that president bashar al assad is keeping his promise to dial back the violence, start talks with the opposition and let aid workers lend a hand. before showing this next video, i really do want to warn you, it is very hard to watch. you may want to turn away but it underscores the sharp contrast between the two different versions of what is going on here. this is video claiming to show the aftermath of an artillery strike today on the city of homs. there are more than just the one body you see here, but it's simply too gory to show. as always, we cannot independently confirm the facts of this video because the syrian regime will not let us see for ourselves, but take a look. [ gunfire ] these are the streets of a neighborhood. the gunfire in homs is reportedly non-stop now. some witnesses say it seems as if government troops are basically racing to wipe out the opposition before outside observers can arrive. the worst of all of this appears to be happening in the neighborhood called baba amir, just southwest of the central part of homs. you can see as we fly in here. it's not clear whether arab league observers will see this tomorrow, but keeping them honest, just a couple of weeks ago, president assad denied that there was anything to see. >> we don't kill our people. no government kills its people unless it's led by crazy person. for me as president, i became president because of the public support. it's impossible for anyone in this state to gifford to kill. >> that was president assad december 9th, talking to abc's barbara walters. his own people as anderson found out from a rare western reporter who managed to sneak into the country, his own people knew better even as he said that. >> people are terrified in a lot of the towns outside syria. the economy has ground to a standstill. there are daily violent house-to-house raids, activists and protesters, too scared to leave their houses during the day, so they live life on the run, living in safehouse, moving from safehouse to safehouse. life is not as normal. in fact it feels like war-time era there. >> and ramina, when you hear the syrian leader, the dictator of syria saying "we're not ordering the deaths of people, there are no house-to-house searches, people aren't being arrested and killed in their homes," what do you think? you've seen it for yourself. >> yeah, on some level it's quite laughable. i was watching an assad interview, and i was laughing at the same time, screaming at the television, because of course what's happening there is absolutely undeniable. it's all around you. you can't escape it. >> since then, it appears that it's only gotten worse for the people living in homs. that arab league delegation we mentioned at the top arrived in syria this evening. the members are at least expected to go to homs tomorrow. we don't know if they will but the opposition puts little stock in the arab league and is calling for action from the u.n. including military protection, if they can get it. we spoke earlier tonight with opposition member abu rami. >> well, the situation here in homs is so bad in baba amr area in particular is, they are using the armor tanks and anti-aircraft armor, storming this area, storming this neighborhood. there are more than ten houses completely destroyed, and there were many bodies under the rubble there. there is now genocide taking place in this city of homs. >> do you have enough medical care for the people who are injured or any medical care for the people who are hurt? >> five days ago up to now we don't have any medical supplies, any medical tools or equipment. also, there is a shortage of medical assistance, no doctors, there is no doctors enough. many of the hospitals changes into prisons. most of the injured people are staying on the streets until they die. that's what is going on here in homs. >> what do you want the world to know about what is happening in syria right now? >> this regime is not honest. this regime is just want to kill everyone who oppose him, everyone who say for assad to step down. we are calling to direct intervene from the whole organization, and the international community to intervene here in syria and topple this bloodshed that's going on in syria, in homs in particular. there are massacres that are happening every day. we are appealing to world organizations to see what's going on here. we don't have the media here to make you, the outside, watching what's going on so i would like to thank you so much to make the syrian people's voice going outside through your free media, and explaining to you quhaes' going on here. we want you to intervene. we want to you help us. we are suffering day by day, and people, they're dying, children, women, every single person here is targeted and maybe will be killed tomorrow. >> let's dig deeper now. time.com intelligence columnist and former cia officer robert baird and author of "rock the casbah" robin wright, people are using big words like massacre and genocide to suggest that whole sections of the population there are being wiped out even as the inspectors are arriving. are they overstating it or does that seem to be true? >> this has gone on for nine months now. this is something that's not been a short experience and the scope of it gets worse and worse despite the fact the president denies he's ordering any brutality against his own people. we're getting close to the point we can use words like that, when the united nations claims there are at least 5,000 people who have been killed. some estimates 70,000 syrians have been arrested. ment some of those released talked about brutal torture. the scope of this is now getting really horrendous. >> bob if you have a president who wants to say against a backdrop of pictures like this that nothing's going on, that nothing is wrong, how much faith would you have these inspectors from the arab league will even get to see the right areas? >> they're not going to see anything. he's buying time with the inspectors. this regime feels it's under threat, existential threat. it's a minority regime, aloites, 10% to 15% of the population and i've been talking to them today. they said we're going going to give up bashar al assad. they'll never give up fighting, we'll die to the last person. we've seen a sectarian war nothing like we've seen in the middle east, at least in my lifetime. >> explain what you mean, bob. >> well you've got the sunnis are dug in. they're preparing for a civil war against the aloites who control the military and the security services. the aloites are a branch of shia islam but they're