i'm not sure what it will do. i'd even be in favor of limited cruise missile strikes. i'm trying to find, if you will, something of a goldilocks approach. i don't think we have unlimited stakes in syria. i don't think we ought to do unlimited things. on the other hand, i don't think we can simply walk away and say we have no interest or stake in its outcome. what we have to do is take a step back and look at this on the full chess board. we've got to think about the rest of the region and iran. we've got tre pen douse stakes in asia. as i argue in my new book, we have to put the bulk of our resources on rebuilding the bases of america power here at home or we won't be a world power even if we want to be several years down the road. >> it's all about economics. if we don't have the economic dynamism in this country, we can't afford to win these things. richard haass, can't wait to read the book. robin wright. up next, here's a novel way to spin your state's dramatic drop in job creation. unbelievable. governor of pennsylvania tom corbett said there's just too many pennsylvanians on drugs. that's going to go over well with the unions and everybody else. this is "hardball." the place for politics.