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Obama To Address American On Tuesday; Peter King For President In 2016?; Syrians on Lebanese Border Increasing Every 15 Seconds; Record Crowd At Michigan Versus Notre Dame; Georgia Outlasts South Carolina In Shootout; Djokovic To Meet Nadal In U.S. Open Final; Reports: Bruno Mars To Headline Super Bowl Half Time; Open Court; Rafael Nadal; Counting The Votes On Syria; Obama Looking For Military Options; Pope Francis Holds A Prayer Vigil For Peace; McCain Raises Impeachment

Aired September 08, 2013 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. secretary of state John Kerry meets with Arab ministers overseas and reveal details about where key U.S. allies stand on a potential military strike on Syria.

Plus, all along, Syria's border with Lebanon, a refugee crisis escalating thousands of people who are living in filth shun by the local population and forced to pay money to stay safe.

President Obama is getting ready to make a major pitch to Congress and to the American people on why the U.S. should launch an attack on Syria. Tomorrow night, he will give interviews to journalists from six television networks and cable including our own Wolf Blitzer. Then on Tuesday night, he lays out his case to the American people from a speech from the White House at 9:00 p.m. eastern.

Meantime, U.S. secretary of state John Kerry is speaking about why the administration showed a Senate committee extremely graphic videos of a suspected sarin gas attack in Syria. We must warn that this video is graphic and it appears to show people dying from a gas attack.

CNN was the first to obtain the clips of the victims. Men and women and children all seen convulsing on the ground struggling to breathe and some are dead. Kerry said to today it's important Congress knows what's at stake before they vote on whether to strike on Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Those videos make it clear to people these are real human beings, real children, parents being affected in ways that are unacceptable to anybody anywhere by any standards. And that it is the United States of America that has always stood with others to say, we will not allow this. This is not our values. This is not who we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon.

So Barbara, what makes U.S. officials believe these tapes are authentic?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the indications are multiple, Fredericka. First, they say that the videos were shot from multiple angles so things matched up. That the outside of these locations matched overhead imagery taken essentially from satellites and they had survivors, victims who survived verifying the account.

There seems to be very little question, frankly, amongst most members of Congress that this did not take as represented, that there was a certainly atrocity that happened here. But the question that lingers is really, how much did Bashar al-Assad, the leader of Syria, really know about this? Did he himself order this? And that's the evidence the administration has not yet made public and not clear yet if they have it. Can they tie Bashar al-Assad to this?

They know, they believe very strongly it is only the regime that could have carried this out, only the regime has the weapons, the capability, the troops and the actual chemical stockpiles to do it. They don't believe it was the opposition. They don't believe it was Al-Qaeda elements inside Syria. They believe it was the regime. They say it I don't matter if Assad can't be directly tied to it, he is the leader of the regime, he is the leader of the military and that they will continue to hold him responsible -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr, thank you so much.

All right now, to the push in Congress for use of force in Syria. Right now, the majority of members have not made up their minds. And the president has just a small window to convince them military action is justified.

Emily Schmidt is keeping a close eye on the vote count and opinions of lawmakers who could either deliver the president a victory on this critical issue or a crushing defeat.

So Emily, what are you hearing? EMILY SCHMIDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, so much on the line. Barbara was talking about those videos, we know some lawmakers have certainly seen the video which shows the aftermath of what the Obama administration believes was that August chemical attack in Syria. We expect more lawmakers now are going to see it throughout the week when it is shown at briefings that are going to be open to all House members tomorrow, all senators later in the week.

Well today, White House chief of staff Dennis McDonough said on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," that video should a matter the decision-makers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS MCDONOUGH, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OD STAFF: In terms of turning a blind eye, I hope before any member of Congress makes his decision how to vote, they look at that video you all made available to the world yesterday. Take a look at that and try to turn away from that. If members of Congress want to mention that question to say that there should be consequences for this action, then they are going to have to vote yes on this action. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHMIDT: And on the Sunday talk shows, lawmakers who talked about watching the video, agree it is horrible. They agree, difficult to watch. But no one said it changed their mind at this point how they feel about supporting a strike on Syria.

Take a look at the latest CNN vote tally. We will start with the Senate, is it going to be the first to vote where the opinions that have been expressed so far are the most evenly divided. The CNN tally there shows 25 yes, 20 no, 55 undecided. We will probably take 60 yes votes to mass the resolution. Vote could be as early as Wednesday.

