Excerpt
SUMMARY: Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor at The National Review, join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's top news, including the standoff in Congress over a federal spending bill, consequences of a government shutdown, warming U.S. relations with Iran's president and a UN breakthrough on Syria.
MARK SHIELDS: I think the (Iran) sanctions are hurting.
I think -- I'm encouraged. I think that this is a chance to bring some stability in a region that we have seen our own influence quite limited. Let's be blunt about it. I mean, Iraq didn't turn out the way we hoped. Afghanistan didn't. Democracy has not produced flourishing democracies around.
I mean, this is a hope to bring to a region that lacks stability some stability. And I think there is a mutual self-interest at this point.
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RAMESH PONNURU: But with Syria, again, there are some reasons for skepticism, that -- does this resolution actually have teeth? And you will note that it doesn't even actually call the regime to account for using chemical weapons.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But there is language in there about consequences, isn't there?
RAMESH PONNURU: But, again, the question is enforceability. And, again, as with anything at the U.N., what are the Russians going to do if it comes to enforcing?
MARK SHIELDS: The glass is more than half-full here.
This is the Security Council moving. It isn't perfect. It isn't ideal, but it is real progress. The one reservation I have is, it leaves in power the status quo in Syria. But we have learned over the last week, Judy, that the alternative is not terribly appealing in itself.
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