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LOU DOBBS: About 30,000
of our Marine, soldiers and sailors are fighting
Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda terrorists in al-Anbar
province. Our commanders want to turn over that
province to the Iraqi army. But the two Iraqi
divisions in al-Anbar are under strength, and they
are short of equipment.
Michael Ware has been embedded with U.S. troops in
al-Anbar's capital, Ramadi. Michael joins us now from
Baghdad.
Michael, is the situation in al-Anbar province as bad
as the intelligence report apparently suggests?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, it's been this
bad at least for at least a year, perhaps two. I
mean, the intelligence report is not a revelation at
all. It's what intelligence reports have been saying
for the last 12 months. It's what military
intelligence officers on the ground have been
screaming about for over a year.
I mean, I've been going to al-Anbar province -- to
Ramadi and it's surround -- since 2003. I mean,
nothing has changed. I mean, America is not committed
to the fight there. There has not been enough troops
there from the beginning. All they're being -- all
they're doing is being asked to hold the line. So
you're feeding Marines and soldiers into what
effectively is an al-Qaeda meat grinder.
Meanwhile, al-Qaeda's headquarters is there. Military
intelligence knows that and doesn't have enough
troops to move against it, Lou.
DOBBS: Michael, let me ask you, what is the
assessment among the Marine officers, the Army
officers there as to why they are not getting the
troops that apparently those men on the ground, those
commanders on the ground there, say they need and
want?
WARE: There's no shadow of a doubt, Lou. It's
politics. They obviously can't publicly contradict
their commander in chief, but they know that war is
never divorced from politics. Things need to appear
to be going well on the ground.
As a senior American commander told me not so long
ago, it's the big lie. If you ask for something,
you're admitting that there's a problem. And in fact,
the Marine general tonight who commands al-Anbar
province did not say he has enough troops for Anbar
province. He said that, under his current mission, he
has enough troops. His current mission is defined
simply as training Iraqis.
He said, "If my mission changed and I was told to win
this insurgency against al-Qaeda, then my metrics, my
troop levels would have to change."
So, in fact, the Marine commander tonight came out
and basically said he does not have enough troops to
fight al-Qaeda. And while we sit and wait for the
Iraqi army to miraculously appear, al-Qaeda continues
to operate unfettered and get stronger -- Lou.
DOBBS: Michael, thank you very much. Michael Ware
reporting from Baghdad.
Apparently, most Americans who assume the mission is
victory are misunderstanding the mission.