But them take a look at the House. The numbers there tell a different story. More clear disagreement with 24 members right now supporting the resolution, 123 say they are going to vote no. A vast majority still undecided. The House is back in session tomorrow afternoon, Fredericka, after an August break. Guess what they'll be talking about.

WHITFIELD: And will many talk about, those particularly who are undecided, talk about why they are on the fence?

SCHMIDT: Yes, one example that we really looked at today, Congressman Elijah Cummings. He is a Democrat from Maryland. He comes from a district where he says 77 percent of his constituents voted for President Obama. Yes, listen to this, he says 90 percent of the calls coming into his district right now are against striking Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D), MARYLAND: My constituents are concerned about the what's next. We need to know the possible consequences of the strike and if it will possibly lead to a scenario where America gets more deeply involved in the civil war in Syria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHMIDT: And you think about Congressman Cummings, he said so far he has had three briefings on Syria. He still puts himself in the undecided column -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Emily Schmidt in Washington.

So, U.S. secretary of state John Kerry is very busy trying to convince the international community to take military action against Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: What we are seeking is to enforce the standards with respect to the use of chemical weapons. We are not seeking to become engaged to or party to or take over Syria's civil war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: He met with Arab league foreign ministers today and the discussion on Syria was, of course, on the agenda. Foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott is live for us right now in London where she is traveling with Secretary Kerry.

So Elise, you know, Kerry will be meeting with who today? With whom today?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, he will be meeting, Fred, with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. This trip to Europe was originally supposed to be a trip to deal with the Middle East peace process, which as you know, Secretary Kerry has devoted a considerable amount of time but the crisis in Syria has certainly eclipsed the Middle East peace process. So, he is trying to do both at the same time.

As you said today, he met with the Arab league. He seemed to get a lot of support in the meeting. He's looking to some of these countries to sign to that G 20 statement that came out of that meeting Friday.

This is really shaping up to be the international vehicle of choice for the Obama administration trying to get more countries to sign on. Secretary Kerry also said in a press conference today that Saudi Arabia supports U.S. strikes against Syria. And I think he is expecting some other countries to show their public support in the next 24 hours.

WHITFIELD: But Elise, what does that mean that Saudi Arabia supports U.S. strikes? That the Arab league supports the U.S. mission? That the Arab league also agrees or believes chemical weapons were used. But either of those committing to military force as well as alongside the U.S.?

LABOTT: Well, Saudi Arabia has really been one of the strongest opponents of an kind of military action. They have made statements. And Prince Bandar, the former ambassador to Washington has really been traveling the world trying to drum up support for some type of military campaign.

So, I think you might see Saudi Arabia, whether it's base, whether it is over flight rights, they haven't announced anything yet. But I think Secretary Kerry is looking for something like that. I think some of the other countries are going to be a little bit more private about what they would be willing to contribute. Qatar today said -- the Qatar foreign minister said his country supported intervention and they were looking what they can do.

So, what Secretary Kerry said was he hopes in the next 24 hours that more countries would be signing on that statement from St. Petersburg and also voicing anything that they can do.

So, I think in the next 24 hours, we might know a little bit more.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elise Labott, thanks so much from London.

All right, tomorrow, President Obama will sit down with Wolf Blitzer about the crisis in Syria. That interview airs Monday at 6:00 p.m. eastern time, right here on CNN.

All right, so has the crisis in Syria inspired Republican Congressman Peter King to officially announce a run for the White House in 2016? We will ask him in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The horrifying videos from Syria showing victims of an alleged chemical weapons attack have now been posted on a Senate Web site and will be played at House and Senate meetings this week all part of an effort by the Obama administration to win support for a military strike against Syria.

Jake Tapper has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: CNN has obtained shocking videos show to the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday, videos which show what the intelligence community describes as victims of a sarin gas attack. And we should warn viewers that the videos are quite disturbing.

TAPPER: In a classified briefing on Thursday, members of the Senate intelligence committee were shown these 13 video clips by the intelligence community. Stunning videos, upsetting showing what the intelligence community says are verified authentic clips of a sarin gas take in Syria. Suffering children, convulsing adults, and what look to be corpses.

The Obama administration, struggling to build support for limited strikes against the Assad regime put the DVD together at the request of intelligence committee chairwoman Senator Dianne Feinstein.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I had asked CIA to prepare a DVD which would have specific instances of evidence, largely victims, and what we see means. It's horrendous. So we are having that DVD multiplied. And we are going to get it out to every member of the Senate and possibly members of the house.

