Clintons United with Obama on Airstrikes
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Do you think the risk from ISIS is as significant a threat as al Qaeda under Osama bin Laden?</s>BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: I think it's quite significant. And it certainly threatens to change the whole landscape in the Middle East. Redraw national boundaries, crash national governments.</s>BERMAN: That, of course, former President Bill Clinton, speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett about the dangers of ISIS. That was at a special town hall last night. The former president says he supports the current president's decision to launch airstrikes against the terrorists inside Syria. Now, the former president's wife, Hillary Clinton, you may have heard of her, also came out in support of the decision, telling CNN that the situation demanded this kind of robust response. Joining us to talk about this and all things Clinton is the expert on the subject, Maggie Haberman, a senior political writer for politico.com and a CNN political analyst. Maggie, you know, it's interesting. Over the last several days, there have been a lot of questions about how would Europe react to the air strikes in Syria, how would Russia react? How would the Arab world react? How would he Clintons react? It's almost as if such a thing were important in and of itself. I want to play more bit of sound of the former president and former secretary of state on what they think of the latest action. Let's listen.</s>HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF THE STATE: I think the president gave a very clear explanation and robust defense of the actions he has ordered with respect to the terrorists in Iraq and Syria. The situation now is demanding a response. And we're seeing a very robust response.</s>BILL CLINTON: I think that this strategy that the president has adopted has a chance to succeed. I support what they're doing.</s>BERMAN: Obviously, both Clintons have vast experience in foreign policy. But, Maggie, I get the sense that's not why we care what their opinion is here. Explain to me why this is so important, politically.</s>MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hillary Clinton is seen as the dominant front-runner for the Democratic nomination for 2016.</s>BERMAN: I hadn't heard.</s>HABERMAN: In case you didn't know, and I'm here to say it for the first time. What she thinks about foreign policy is incredibly important. She also served in the administration. During her book tour, she was critical of the president on certain issues of foreign policy. She pointed out where they had disagreed, mainly on how to handle Syria early on during that civil war. So hearing her supporting what he is doing I think is very, very important. Also, it's important because she clearly is mindful of the fact that there is one president at a time and she is not trying to set future policy.</s>BERMAN: Syria is the issue that she chose in her book to show where there is distance between herself and the president.</s>HABERMAN: Yes, and in her book, she stated it very sort of calmly, smoothly. It was a disagreement. In an interview she did over the summer, with "The Atlantic's" Jeffrey Goldberg, she was much more pointed on this. Described the not arming Syrian rebels early on in the conflict, which she has argued at times could have helped prevent the spread of ISIS was a failure. That was a very pointed word. You didn't hear anything like that. And in the interview with CNN she was given the opportunity to say I got it right and she declined to do that. She said we could argue this all day long, but at the end of the day, I can't know any more than you would, if it would have made a difference.</s>BERMAN: This goes to show she has to be careful in how she deals with the president, not just because he's running a war right now, in the Middle East, but also because of his political base. You wrote a very interesting article in "Politico" recently, with the title was essentially, "It's Complicated", the relationship between the Obama team and the Clinton team. Explain why it is so complicated?</s>HABERMAN: Sure, a year ago at this time Syria has been a constant thread in this relationship frankly since she left state. A year ago, right before the Clinton Global Initiative last year, she was working the phones to senators, about a half a dozen of them, trying to sell them on a congressional authorization that the president at the time was planning to seek. He later postponed it. But she then went on to be critical this summer. She then walked that back a bit, said I didn't mean to attack him and obviously we saw the statement she gave yesterday. She needs the president's base of support. She needs not to lose Democrats, liberals who backed Obama and Obama's some advisers anyway, see her as his biggest lifeline for protecting his legacy after he's out of office.</s>BERMAN: I think one of the big unknowns in presidential politics right now is if this Democratic coalition which elected the president, with overwhelming majorities both times, if it's a Democratic coalition or an Obama coalition, and if Hillary Clinton, if she is the nominee, can put it back together again?</s>HABERMAN: That's exactly right. Right now, we are not seeing a huge threat to Hillary Clinton and the Democratic primary, she has to suspect will face some challenge. But she's in a much stronger position than she was six years ago. However, she needs Democratic base voters to turn out in a general election if she runs and that's where you need to see the coalition hold.</s>BERMAN: I want to show one picture which illustrates the "It's Complicated" theme you wrote about. This was a picture taken by the official White House photographer of President Obama and former President Clinton. There are a lot of people noted here, look at the body language there. Is that a happy relationship?</s>HABERMAN: Folded arms.</s>BERMAN: Before we go, let's talk about the news that hasn't happened yet, but it will very soon.</s>HABERMAN: What are you talking about?</s>BERMAN: Chelsea Clinton is going to have a baby. You know that as any grandparents, protective grandparents, the Clintons are absolutely thrilled and I think they're looking forward to this a lot. The timing, though, is interesting. I think there are a lot of Democrats around the country who want Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton on the trail for the next five weeks. You know they may be grandparents instead because that's what they want to do.</s>HABERMAN: Yes, I think you will see Hillary Clinton spend less time on the trail than you'll see Bill Clinton. They made it clear they're ecstatic about this pending grandchild, which I think we'll see sooner rather than later. Bill Clinton said he hope to be a grandfather by October 1st. But I think you will see Bill Clinton out there a lot. He, among other things, can't help himself, loves being on the campaign trail and I think he really wants to help the Democrats retain the Senate.</s>BERMAN: Of course, I'm sure he also wants to be a grandfather, also. He'll fit that in, I'm sure.</s>HABERMAN: I think that's true. I think there'll be time for both.</s>BERMAN: All right. Maggie Haberman, great to have you here with us. I do want to say, if you're interested in politics or the Clintons, to you all out there, you're doing an enormous disservice if you're not reading Maggie's stuff in "Politico" every day. So, thanks very much.</s>HABERMAN: Thanks.</s>BERMAN: All right. Coming up for us: Ferguson, Missouri, still simmering as the grand jury considers charges against the police officer in the Michael Brown shooting. Protesters demanding the county prosecutor step aside. He is now speaking out to CNN exclusively. We'll have that next.