[Barack Obama, President Of The United States:] Meanwhile, we will move forward with our plans, supported by bipartisan majorities in Congress, to ramp up our efforts to train and equip the Syrian opposition for the best counter weight to ISIL and the Assad regime. And more broadly, over 40 nations have offered to help in this comprehensive effort to confront this terrorist threat.
[Berman:] The United States is at war this morning, leading a coalition that includes five Arab nations, part of the operation set to wipe out ISIS inside Syria, limit their capability to attack inside Iraq, to degrade and disrupt the activities of that terror group. Again, five Arab nations participating, involved at some level in these air strikes. There are a lot of people, as we sit here this morning, surprised by the size of this coalition and the fact that it came together so quickly. We're joined now by political commentator, Sally Kohn. And also Republican strategist, Mercedes Schlapp, joins me from Washington. Mercedes, it's interesting. CNN was speaking with John Negroponte, a diplomat. He was the ambassador to just about everything. Mostly for Republican administrations. Ambassador Negroponte said he believes that what has gone on over the last 24 hours shows that there is a fairly comprehensive strategy to battle ISIS. Now, hasn't that been the debate? A lot of people have been critical of the Obama administration for having no strategy. Now you have this very, very senior Republican diplomat saying there is a comprehensive strategy here being displayed by this administration.
[Mercedes Schlapp, Republican Strategist:] Well, it looks like these air strikes obviously have been planned for several weeks. I think that there's obviously with the president coming out today with a very somber statement saying, look, we have bipartisan support and I want to make sure that with these congressional leaders And I think the rollout was a little rocky when he started off by saying he had no strategy, to then having a half-baked strategy whether we're going to put troops on the ground or keep the troops out. And so I think this is going to be basically obviously what we know, a very long-term military campaign where pretty much we, Republicans and Democrats, need to come together and support our commander-in-chief.
[Berman:] Indeed, Pentagon officials say it is only the beginning. Sally Kohn, I want to bring you in now because you come from part of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party that has not been in favor of really any kind of military action here in Syria, certainly not the likes of which we have seen today. Based on what you have seen over the last 24 hours and President Obama's explanation of it and the news overnight, there was also an attack on this terror group that was plotting an imminent threat against the United States, what's your reaction?
[Sally Kohn, Cnn Political Commentator:] You're right. I don't think military strikes are the right solution. I've been very clear about that. In that context, as we step back from what I and others think, it's important to look at what the president has done differently. So I don't think a cautious and thoughtful strategy, whether I agree with it or not, I don't think a cautious strategy is no strategy. It's right to approach this carefully. Also what the president has done and this is a real victory for him and a real victory for American foreign policy, is he hasn't gone it alone. Part of the danger in bombing ISIS is it becomes the U.S. versus ISIS, us versus them, and incites all the hatred and anger that fuels terrorism against America. By bringing in Arab partners, by working on diplomacy, we help to maybe ensure that isn't the case. That is a significant victory and a big departure from the past.
[Berman:] Mercedes, do you give the administration credit, including Secretary of State John Kerry, for putting together this coalition, five Arab nations, at least three of which dropped bombs inside a Sunni Arab nation?
[Schlapp:] Absolutely. I think that building the international coalition is incredibly important. President Bush did it back with the Iraq war. Actually, both President Bushes did it. It's incredibly important. The terrorism and ISIS and al Qaeda and Khorasan, their target is Western civilization. So, again, I think it's incredibly important to have the international cooperation. And, again, the bipartisan support of Congress.
[Berman:] All right, Mercedes Schlapp, Sally Kohn, thank you both so much. Ahead for us @THISHOUR, we'll talk about some of the tens of thousands of people caught in the middle of this conflict right now. The victims of ISIS, tens of thousands fleeing Syria, taking their lives on their backs, trying to get over the border, and it's snowballing as we speak. More on that next.