TAPPER: The senators were told that there were multiple reasons the intelligence community believed the clips to be authentic. They were shot from multiple angles. The outdoor footage matched overhead imagery. They were corroborated by survivors.

So far, only members and staff of the Senate and intelligence committee have seen this video. The House is expected to see the clips perhaps in a classified briefing Monday that will be led by secretary of state John Kerry and defense secretary Chuck Hagel and national security advisor, Dr. Susan Rice.

Though some in the video can be heard blaming the Assad regime, these videos do not prove the Assad regime carried out these chemical weapon attacks. Those claims by President Obama and others in the administration comes from other information not shared with the public and not confirmed by CNN. And while the president is confident in his case with the public, he says recognizes why some, even after viewing these images still have questions.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think people, right away, are going to be pretty skeptical about the system. And whether it can work to protect those children that we saw in most videos. And sometimes, the further we get from the horrors of that, the easier it is to rationalize not making tough choices.

TAPPER: These upsetting videos are being used to convince a skeptical Congress military action is needed against Assad and his regime. But, however horrific the images are, they do not prove or disprove that a military strike would not result in even more horror.

Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And this programming note. Chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, goes in-depth on Syria in a Special Report, "Crisis in Syria decision point." That's right here on CNN, Monday night, 11:00 p.m. eastern time.

All right, will the release of these videos help president Obama's case for a military strike in Syria? He still has a very difficult vote in Congress ahead of him.

New York Congressman Peter King joins me now. He is also a member of the congressional homeland security committee.

So, I want to start with this.

First of all, welcome to you. And is this correct, you told a New Hampshire radio interviewer that you are running for president in 2016?

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: No, Fredericka. What I said was I have been invited to New Hampshire a number of times by people who asked me to consider it. And I have been there speaking to several groups on behalf of local Republican candidates. But I don't have a campaign committee. I have not solicited any endorsements or any contributions. So, I'm still at the stage where I'm just listening and primarily going to New Hampshire to, again, see what's happening on the ground and at the invitation of local leaders up there.

But even though that, you know, that tweet from the show said that, that when you go to their Web site they specifically say that I reaffirmed I don't have an exploratory committee and I'm just basically looking and traveling to New Hampshire. So, if I do make a decision, it will be a year, year and a half from now, at least.

WHITFIELD: So, you still are entertaining the idea and that, in large part, why you are making a few visits to New Hampshire.

KING: Yes, I have been invited up there by local officials. Once my name was put out there and I said I would be willing to consider it sometime in the future, I have now been invited up and I have been there, you know, a number of times. And you know, the reception's been good, but that's a long way off.

WHITFIELD: OK.

Well, let's talk about the immediate and let's talk about Syria and the crisis there. Have you been afforded the opportunity to watch these videos since they've been released on our air yesterday and the Senate intelligence committee has seen them as well?

KING: I have watched them on CNN. I'm on the House and intelligence committee and we are getting a briefing at 3:00 tomorrow. And I'm expecting at that time we will see all of the videos and whatever the CIA and administration have to show us, but that would be at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon.

WHITFIELD: And what do you look forward for that briefing tomorrow, besides seeing this video for yourself, you know, unfiltered, what information are you hoping to get?

KING: Well, Fredrick, I intend to vote yes for the resolution even though I have strong criticism and doubt how the president has handled this. I think he has not been enough of a commander in chief and he vacillated too much.

As far as the videos themselves, you know the killing, the torturing and horrible deaths those children had to endure is almost beyond human comprehension. But that alone should not make this act -- I'm not saying that in a hard-hearted way. But you know, we could have atrocities in countries all over the world. We have to also look to see if there's an American national interest and I believe there is. I think the axis between Syria and Iran, the capacity for chemical weapons and nuclear weapons with Iran and the security of our allies, Jordan and Israel, which obviously involve on national security, is the reason why we should act.

WHITFIELD: So, help people understand why you say you will vote yes, at the same time you are very critical of the president and his handling of this. I mean, why undermine his leadership or the way in which he is approaching this, but you say you agree with the mission.