looked at by many sunni as apostates, fallen away to is makes it a difficult conflict than libya, yemen or egypt because these are these sectarian divisions and as the fighting goes on, it gets worse and worse. the fact is, and we have to acknowledge the opposition in the rebels are killing regime figures, they are singling out aloits and murdering them and vice versa so this is very much a two-sided war which we can't forget. >> what is keeping the u.n. and other countries from stepping in and saying enough already? ? with libya, you had first a consensus among the arabs themselves and then it went to the united nations and then to nato. we haven't gotten through the first step. the arab league is still trying to negotiate with the assad regime. they're nervous, the arabs in general setting a precedent again as in libya and that the west will get involved militarily, something they don't want given the u.s. intervention particularly in iraq. they don't want to set this pattern so there's reluctance for that to happen. the international community doesn't want to replicate what happens in libya. there's a nervousness nine months in or a year into the arab uprisings about what will happen next, who will take over. if assad does fall as many of us believe that he eventually will, what replaces him? that's not clear. you have a real problem today between the various opposition forces. they do not speak with one voice. they're not using one set of tactics. you have the local coordination committees, trying to engage in peaceful civil disobedience, get people out on the streets challenging and army defectors who launched over the last month, particularly an increasingly effective visible campaign and the two sides do not have a common strategy or vision and that's a real source of concern. we don't know what happens next. >> bob, let me jump in on that point that robin just raised there about the military defectors. many of whom we understand are actually in the neighborhood that's being hammered so hard. they're trained fighters. they want to fight back, as somebody who has been involved in intelligence work, does that open any cracks for trying to say look, there's a way to take advantage of the fact there are military people on both sides of this, to somehow get around the regime, to somehow co-opt this thing and quiet it down or is the world going to stand by and just wait until a lot of people get killed? >> well, what the state department would like is for bashar al assad to step down, have some sort of committee replace him as much as happened in egypt, but with the army what we're seeing is the beginning of cracks in it. many of the rank and file, the sfaers from less important issues are sunni muslims, undoubtedly no one can tell for sure, these are the people defecting, taking their arms. last night i talked to the muslim brotherhood, the syrian muslim brotherhood who are based outside the country and they said they're desperately trying to get arms in to these defective units, they bring them in through lebanon or the coast but so far they haven't been successful. so i think we're looking at this conflict as getting worse before we find a solution. >> all right, robin wright, bob baer, thank so much for joining us. i'm telling you folks, this is happening on the other side of the world. it may seem like it has nothing to do with you but these are big events this holiday week. thanks for joining us, you all. the let us know what you think. we're on facebook, twitter and google. plus up next the raw politics of courting a relunt tant king-maker in iowa. that's candidate rick santorum in hunting orange, you may not recognize the other guy, congressman steve king, he's a big deal in iowa and everyone wants to know what he's thinking with just days to go until the caucuses. will i ask the congressman why he has not made a pick among the republicans. later on also, the mystery of a little girl's disappearance, and the new reward being offered to anyone who can help find her. first let's check in with aysa. >> he'll bring the latest on the investigation into what happened at a connecticut home early christmas morning and why firefighters could not do more to save the people inside. that and much more when "360" continues. that she shut the door ♪ ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪ ♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪ ♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks didn't go ♪ ♪ to free-credit-score-dot-com hard times for daddy and mom. ♪ main of us are taking it easy this week between the holidays but the republican contenders are storming into iowa for support in next week's caucuses. the most recent polls still show ron paul, mitt romney and newt gingrich pretty much tied for the lead there, but with only days to go, many in the hawkeye state have their eyes on a known kingmaker especially when it comes to the strong conservative vote. u.s. congressman steve king went pheasant hunting with rick santorum today. look at him there, just as he has with other candidates and once again, he ended the outing with kind words but no endorsement. with time running short, i spoke to the influential congressman. congressman, you're the kind of guy that people listen to in iowa, and they're listening really hard right now butter' not picking anyone. what does that mean? do you not like any of these candidates? >> it means more that i actually like all of these candidates, and it is a very difficult decision, a large percentage of iowans haven't decided. i'm among them. i thought i would come to a conclusion in september or october. it's nearly the end of the december, we're within a week of the caucus and i've got not gotten that point where my head and heart have come together and when i have i'll jump in with both feet. >> why have you not decided. >> there are a number of reasons, one of them is how the field is spread out and another part of this is as the months have unfolded and i've watched the lack of will in this congress to tighten down on this spending, we're burning up our political capital discussing whether we're at $28 trillion or $26 trillion. europe and greece is ready to default and i've not heard from a presidential candidate the deep conviction how to get us out of this impending economic disaster we're in. i want to know when the budget will be balanced, when we'll pay off the first dollar on the net debt and like to hear about a transformative tax policy. i thought i might get that for christmas and it didn't quite happen. >> you've raised a really