The ISIS Threat; What Threat Does ISIS Pose?
LEMON: Welcome back. Live from Ferguson, Missouri, tonight. Unrest here is not the only item on President Obama's agenda. Earlier this year, he said of ISIS, "If a J.V. team puts on Lakers uniforms, it doesn't make them Kobe Bryant." And then just yesterday, the president's own defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, said that the ISIS threat is, quote, "beyond anything we have ever seen." So just how powerful is ISIS? Joining me now to discuss, Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security analyst; Bob Baer, CNN national security analyst and a former CIA operative. Good evening to both of you. I appreciate you coming on to talk about this. Bob, you first. Really, the central question is, what's the best way to fight back against ISIS? Because U.S. officials are now telling CNN there are talks about increasing air strikes in Iraq and even the possibility of, quote, tailored air strikes inside Syria, against specific ISIS targets. But officials are stressing no decisions have been made now by the White House. So do you think that we have to go to Syria?</s>BOB BAER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I unfortunately think we do with air strikes. As long as we don't send troops in, you know, decapitate this organization. It is dangerous. It's the first time that an al Qaeda-like organization has actually owned territory and weapons. But what we don't want to do is get in a fight with Sunni Islam. So it has to be very limited, and ultimately, it's got to be the Iraqis and the Syrians who crush this organization.</s>LEMON: OK. So tailored and limited. Will that be enough, Bob? That's the question.</s>BAER: I hope so, because I just couldn't conceive of the United States ever sending its military back into Iraq to go into eastern Syria. It would be horribly costly and probably wouldn't work. So let's keep our fingers crossed these limited air strikes slow this organization down and give the Iraqis and the Syrian forces time to crush them.</s>LEMON: Julia, I see you're shaking your head in agreement there. But I want to ask you this question. The former deputy director of the CIA fears that ISIS could carry out attacks in the U.S. Let's listen, and we'll discuss.</s>MICHAEL MORRELL, FORMER CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: If a ISIS member showed up in a mall in the United States tomorrow with an AK-47 and killed -- killed a number of Americans, I would not be surprised. Over the long term, I worry that this group could present a 9/11 style threat.</s>LEMON: Nine-eleven style, Juliette. I mean, what are the short- and long-term threats ISIS presents against the U.S. where he would say "9/11-style"?</s>JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN ANALYST: Well, I mean, the honest truth is, is that this is true of any terrorist organization. I think the FBI, the deputy director's statements were sort of completely over the top and not very helpful from the perspective of how do you plan to protect the homeland? Something is going on here where the generals are talking about expanding, you know, air strikes. There's fears within the homeland. What are we going to do? Every shopping mall could be attacked. The White House either needs to get the generals in line so that they are on the talking points, which is, there are no immediate plans to -- for anyone to attack the United States, or if this is part of some concerted effort to prepare the American public for expanded attacks or expanded military strikes in Syria, talk to us like we're rational adults. Some -- the split between what the generals are saying, sort of scaring everyone in the homeland, and what we're hearing about what the plan needs to be, consistent with what Bob was just saying, the split is confusing to the American public. So get the generals in line and stop all this talk about imminent threats and shopping malls.</s>LEMON: Juliette, I have another question for you, because Governor Rick Perry has indicated that ISIS could be coming to the U.S. through Mexico. Others say that is not likely at this time. I mean, do you think that they're already here?</s>KAYYEM: I don't know. I mean, look, we have porous southern borders, but -- and we've always known that. But the truth is, is that terrorists, at least sophisticated ones, don't want to do anything illegal before the big attack. So one has to assume that, if they're planning something in the United States, it's going to be as lawful as possible until the moment of attack. But there is at least no public acknowledgment of any imminent attack, anyone here who is affiliated or aligned with ISIS. And look, any crazy person can say they have allegiances to ISIS and show up at a shopping mall with an AK-47. That is, unfortunately, the truth of the kind of nation we are now. And we have to just decide our national security policy about what's best for our own security. Not what one individual could potentially do coming through the southern border. So I hope that we can get a consistent message coming out of the White House and make a decision about what's the best military strikes to disrupt ISIS in the future.</s>LEMON: Bob, I want to get this question in in the short amount of time that we have left. We don't negotiate with terrorists. We always say that. But President Obama agreed to exchange five Taliban detainees for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. The GAO says that was likely illegal. So why didn't the administration work out a similar deal for the release of James Foley? BAER; That's a good question. They probably could have. But they judged this organization clearly less reliable, less rational than the Taliban. The Taliban, after all, is not an international terrorist organization. It has no intention of attacking the United States. It's not claiming a caliphate. It's almost, you know, a moderate compared to the Islamic State. And they're afraid to go down that route, because there's a -- there's a hostage exchange in Syria. And, you know, will that encourage taking more in this situation? It's a hard decision, but they probably made the right one.</s>LEMON: Bob, Juliette, appreciate it. Thank you very much. When we come right back, the unrest here in Ferguson has taken its toll, especially among the youngest residents. And I'm going to talk to the children of the embattled community, up next.