KING: Well, first of all, I want people to know I am not blindly following President Obama. The reason I say that is, to me, it makes my position stronger as far as a yes vote. Even though I'm being critical of the president, if I support the decision it's because I feel this is so important to our national security. And that's why I'm supporting it. It's not because of any feelings I have toward the president. It's because I believe it's essential the United States take responsive action here, otherwise it will hurt us far more in the future.

I cannot guarantee this attack plan will work, but I think I can guarantee if we take no action it will come back to haunt us in the future as Iran become as such as far more power in the region along with Syria. WHITFIELD: So, you don't like that the president has deferred to Congress to vote on it, yet as a member of Congress you have the opportunity to weigh in on it. I mean, does it seem as though the president really can't win? If he were to go it alone without congressional approval, there would be criticism, if he does get congressional approval there's criticism.

KING: Well, that goes with the job of being commander in chief. You have to make a tough decision. I believe as commander in chief he has the right to launch these attacks as Bill Clinton did, as Dwight Eisenhower did, as Ronald Reagan did. This certainly can be done by the president.

If he wanted Congress involved, he should have said that from the start. Instead, it was year ago he announced the red line. It was now more than two weeks ago that the red line was crossed and it was only after nine or 10 days ago when people thought the attack is going to commence, that he said he wanted Congress involve. So, it appears that he is referring to Congress after not even mentioning Congress for a year. And then we have him in Sweden, where he says it wasn't even his red line crossed.

So, I'm saying it sends an uncertain message. If you expect that Congress behind you, that the 218 votes that are needed, the president has to make it clear that the believes his own policy. And if he seems to be back away or vacillating, that's note way you inspire Congress.

Again, I can't imagine Harry Truman doing that or John Kennedy, Ronal Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower. I just, to me, a president as commander in-chief has to make a tough decision and go with it especially when he says he believed he has the power to act.

WHITFIELD: And lastly, how do you suppose, the president or the administration goes about getting those who are undecided on board?

KING: I think it just to show it is America's national interest. I think it is important to show the video to show that we are talking about a real horror in the real world. But then, he has to make that connection to America's national security by talking about Jordan, by talking about Israel, by talking about the fact that if we can't stop Syria where it is red line, we are not going to be able to stop Iran with their red line and that ultimately is a tremendous threat to the west and to the United States in particular.

WHITFIELD: All right, New York Congressman Peter King, thanks so much for your time.

KING: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And a thousands of Syrians flee their homeland each day. They are crowding into refugee camps in boarding conditions and some conditions are quite appalling.

Ahead, we will go inside a camp on the Lebanese-Syrian border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More than two million Syrians have fled their homeland crowding into refugee camps and bordering countries.

Chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta is just out at a camp in Lebanon, just outside the Syrian border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For (INAUDIBLE), the constant shelling in Hams was becoming too much. But it was after this occurred to her middle son, 4-year-old Yousef, she knew she had to leave.

It was an explosion she told me, that led to these burns. She packed up her three son, and what little she had and traveled 12 hours, mostly by foot, to arrive here at this camp. It is one of the largest in the McCaw valley along the Syrian-Lebanese border. The youngest son, Allah, is 8-months-old and he is now spent half his life as a refugee. He is severely malnourished even though he's breast-fed.

How difficult is it to get food? It is difficult to breastfeed, she tells me, when the mom herself hasn't had enough to eat.

Today, they get drastically needed medical attention and vaccines for malaria and polio, thanks to UNICEF. But make no mistake, Lebanon is buckling under the way that the refugees who arrive here every 15 seconds.

In this country of over four million, the United Nations say there are some 720,000 registered refugees. The doctors believe the number to be more than twice that.

More than one out of every four people in Lebanon is a refugee, he tells me. And it is the people living in these surrounding communities that are now sending a message to the refugees in these valley camps. This will never be your home. This can never be your home.

The children's smiles be lie a particularly awful way of life. Their story is one of fleeing the violence of their home country and then not being wanted in their adopted one. After two years, there are no fixed water facilities or a system of sanitation. Instead, just a steady stream of sewage snaking its way through this 5,000 person camp.

They have lost everything, their material possessions, their dignity, their permanence.

To simply live like this, aide groups say refugees that this camp are required to pay $100 a month to the town sheriff. And the only way to make it work is to send these young kids into the fields to work for just $2 a day. It is heart-wrenching.

Within these camps, there is the constant friction between two groups. Those who support the Syrian regime and those who hate it. But they do share something in common. They all want to go home.

