory: I appreciate this doctor

risked himself to save lives in

Africa but I can't believe we

let this guy back in America

Cosgrove: well guess what

disease can spread from Africa

to here regardless

Gregory: hospitals are terrible places

where people get sick so won't Ebola

spread all over the hospital and

eventually all over Georgia

Cosgrove: no it won't Fluffy

Gregory: there's not cure for Ebola

so is this guy going to die?

Cosgrove: maybe not

Gregory: he's walking and talking

– is that good?

Cosgrove: it's a good sign indeed

Gregory: what about our viewers

who have recently been in Africa?

Cosgrove: take your temperature now!

Gregory: what about the

toxic algae in Cleveland

Cosgrove: it's critical and is 
caused by fertilizer runoff from farms

Gregory: well that's not good

[ break ]

Gregory: welcome Riyad

Mansour: thanks for

inviting me David

Gregory: is there any chance

for a real cease-fire

Mansour: hundred of civilians

have been killed – it's tragic

Gregory: blah blah blah –

aren't you mad at Hamas for

sacrificing Palestinian lives

and starting the war and

using human shields

Mansour: that's stuff about human

shields is nonsense – 
ask Doctors without Borders

Gregory: Hamas exploits civilians

– are you mad or not?

Mansour: Israel just shelled

another UN school full of children

Gregory: just answer the question

Mansour: the Palestinian President

is trying to arrange a cease fire

Gregory: isn't Hamas to blame

for all Palestinian problems

Mansour: President Abbas is trying

to get Hamas to stop the shelling

Gregory: that's good

Mansour: half the population of Gaza

are under 18 and they have no education

or jobs or hope which leads to radicalization

Gregory: Hamas – evil or not

Mansour: Israel's actions empower Hamas!

Gregory: evil then

Mansour: Israel needs to lift

the siege and give the people

of Gaza hope and an alternative to Hamas

Gregory: okay

Mansour: and of course end the

occupation and create a Palestinian state

Gregory: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Gregory: Andrea what's going on in the world?

Mitchell: people are starting

to sympathize with all the

children killed in Gaza

Gregory: interesting

Mitchell: most Americans like

Israel but young Americans

are more skeptical

Gregory: those crazy kids

Mitchell: Israelis support the

war but even they don't want

to occupy Gaza

Gregory: but we occupied

Iraq and that went great

Mitchell: even Arab leaders

are rooting for Israel because

they hate Hamas

[ break ]

Gregory: welcome Ambassador -- 
how's the war going?

Dermer: we're blowing up the tunnels

which are used to massacre us

Gregory: so when you're

done is the war over?

Dermer: we must also prevent 
Hamas from re-arming

Gregory: Riyad Mansour says

killing civilians actually helps Hamas

Dermer: he has to say that

because Gaza is not a free society

Gregory: can't argue with that

Dermer: Hamas is just like al-qaeda!

Gregory: so what's the solution

Dermer: we win the war

Gregory: but are you losing

the larger public relations war

Dermer: you can't embrace terrorists

Gregory: is anyone suggesting that

Dermer: Yes Palestinians embrace terrorists

Gregory: so is there a military solution?

Dermer: yes – we can degrade Hamas

Gregory: ok but can you destroy Hamas?

Dermer: Hamas is genocidal!

Gregory: are you killing too many civilians?

Dermer: maybe but we only kill

so many civilians because

Hamas wants us to do it

Gregory: got it

Dermer: we left Gaza hoping they

would create another Singapore

and instead they fired rockets at Israel

Gregory: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Todd: our exclusive poll shows

Congress is unpopular

Audience: amazing

Todd: public is right – this is

the least productive Congress

in American history

Gregory: what does

that mean for the fall elections

Todd: Republicans still control

the House but that could be a

bad thing since people hate Congress

Gregory: heh

Todd: then the House sued the

President and didn't pass

anything and took a 5 week vacation

Gregory: Mike can Republicans

really ask Americans to reward

them for a job well done?

Murphy: oh yes but the question is

can they get more done next year

Gregory: but the House went on

vacation without getting anything done

Ryan: we have a craven 
extremist political culture

Ellison: we need to address jobs

minimum wage and immigration

and Congress isn't doing enough

but the President is doing what he can

Gregory: Republicans hate executive

action but then asked Obama to

take executive actions

Soltis-Anderson: Obama is acting like a king

Gregory: he's a bit kingly

Soltis-Anderson: Obama's monarchical

abuses of power help Republicans politically

Murphy: maybe now but it suing

the President will hurt the GOP in 2016

Gregory: Obama is weak!

Talking Parrot: Obama weak!

Bill Plante: why doesn't Obama

control the world?

Obama: because American

doesn't control the world

Ryan: Bush was too aggressive

and Obama is too weak

Talking Parrot: Obama weak!

Gregory: why can't America 
shape all world events?

Ellison: this is whole conversation is ridiculous

Gregory: Leadership!

Soltis-Anderson: Obama can't lead!

America's economy is almost as

bad as under the great leader

George W. Bush!

Murphy: Obama is passive!

Gregory: I love it!!

Murphy: Obama didn't bomb Syria

and America was ruined forever

Ellison: oh for god's sake even

Republicans didn't want Obama

to bomb Syria

Gregory: but America lost respect 
when Obama didn't start another war

Ellison: Fluffy maybe Beltway 
pundits love war but the American 
people don't want yet another middle east war 

Gregory: you can't possibly be

suggesting public opinion should

influence who America should bomb?

Ellison: hell yes I am – 
we still live in a democracy!

Gregory: but Obama drew a

red line and we must bomb or

no one will believe America again

Ellison: he got Syria's chemical

weapons without firing a shot

– are you all crazy?

Murphy: there can never be peace without more war!

Gregory: Keith you supported

Iron Dome before but not now

Ellison: because we need a cease fire now

[ break ]

Gregory: Senators why can't 
Congress do anything

Thune: the House did pass a bill

Gregory: maybe

Thune: I understand people

are mad since gas prices are

so high under Obama

Gregory: remember when I was

sure gas prices would cost Obama

the election – that was fun

Thune: the Senate is a Showboat Factory

Gregory: is that like a Cheesecake 
Factory but less deadly

Menendez: good one Greggers 

Gregory: Bob isn't Obama a dictator

since Congress has spoken

Menendez: the Senate passed a

bipartisan immigration bill last year

and the House didn't consider it

Gregory: but Obama is still like a Emperor

Menendez: also the President has

legal powers and even the GOP

called on him to act on his own immigration

Gregory: how do you define victory for Israel?

Menendez: how should I know 
– it's their country

Gregory: just answer the question

Menendez: Hamas hides behind civilians

Gregory: but Israel is killing civilians

which hurts their image

Thune: thankfully Republicans and

Democrats can't agree on everything

but support for Israel

Thune: look all Israel has to do is blow

up all the tunnels and crush Hamas

and we must support them until

they get the job done

Gregory: what about immigration?

Thune: we have an immediate crisis

and we must stop the refugee children now

Gregory: right

Thune: we can't pass any other

laws until no one ever ever ever

crosses the border ever

Gregory: what's the solution?

Thune: we build a big huge giant fence

Menendez: we did pass a

bipartisan bill a year ago!

Gregory: okay thanks for coming guys

Gregory: Kristen How can we

help the Republicans win?

Soltis-Anderson: I'm glad you 

asked that David – focus on 

things which accomplish

that which the people want

Gregory: and that's another

episode of Meet the Press