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Length: 3:59
WOLF BLITZER: The U.S. military today announced the
deaths of five more Americans in Iraq. As this very
bloody month nears an end, is the change in strategy
bringing any changes on the ground for American
troops?
Joining us now from Baghdad our correspondent Michael
Ware. Michael, we heard the defense secretary, Donald
Rumsfeld, today make the case that the U.S. military
is in fact adjusting, has been adjusting as needed
throughout this entire process. Is this adjustment
visible, based on what you have seen?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not yet, Wolf.
I think it would be too soon to expect to see
tangible differences marking a shift in strategy. I
mean, turning this boat around literally is like
turning an oil tanker at full steam. It really will
take some doing. So no, there's nothing playing out
here on the ground. Although, it's clear that there's
a mood for change in the air just as I suspect there
is domestically back home in the United States --
Wolf.
BLITZER: Are there enough troops on the ground right
now, 140- 150,000 troops realistically to get the job
done?
WARE: Well, this is the thing, Wolf. I mean I think a
decision needs to be made by the administration and
the American people by extension: does America want
to fight this war or not? Because, the commitment
it's made so far, as substantive and as painful as it
may have been, simply isn't enough. It amounts to a
half measure, so to speak. All it's doing is offering
opportunity to inflame. It's not a robust enough
presence with a robust enough mandate, perhaps, to
implant the kind of order and security and stability
that America is looking for here -- Wolf.
BLITZER: October's been the deadliest month for the
U.S. military in Iraq. Now in more than a year, the
argument against introducing more troops is that you
send another 20- 30- 50,000 troops in, then the
insurgents, the terrorists, the al Qaeda operatives,
the others they have a greater target capability. In
other words, more Americans to kill and the numbers
would even go up higher.
WARE: Well, absolutely. I mean it increases the
exposure of U.S. troops simply by the volume of
numbers, Wolf. However, I mean, even 10- 20- 30- 50,
I'm not sure would be enough to make the impact. The
point is, perhaps, the people who would be supportive
of an influx of troops, would say better a short term
pain now to cauterize this wound within President
Bush's global war on terror than let it drag on and
continue seeing, you know, the enemies of America as
the administration has identified them becoming
stronger and more robust -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Why isn't the Iraqi army, the Iraqi police
force, capable three and a half years after the
downfall of Saddam Hussein? Hundreds of billions of
dollars spent by the United States, all this training
going on, why are they simply incapable of doing this
at this point?
WARE: Well, Wolf, I mean the fundamental dynamic is
back to the building blocks of power here in this
country. And those building blocks have not been
addressed. So the army, like all other government
institutions, are riven with militias, insurgent
interests, competing influence, external and
internal. So, there was much talk early on in the
mission about achieving set numbers for the Iraqi
security force, expecting that trained and equipped,
300-plus thousand would be able to handle the
situation. Well, we're now within a whisper of
achieving that number and the situation remains a
disaster. So, until the fundamental issues are
addressed not the army, the police, nor anything else
will change -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Ware reporting for us from Baghdad
-- Michael, thanks very much.
WARE: Thank you, Wolf.