Arkin and her three sons, they can't wait to leave.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Fred, if you look at Lebanon as a whole, you suddenly added so many more people now in the country. Again, almost one out of every four being a refugee. And you can see the toll of it takes on the country as a whole. But again, look at this family and what their lives are like. They are being asked to pay amounts of money to live that makes it even more expensive to live as a refugee than simply going back home to Syria.

So regardless what happens over the next few days, weeks or months, that is their reality and that's what's driving their think and decisions.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, terribly sad. Thanks so much, Sanjay.

And every 15 seconds a Syrian becomes a refugee. And according to the U.N. refugee agency there is no end in sight. But you can make an impact for more than two million Syrian refugees. Go to CNN.com/impact for a list of the organizations working in the region and, of course, they are looking for your kind of help. That is CNN.com/impact.

All right, Prince Andrew was out for a walk on the grounds of Buckingham palace just a few nights ago. I will tell you why he was stopped by police and almost arrested.

That story and today's other headlines two minutes away. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are three things crossing the CNN news desk right now. Number one, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Arab League foreign ministers today. He is pushing for their support in a military strike against Syria. Next, Kerry will meet with the British foreign secretary.

Number two, tomorrow, President Obama will talk to all six television networks including CNN about the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. His interview with our own Wolf Blitzer will air at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time right in "The Situation Room."

Number three, a few days after a break-in at Buckingham Palace, police thought they had caught another intruder. They approached a man walking in the palace's garden and asked him to verify his identity. It turned out to be that intruder was actually Prince Andrew, the brother of Prince Charles. Andrew, by the way, was born in Buckingham Palace and still keeps his office there. Our Joe Carter has an update on the men's U.S. Open final, but first, a huge day in college football. Here's Joe with the "Bleacher Report."

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: All right, Fred, it looks like the big house lived up to its big name. More than 115,000 fans watched Michigan beat Notre Dame last night. By comparison, the Super Bowl attendance record, 105,000. Look at this great shot, all kinds of people out there.

When Ohio State comes to town at the end of November, this is going to be a new attendance record set for those two schools. But last night, what a great chance for Michigan to show off to the country, they have so much pride. How good was their quarterback last night? Michigan quarterback, Devon Gardner looks great. He scored five touchdowns. He threw four, ran one. Michigan went on to win 41-30. The Wolverines have now won four straight at home against Notre Dame.

Georgia quarterback, Aaron Murray, over the last three years has been sort of known to choke in big games, but against number six South Carolina on Saturday, he finally did not. Murray passed for over 300 yards. He threw four touchdown passes and Georgia finally snaps a three-long losing streak against South Carolina with 41-30 win and this also means Georgia takes early control against the SEC East.

Talk a little tennis, the men's final is set at the U.S. Open. Two familiar faces are going to battle it out once again. You got Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal. They are going to meet in the finals for the third time in the last four years. The men's final is on Monday.

It's about to be a huge weekend for Bruno Mars. Last night, he hosted "SNL." And according to several ports, it's trending on bleacherreport.com as well. He is going to be the halftime performer at the upcoming Super Bowl. He has to either bundle up or dance faster because the big game is going to be held outside in February in New Jersey. Not quite Florida or Arizona. Back to you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: He has to wear a coat.

All right, now an Open Court Sports preview. Tennis Star Rafael Nadal hopes to overcome knee problems as he tries to win that U.S. Open title tomorrow. CNN's Don Riddell caught up with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rare sight on the island of Cozumel, a relaxed Rafael Nadal enjoying the sand and surf in Mexico. A few months out with a knee injury, he's back.

(on camera): Did you ever think you might have to retire? Did it ever get that bad?

RAFAEL NADAL, 12-TIME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: I am very positive. That's part of our careers. We are professional athletes. We bring our body to the limit. RIDDELL: When you feel the pain in your knee when you're playing, does it affect you mentally?

NADAL: Sure. When you break a leg, you break an arm, you know that you have, for example, six months. In this kind of injuries, a little bit harder because you really don't know what's happening sometimes.

RIDDELL (voice-over): While some feared the sun was setting on Rafael Nadal's career, now many have hopes that a new chapter is just beginning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A big and critical week ahead for the president and Congress on Syria. Will the White House get the votes it needs in the House and Senator for action on Syria? In the Senate out of 100 members, only 25 senators say yes, 20 no votes, the rest up in the air. In the House, only 24 yes votes, 123 no and 286 unknown or undecided on how they will vote.

