All right, so just curious, mika, you know, im a big alabama fan, right . Sure. People would ask me, what are you going to do . What is your plan . You know . We dont got a plan. We just got good old boys and girls and alabama and blah, blah. Because, see, the bear would never show his hand. What are you going to do . Show your hand . Show your hand. Everybody is freaking out. The president said yesterday we dont have a plan. A what is worse . Is it worse if a president says ive got a plan and this is exactly what im going to do . Exactly. No, im serious. Dead serious. Or is it better to go, you know, because this is what i would do. If you ever liked me as president of the United States and i was about to kill some terrorists, you asked me what the plan was, you know what . I really dont have a plan right
now. Im kind of working on it. This is straight out of the art of the war. I cant tell if youre joking or not. No, i am dead serious. I am not joking. Its straight out of the art of war where when you were weak, you make your enemies think you were strong. When you were strong, you make your enemies think you were weak. No. Im just saying. Everybody is freaking out. A couple of days ago the republicans were freaking out they are releasing information at intel and showing our hand. Im dead serious. Maybe this guy is confused and maybe he has no idea what he is doing. Im thinking, though. Yeah. Again, i said this last week, barack obama i said it in realtime. So for republicans that want to kick me around, you can kick me around if you want to. I said it in realtime. When he said it was about humanitarian assistance that is cool but its not really about
humanitarian assistance. We are going to see more and more going in. The president got more active and more active. The president has a plan on isis. Does he know exactly where they are going to bomb in syria . Maybe, maybe not. I suspect they probably do. Because everybody around the president is showing their hands. On russia where he is supposed to be so weak. Samantha power delivered a blistering attack against the russians. The president was like, the same thing, you talk about syria. His secretary of defense, his secretary of state, everybody who works for the commander in chief, they basically stated we are going to go into syria. I kind of like im just saying. This is what i would do. Now maybe, maybe he has no idea. You would say we dont have a strategy . I would say well, we dont really have a strategy yet, we are still working on a strategy. If im about to attack another country no, i would say
no. If i were about to attack another country, id say, you know what . We dont have a strategy. We are still working it out. You know, then id go over. Scramble the jets scramble the jets, right . They are looking at and going, barack obama. Scramble the jets. Okay, im sorry. Am i wrong . You might be right. Am i . I appreciate your point of view. What joe is talking about definitely the most clever way ive heard. Im not defending him. I am saying i am not defending him. Im saying this is strategic. I said last week, he went out golfing, right . And people on the right were attacking him and people on the left. They couldnt figure out exactly what i was saying when i said im sure there was some isis commanders after the beheading of jim foley and the tragedy that a couple of minutes later he went out golfing. I said a couple of isis commanders are thinking, wow, thats one cold bastard, right . Because it sent the message. Not only are we not going to give you a hundred million dollars, im not going to change my schedule and im going to go out golfing. And, again, people on the left and people on the right freaked out. Guess what . A couple of days later, you had al qaeda going, okay, that guy doesnt give a damn. We are not going to get money from him and what do they do . They release an american. Ive heard a theory which is compliments he does this vagueness for a purpose of making sure our allies arent freeloaders. If youre looking at barack obama and youre wondering what cards he is going to play you know he is not taking off the entire burp of Foreign Policy off your hands. An interesting theory and lead from behind thorough. You need to get International Partnership on this and you dont run in and follow you in. You make sure that they are with you. On the other hand, i think theres another theory to all of this which is syria is a blanking mess and that is a lot
of difficulty in formulating a plan that could be in any way effective and knowing longterm ramification of any move you make. It is a mess. If we bomb isis we strengthen assad. If we strengthen assad, what does that mean for the last two years of Foreign Policy . The United States of america has survived for decades with the assads in power. By the way, the assads do not want to attack america. At the end of the day, we have got to split the world between bad guys that want to bomb america and kill americans and those guys with black flags on the top of that tank is exactly what they want to do. And bad guys that dont. I said it last week. That is easier. The world was safer. The world was safer with Saddam Hussein in power. The question now is the world safer with assad in power . Is it . Guess what . Let me answer. Americans are safer. If we have to choose between assad and isis, were safer with assad there. If you have to bomb and kill isis leaders and that helps assad, right now, we dont really have much of a choice. Assad doesnt want to blow up buildings in washington, does not want to kill americans. He is a thug. He is horrible. Hes killed 200,000 of his own people and he is absolutely miserable. Isis will do much worse. That is very different reaction that we have seen over the past 12 hours, the president speaking to reporters yesterday, talking about the plan or lack thereof in place to combat islamic militants. Take a look at the president now with that in mind. I dont want to put the cart before the horse. We dont have a strategy yet. I think what ive seen in some of the news reports suggests that folks are getting a little
