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Interview With Rep. Mike Turner; Interview With Rep. Gregory Weeks; Obama's Hard Sell on Syria; Obama Administration Still Lacks Majority Votes; Christians Flee Sectarian Violence; Syria's Assad Family Dynasty

Aired September 08, 2013 - 17:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon here in New York, here in the CNN NEWSROOM. This is a very big week ahead. In just hours, Congress returns to Washington divided. Many members still unsold on the president's plan for a military strike in Syria saying their constituents want a no-vote. White House chief of staff Denis McDonough took to the Sunday shows today making the case for the Obama administration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENIS MCDONOUGH, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: This is not Iraq or Afghanistan. This is not Libya. This is not an extended air campaign. This is something that's targeted, limited and effective so as to underscore that he should not think that he can get away with this again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Arab league ministers in Paris today. He says Saudi Arabia has approved international military intervention in Syria. Other key regional support is uncertain though but Kerry emphasized urgency.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Some of the other countries that weren't certain whether they could but might have wanted to want to go home and consult with their leaders in order to get decisions. But everybody understood that the decisions needed to be made within the next 24 hours.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: President Obama will address the nation on Syria Tuesday night at 9:00 Eastern from the White House.

Before the president speaks to the American people, his team is pushing forward with a massive lobbying effort on Capitol Hill, trying to turn the tide of opinion in favor of a military strike in Syria.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr standing by with more now.

So Barbara, who's taking part in the lobbying effort? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's as you said, Don, about 24 hours from now, everything changes in Washington when Congress officially comes back to town. The lobbying blitz will be on first thing Monday morning.

It is already started a little bit, however, on this Sunday night in Washington. The vice president Joe Biden meeting with key senators tonight to talk to them about this. Give them his views and try to convince them that the military strategy is the right way to go.

Starting tomorrow, we will see house members take a look at the very graphic Syria videos we have been showing of civilians according to the administration being gas, senators will see the Syria videos on Wednesday.

As part of the push, of course, the president tomorrow, Monday, will conduct interviews with all the major news networks including our own, Wolf Blitzer. He will address the country on Tuesday night. So look for a very busy, busy first 48 hours of the week as the White House tries to take center stage, control the message and do some political maneuvering and arm twisting to begin to get the votes it needs -- Don.

LEMON: All right, let's talk more about the votes. What about a tally in Congress? What's the best estimate, Barbara, where things stand in the house and the Senate?

STARR: Well, you know, here at CNN, we love to keep track of these sorts of things so, indeed, we are doing just that, our political team taking a look at it. Here's the numbers they have come up with for us tonight.

In the Senate, so far, 25 yes votes, 20 no, 55 undecided. But across Capitol Hill on the other side, at the house, clearly, a much more difficult proposition for the administration. Take a look at this, 24 yes votes, 123 no votes in the House, 272 undecided, 14 unknown. The Senate could vote were quickly in the next few days. The house we don't know who when it will vote. You have to look at the numbers and know that the White House wants to make more progress on trying to get some more yes votes -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Barbara Starr on top of it.

Barbara, thank you very much for that.

You know, when Congress was last in session, U.S. military action in Syria was nowhere hear high on the agenda. How things have changed. Tomorrow is when U.S. senators and representatives get back to the offices after summer break with a brand new top priority. Support for the president's push to strike Syria all over the place on Capitol Hill. You heard Barbara talking about it just there. With Democrats opposed, Republicans in support, and many, many undecided.

On the phone with me now, Dayton, Ohio, Republican Congressman Mike Turner.

Congressman, thank you for joining us. You are not convinced that a strike against Syria is the way to go. Why is that?

REP. MIKE TURNER (R), OHIO (via phone): Well, Don, I returned last week to Washington to receive a briefing from the administration. And I tell you, the difference to what they're saying publicly and in classified breechings is really not all that different. It is clear that the administration does not have a strategy. We do not know who we are for. We don't have a great understanding of the risks. They have an unexplainable policy with the president's imaginary red line with respect to chemical weapons they acknowledge had been used in this conflict.

And more importantly, the president has shown no leadership in trying to offset sequestration. The automatic egregious cuts happening to the military and we're in the imposition of those the president had tens of thousands of furloughing over 12,000 people in my city alone were furloughed.

LEMON: Let's stick with Syria here. When you -- you said the president, you don't understand the strategy going in. What are the alternatives offered by members of congress? Have you offered an alternative to the president?

TURNER: Well Don, first, on the issue of sequestration, it is related to Syria. It is not a diversion. It is an issue of the president not fully funded military trying to draw us in to the conflict. The president hasn't done the homework, with respect to the use of chemical weapons, the president specific knowledge of this happening in the past galvanizing the international community and so the American public. He needs to explain clearly how this is in our national interest. He says it is not his imaginary red line; it is the international community's red line. But he's not engaged the international community in a way that there is an international Syrian response. This is a president who is, with it until there's a crisis and then draws us in to a conflict but I don't think the American public supports.

LEMON: Yes. I understand that. But my question was, have you offered any alternatives, any other solutions than the military strike?

TURNER: Well, I think the solution is the president, you know, the Congress can't do foreign policy. The president needs to show leadership and engage the international community in this. This is not one where you just drag the military in to a conflict, especially after he's underfunded it with sequestration and I think he's having problems asking the community just as he is with his support in Congress because he has an unexplainable policy. Now chemical weapons used before. We know that over 100,000 people have died and just now turning to the case and should have been making the case and certainly working on when's obviously a devastating conflict that's happening in Syria.

LEMON: You saw those video clips that came out yesterday, very disturbing, really hard to watch. Did that have any influence on you or do you think it will on lawmakers in Washington? TURNER: I think certainly this is a devastated tragedy. And you see the affects here of Assad's brutal regime and killing its own people. You know, certainly we have known for a while, 100,000 people have been killed.

But the president needs to bring this to an issue of an international community. This is not one where you watch a video and then you pull up, you know, battleships and began to engage in the conflict, make your case of what is our national interest. And at this point he has no strategy that you clearly tell us who are we for in this conflict? We don't know what the geo political views are. Is there someone else pro U.S.? It would be pro our allies? We don't have any context other than the president declaring this a crisis.

LEMON: Ohio congressman, Mike Turner, we appreciate your time on a Sunday evening. Thank you, sir.

TURNER: Don, thank you.

LEMON: Congress returns to Washington on Monday. The big item on the agenda, of course, is the president's proposed military strike in Syria. That will also be the topic when President Obama sits down with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. You can see that interview here on CNN Monday night 6:00 p.m. eastern on "THE SITUATION ROOM," Wolf Blitzer and the president.

And then on Tuesday, the president lays out his case on Syria in a prime time address to the nation and we have learned that speech will be delivered 9:00 p.m. eastern and you can watch that, as well, here on CNN.

Senator John McCain says if the president were to go for boots on the ground in Syria, he would face impeachment but is that part of the discussion now?

And just ahead, reportedly, these are pictures of military personnel on social media protesting against a Syrian attack. Are they real? And what might military leaders think of this? That's all coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone.

Just days after endorsing President Obama's plan to launch military strikes against Syria, Republican Senator John McCain is sending a stern warning to the president. Stick to the plan or face impeachment.

During an interview with a Phoenix radio station Thursday, McCain said the president bungled the entire handling of Syria and should be careful not to overstep the limits of the plan before congress.

(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)

LEMON: Those are very strong words from Senator McCain. President Obama has said numerous times that his plan for Syria is limited and does not involve boots on the ground but it happened in Bosnia. Could it happen in Syria?