Candy Crowley is CNN chief political correspondent and anchor of "STATE OF THE UNION." So Candy, the president sits down with Wolf Blitzer tomorrow and talks to other cable and broadcast networks. He speaks to America at 9:00 Tuesday evening. Meantime, you talked to the White House chief of staff today. Does he say the president will give more detailed evidence Syria's government used chemical weapons?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, with the caveat that I'm not sure that particular question will be definitive on how people vote, there are questions out there by some people about how do we know this chemical attack came from the Assad regime? Various members of the president's cabinet including Secretary of State Kerry who said we have beyond a reasonable doubt information that the Assad regime certainly was tied to this launch. Take a listen to what the chief of staff of the president said to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENIS MCDONOUGH, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Do we have a picture or do we have irrefutable, beyond a reasonable doubt evidence? This is not a court of law and intelligence does not work that way. So what we do know and know the common sense test says he is responsible for this, he should be held to account.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So if the president hears that Capitol Hill says no to military action, will the president leave it there?

CROWLEY: Well, that's the big question, isn't it? There are certainly -- it's not a question the administration wants to answer right now, will you go ahead even if Congress tells you no? Because obviously if he said, yes, I will, that's kind of a free pass for a lot of people who would like to vote no on this. What the president really wants is Congress behind him on this?

I have to tell you that the outlook in the House seems pretty bleak according to some of the Democrats I've talked to who actually are supportive of the president. It's -- short of some big dramatic thing of the president, I don't think he can win this one in the House. So then, what does he do? They have clearly left their options open.

We have heard official after official all the way up to the president say we don't think we need approval from Congress, but we want it anyway meaning the president feels he can act alone if he wants to. When they have outlined the stakes, particularly Secretary Kerry outlined the stakes here and says history will judge us harshly if we don't do this, he likened Assad to Hitler.

When you raise those stakes up, it seems almost impossible the president would then say, but I can't do it. We'll see. They certainly haven't shown their hand, but they have left their options open.

WHITFIELD: All right, Candy Crowley, host of the "STATE OF THE UNION." Thanks so much.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Fred.

And it's back. "CROSSFIRE," an all new version of the political show, join hosts, Van Jones, S.E. Cupp, Newt Gingrich and Stephanie Cutter, "CROSSFIRE" returns to CNN Monday night, 6:30 Eastern Time.

All right, if the U.S. has to go it alone in Syria, what would be the most effective approach? In a minute, our military analysts will tell us why he thinks the president may have to widen his options to have an impact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So what are the options now for President Obama on Syria? Even if he does win congressional approval for a military strike, will the U.S. have to go it alone? What would that mean for U.S. military options?

I want to bring in Lt. Colonel Rick Francona. He is a CNN military analyst and he also spent three years in Syria as a military attache at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. Good to see you.

LT. COLONEL RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: All right, so U.S. Secretary Kerry met Arab League ministers and apparently there is Arab League support for military action and Saudi Arabia is supportive, but neither are providing arsenals. How strategic or helpful would it be for Saudi Arabia in particular to offer support?

FRANCONA: It would be nice if we had some Arab support somewhere. Now they don't really have a whole lot of capabilities in the standoff mode as what we're trying to do. We're going to launch cruise missiles, maybe some air launch cruise missiles. The Saudi's don't really have a great capability, but it's sure be nice to have some token support from the Arab countries.

Right now, looks like just us, one French frigate, it is a defensive ship, but it would be nice to have more people involved. It makes a much better show in the Arab world because we are going to be portrayed as the Americans once again, imperialist, doing things once again to an Arab country. It would be great if we had fellow Arabs with --

WHITFIELD: Are you talking about moral support or are you talking about other forms of support like offering air fields or perhaps ports, you know, for our military?

FRANCONA: Exactly, exactly. You know, material support, some sort of, you know, put some aircraft on alert, do something, let us use the air fields, even get involve in the operation. If it goes beyond standoff cruise missile attacks, it would sure be nice to have some Saudi airplanes up there.

WHITFIELD: And then how much of a handicap is it for the U.S. military operations if we don't get that?

FRANCONA: Well, we can do this by ourselves. We certainly have the capability to do this. It's just what the president wants to do, what he hopes to accomplish, how much broader he wants to go. Four destroyers with cruise missiles can do some damage. They can't do probably as much as he would like. We can bring some aircraft in there, but it all depends what the goal is. If it's to deter and degrade, we are probably going to need more than the cruise missiles.