further ahead of where were at than we currently are, but no point in me asking for action on the part of congress before i know exactly what it is that is going to be required for us to get the job done. You dont want me to talk about the suit . We have to talk about the suit. Okay. White house came out later and tried damage control, blah, blah. I like the suit. That is a great khaki suit. Thats a southern thing. Its a labored weekend wedding suit. It is now confirmed he will never wear it again. Look at me. Im a fashion im the king of fashion. You dont declare war in that suit. No, you dont. A lot on twitter. Mika, i think also his answer could have also been just inartful. To think that barack obama and his secretary of defense and his secretary of state and everybody else around here, chief of staff, have not been thinking and obsessing about isis 24 hours a day is outrageous. They have. So if its a slip of the tongue,
its a slip of the tongue. I hope it was something bigger and better and i thought it was a slide of hand. Right. I hope it was also smoking out our allies that makes the United States make the United States of america carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We are sick and tired of that. The president is sick and tired of that. S so we will see. When it comes to taking out terrorists the president is underestimated before. Josh earnest the White House Press secretary tried to clarify that the president was raeverg specifical referring specifically to syria. It feeds into the criticism youre responding to, joe, finds more than 50 of americans believe the president is not tough enough on his approach to Foreign Policy. So we will follow that. Then move on to ukraine. President obama by the way, not tough enough. You got to put that up. Im sorry. This is what the president is dealing with. Ive been talking about this for months. So 54 of americans say the
president is not tough enough. Yeah. Right . Go back a month and a half, two months ago. Yeah. And look at the number of americans that didnt want us involved in any other wars overseas. Are any other military operations overseas . They have been telling the president and also other republican politicians stay at home. And, you know, sam, i but, at the same time we want to manage world affairs. Yeah. We want to be the worlds policemen. Sure. This will segway into the ukraine portion of it but dissidence here with president obamas Foreign Policy and i think is reflective in the polls. He is saying the sanctions against putin are working that they are effective and they have isolated russia and, yet, obviously, russia is being more
belligere belligerent. You start questioning what is the point of what exactly is the effect of the administrations policy. Is it tough enough . If its so tough as the president says, why is it having such a tangible effect or marginal effect, i should say. We want to get to eugene and christine belletoni in a moment. President obama is ruling out action into ukraine. Ukraines president accused moscow of directly helping pro russian rebels by sending in soldiers to help separatists seize control of a key coastline town. Nato shays russia has up to 1,000 troops inside ukraine and release satellite images as part of its case. The u. S. Bambassador had harsh words for youre during a u. N. Meeting of the nun security council. Instead of listening and heeding the demands of the International Community and the rules of the international order, at every step russia has
come before this council to say everything except the truth. It has manipulated, it has obfuscated and outright lied. Serious negotiations are needed, urgently needed but russia has to stop lying and has to stop fueling this conflict. The mask is coming off. In these acts, these recent acts, we see russias actions for what we are, a deliberate effort to support and now fight alongside a legal separatist in another sovereign country. Lets bring in nbc news correspondent keir simmons live in london. What is the response out of russia . Reporter the foreign minister in russia is describing those claims of russia getting militarily involved with its own military in ukraine as simply conjecture. So russia is doing what it has always done, which is trying to aim towards plausible deniability, even while that
deniability gets less and less plausible. Then, at the same time, the ukrainian Prime Minister is saying that he wants to remove ukraines status in other words, meaning i want to head towards nato and that will ignore the russians even more. Effectively the big picture is things getting more and more tense. Nbcs keir simmons, thank you very much. Thank you, keir. Gene, what can the United States and the president do with this conflict that is going on in the shadow of russia . Very little, frankly. I mean, you dont invade russia. You dont get into a war with russia. You simply dont. Sanctions are basically the only tool we have and the sanctions increasingly draconian sanctions, along with our european partners, thats kind
of the only way to go. I dont see really an alternative. There is just not a good option. There is a contrast between Samantha Powers strong rhetoric and the president s rhetoric in his News Conference yesterday which was, well, this is awful, but, you know, its not really a change. Well, it was which kind of uniform russian regulars in there. Gene, what was that about . Obviously it sounds like Samantha Power is saying what the administration wants her to say obviously. She didnt go out there on her own. What do you think the president s press conference, the man in the tan suit press conference was all about . He just seemed to be low keying it and trying to keep everybody calm, but his people are out, you know, raising hell. Joe, i dont know. I guess my reading of the art of war was many years ago. Ive kind of forgotten parts of