interesting point. in our polls what people are most concerned about jobs. the idea of worrying about deficit and spending is way, way down on the list compared to that. so if you can get the candidate who says what you want for your nod, is that a candidate who can win the election? >> that is one of those questions, but you know, from my standpoint i don't want to appear i'm bargaining for some piece of policy i want and using that as a leveraging point. i really instead want to see that a candidate has that conviction and understands this, and you know, we're electing a leader and that leader should be looking over the horizon and taking us where with he need to go. the public wants jobs, yes, and businesses have to be able to make a profit before they can pay wages. that's all part of it, but meanwhile if neither democrats nor republicans show their will to tighten down on our spending and get to us a balanced budget, we could march off into a financial debacle, but we need a leader to lead us away from that, to lead us away from the abyss and i'm not yet convinced that any of them have that vision and are able to inspire the american people to take us where we need to go. >> your alternative, though, if you don't pick someone, if people like you, don't decide who you want, is probably to allow president barack obama to be reelected. i've heard an awful lot of conservatives say they're willing to compromise to stop that. what about you? >> well i'm willing to compromise to stop that. i look at what he's done with our finances and extra $1 trillion a year in red ink, each year he's been in office at a minimum and i look at him delivering us obama care, that's got to go. we've the go to repeal obama care. i think all of the presidential candidates on the republican side have taken the oath to do that. i'm worried about the appointments to the supreme court. another four years of barack obama and i don't think we'll recognize the constitution in my lifetime again. those are all big things but it's not an easy decision. you don't just get to look at one side of the card and say i'll play this one or that one. most of it takes a subjective judgment and who actually can see in that crystal ball? i wish i could. >> in the end, do you think you're going to speak up on this? because you've said before one thing that's very important to you is that iowa remain important in this process, and i imagine one of the ways it remains important is by people like you speaking up and saying, i'm picking someone i think should win, now back him. well, iowans do need to do that, and i would not have said months ago that was my intention if i didn't think that that was also a responsibility that i have. but i've also said that i have to come to a conviction before i could take such a position. i just challenge all iowans, come out to the caucus, make your decision, even if you make it late it's better than not making it. i think this will be a caucus where there are thousands of iowans in the precinct caucus listening to the speeches given on behalf of each of the candidates. the undecided caucus-goers might hear something in that speech, whoever is the best organized, whoever has the best and the most respected speakers at the many, many locations that we have might just be the surprise of the night on the caucus, and perhaps i'll get around to that conviction yet. i just want to make this confession that no one has accused me of being an equivocator over all these years but tonight i feel like one. >> well we'll see if you reach that decision, and i'm sure you'll come tell us first it if you do. representative steve king, thanks so much for being here. >> tlaz for having me. more on the raw politics with former newt gingrich secretary rich galen, also democrat i can strategy maria cardona, senior adviser to hillary clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. maria, let me start with you. you must be delighted to hear republicans talking this way. >> i've had so much fun during this process, tom, it's unbelievable, but you know the representative steve king brings up an interesting point. it's funny, because at first he do dodged your question saying he wasn't endorsing anybody because he liked all the candidates so much and in the next breath he basically says that none of them are good enough for him and that's why he hasn't endorsed. it underscores the lack of enthusiasm among all gop voters for any one candidate both in terms of substance, in terms of their own history, in terms of whether they're going to be able to beat president obama or not. >> okay, you raise an interesting point there about lack of enthusiasm about the candidates but rich, i got to tell you, traveling over the country there is no lack of enthusiasm for beating barack obama. it seems to me that what they're really doing right now, tick tarly conservative republicans is playing a bit of a game of chicken. they're trying to say how far can we get to the right with the candidate we ultimately choose and still win. is that a fair assessment? >> i think that's right, tom. i've traveled with steve king four years ago. he endorsed fred thompson who-to-whom i was the senior adviser and that might have something to do with his lack of enthusiasm. >> that worked out really well, rich. >> but the point i think is that republicans, conservatives and moderates may not have their first choice as the nominee but their last choice to be president is still barack obama, and as we move through this process, i think it will become clearer and clearer and the polling shows in the bath battleground states and elsewhere, enthusiasm among republicans and republican leaning voter is higher than democrats. some of the problems were of the president's making, many of which were not but we've become the 11:00 society. we expect all crimes to be solved by 11:00, and all problems to be solved in an hour. >> you know, maria, that's one thing rich raises that is a valid point. i think if i were a democratic leader the biggest thing i'd say to democrats is do not chill the champagne yet because we're very early in this process and some chaos in the republican side, some confusion doesn't really mean anything next november, does it? >> there's no question about that. and i think that president obama and this white house will be the first ones to tell you that they're running as the underdogs because regardless of who the gop candidates are right now, and you know, regardless of how flawed most democrats think that they are, the problem is that this president is running ag