WHITFIELD: So what about, OK, what more besides the cruise missiles because so much has been talked about with Tomahawks. But now is it something much more comprehensive, it certainly looks like a mission more than just a limited commitment, but maybe a lengthier one?

FRANCONA: Absolutely. You could have several days of cruise missile strikes, sea launch cruise missiles, the Tomahawk that you talked about. You can use air launch cruise missiles, but you're still talking cruise missile technology. If you want to get in there and get into these high value targets that Syrians have where he's probably stored a lot of his high value delivery systems, the scud missiles. If you want to go after those, you are going to have to drop bombs on those. Those have to be delivered from Syrian airspace. Now we get into another range, are you willing to put American pilots at risk over Syria to achieve these objectives?

WHITFIELD: And might that potentially spread chemical weapons?

FRANCONA: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lt. Colonel Rick Francona, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

All right, the pope now also praying for peace in Syria and tens of thousands are answering his call. In just a few minutes, we will talk with our Vatican analyst just how influential the pope could be in this crisis. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Pope Francis has been calling on Catholics around the world to pray for Syria. He's been holding vigil in Vatican City telling the faithful that the search for peace is long and requires patience. The pontiff also asked for Catholics to fast in solidarity for Syrians who are suffering.

CNN Vatican analyst, John Allen, is in Denver right now. So John, Pope Francis has also been very vocal against any kind of military action, U.S. or otherwise, in Syria, even writing to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Has the pope, to your knowledge, received any kind of acknowledgement from Putin?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Well, I don't think there's been any direct acknowledgement from Putin. But I do think he's succeeded in making the point to the world that the Vatican and Catholic Church have kind of launched an all out, full court diplomatic press to stop this idea of a western intervention in Syria. In addition to the letter to Putin and of course, last evening's prayer vigil in St. Peters Square, which sure about 100,000 people making it the largest anti-war gathering in the west since this idea began.

The Vatican also called in all the ambassadors credited to the Vatican. It's about 180 countries including all the western powers trying to lay out the case against going to war in Syria. Fredricka, I think what's underneath this is the Vatican has both a humanitarian and the pastoral concern. At the humanitarian level, they're concerned that this could lead to a wider regional conflict and also stroke Islamic extremism.

They're, of course, worried about the Christian minority in Syria. That's about 10 percent of the population of 22 million. The Vatican believes and this is being amplified by what the Christians themselves are saying that they could become the first victims of regime change. So for all those reasons, I think the indications of the Vatican are Pope Francis and his team are going to try to continue this diplomatic press to stop the west from going to war.

WHITFIELD: Interesting, so clearly the pope very influential among Catholics. But then one has to wonder, I understand many Catholic leaders are taking from his lead and actually sending petitions to members of Congress. How influential or how much of a difference is that expected to make?

ALLEN: Yes. The leaders of the U.S. Bishops Conference have written both to President Obama and to every member of Congress to try to sort of amplify the pope's message. Look, let's roll the clock back 10 years ago, John Paul II, who of course, we all expect will be named a saint sometime early next year launched an all out diplomatic campaign to stop the U.S. from going to Iraq. Was that effective?

Well, at one level, it's easy to say no because of course, he didn't stop the war. On the other hand, it did significantly improve his standing in the Islamic world and created lines of communication that are still open today and some would say the pope's leadership helped create a wider clash of civilizations between the west and Islamic world.

So it is entirely possible that what Pope Francis is doing today may not stop the Obama administration, but it may position him as a credible interlockular for the west and the Islamic world in a way that could be very helpful down the line -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, John Allen, thanks so much. Always good to see you.

U.S. Senator John McCain is endorsing President Obama's plan to strike against Syria, but says things could go horribly wrong for the commander in chief. Up next, why McCain is bringing up impeachment?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Senator John McCain is sending a strong warning to President Obama about intervention in Syria. During a radio interview with KYFI, Thursday, McCain said the president bungled, his words, the handling of the Syria crisis and that deploying of U.S. troops would have huge political consequences. He even says Obama could face impeachment if military action results in American boots on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: No one wants American boots on the ground, nor will there be American boots on the ground because there would be an impeachment of the president if they did that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: McCain has endorsed the president's plan for military strikes. We've got much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.