it, so im not sure if that is what the president was doing in his remarks about iraq, syria, and about russia and ukraine. But i came away confused. I came away confused as to what our policy is in iraq and syria, for example, against Islamic State. We seem to be more against Islamic State. Im not sure what that means. I wonder why congressional leaders havent been consulted more robustly and drawn into this discussion, because, you know, this is a big deal. The president says, and i think he is right, that this will take a long and sustained effort if there are to be no boots on the ground. Im wondering what kind of foot ware those military advisers are wearing who have already gone. The country, you talk about Public Opinion. People dont want to get involved in another middle east war. They want us to lead. So you got to get these two together. You know . You go to form that Public Opinion if youre going to do anything. No doubt about it. We have got christy belletony and talk to her also this story out of Mary Landrieu and how she may not be a resident. We have nick who is is not exactly sure what the United StatesForeign Policy is. So a lot ahead. Still ahead on morning joe, changing the game. How the Houston Astros are building a Championship Team around extreme money ball. Joshua green will speak to us about and nicholas kristof, we will speak to him. Forget the mid terms. We have the latest toronto
mayoral poll next. One of the kardashians realizes being part of that family isnt all what its cracked up to be. Youre watching morning joe. We will be right back. Nobody ever stomped their foot and asked for less. Theres a reason its called an all you can eat buffet. And not a have just a little buffet. Because what we all really want is more. Thats why verizon is giving you even more. Now, for a limited time, get more data
1 gb of bonus data every month with every new smartphone or upgrade. Our best ever pricing with the more everything plan and 50 off all new smartphones. Like the htc one m8 for windows or android. Built to inspire envy. Come get your more with verizon. Mika, before we go into the morning papers, of course, big scare with joan rivers. Minor throat operation. This is is in daily news. She is fighting for her life. Sam stein came giggling like a little teenage girl. So excited that brangelina have finally tied the knot. Ive been waiting years finally there is a picture. I think its in the daily news of a naked miley cyrus wearing, like, they are like high tops that youve never, ever seen before. They go way high. Some of the oatmeal came back up. Awful. Its too early for that. I feel bad for her, i have to tell you. The the Washington Post the World Health Organization believes the Ebola Outbreak will get worse before it subsides predicting as many as 20,000 people will become infected. Health Officials Say the virus has mutated repeatedly and making it harder to treat and they are rolling out a plan to stop the threat of ebola the next six to nine months and cost estimated 490 million. Wow. Usa today hundreds of civil rights icon rosa parks along have gone sold to warren buffet. No idea if he is turning them over to canada. It includes the medal of freedom and accordance. Buffett says his foundation eventually plans to put the items on display so americans can enjoy them. The purchase ends a long legal
battle over the memorabilia between parkss heirs and friends. Wall street journal google is delivering a fleet of drones. This makes me a lilt nervous. I dont want to see this. Why are they doing this . Look at this. They are going to deliver my, what . Eighttrack . Your daily dose of they drop from the sky like that . Are you kidding me . Ridiculous. Ridiculous. What could possibly go wrong . Through the project known as project wing, their lab is developing the technology so it can deliver packages to customers more quickly. Still google says it is years away from the fleet being fully operational. Amazon is giving the company a run for their money by also developing drones and making videos with online content. I think it maybe a bit of an overkill. Im sitting on my iphone at 4 00
or 5 00 in the afternoon and my kid says, could i get a little book . Ironman book . I go, there. Okay. Its there the next morning. Do i really need a drone coming around flying . This is pretty efficient. I dont have that. It costs 9. 95. You know what, mika . I always grew up believing that reading is fundamental. Please. I know you like sticking your kids in front of computers. But my mamma taught me that reading is fundamental. Come on are you really knocking me for buying a 9 dollar book for my 6 years boy . It was delivered in hard form or did you buy it on i bobooks . Its delivering harder. No, you want your child to be sitting next to you lick it. And i have to lick it. Okay. Mayor ford. Come on. Oh, yeah. Lets go to the serious news of mayor ford. The toronto star shows embattled rob ford is gaining ground in his race for reelection. He is currently in second place in the race despite facing call for his resignation amid a public battle with drugs and alcohol. Crack. It appears that residents are warming up to ford again with 63 of toronto residents looking for him to resign in june but that number has now dropped to 50 . According to the latest Forum Research poll, john tory leads with 34 . Ford at 31 . Can you live with yourself if you lose an election to rob ford . John tory, you need to step up your game. How can you be up only 3 . All right. I love it. This is a fascinating story. You know what . Perhaps we can get to christina
belletony. You said her name right. Mary lon drou wandrieu was g have a serious fight. Now the question whether she keeps her home in her state. She claims her home on capitol hill as her address. The paper work she listed her family home in new orleans. Has home thab reporthas been re inhabited by her parents for decades. According to the post marshe has her opponent says call it what it is. She doesnt live in new orleans. Landrieu s