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Length: 4:24
WOLF BLITZER: A deadline
for withdrawal -- the House narrowly passing an Iraq
spending bill that requires U.S. combat troops to
pull out of Iraq by the end of August 2008.
But President Bush is vowing to veto that bill,
accusing lawmakers who supported the bill of
abdicating their responsibility to protect U.S.
forces.
Two Republicans crossed party lines to vote in favor
of the measure. Fourteen Democrats voted against it.
Could Congress be undercutting the president's new
strategy in Iraq?
Is the troop increase already reaping results?
And joining us now in Baghdad, our correspondent,
Michael Ware -- Michael, a very important vote in the
House of Representatives here in Washington today.
The president reacting very firmly, suggesting that
some of the initial signs this new U.S. military
strategy in Baghdad and the Al-Anbar Province seems
to be working, at least right now.
You're there on the scene. What's your assessment?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, like many
operations we've seen in the past on such a scale, it
is definitely having an impact on the nature of the
war as it's being waged today. I mean this has been a
war of great flux, as are all conflicts.
So what we've seen is with this new strategy, the
influx of American troops, them babysitting their
Iraqi Army and police partners, essentially keeping
the death squads in their barracks at night, has seen
the levels of sectarian violence in the capital, at
least, lower.
However, we're still finding 30, 33, you know,
executed bodies on the streets each morning.
What we're also seeing, however, is displacement: the
violence moving outside the capital. In Diyala
Province, for example, just to the north, General
David Petraeus had to send an extra battalion of
Stryker troops because things were getting so bad.
In Al Anbar, again, it's in a state of flux. We're
now seeing a war within a war as American-backed
Iraqi Baathists and tribal chiefs are attacking al
Qaeda.
So everything is in play right now -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And the question is can they sustain any
progress that might be taking place.
What's your sense, also, on this assassination
attempt that we saw today involving the Iraqi deputy
prime minister?
It looks like there was an element of an inside job
there.
WARE: Oh, without a shadow of a doubt. And in most of
these bombings, there's inside jobs. I mean there's
inside jobs within inside jobs in this country.
But here, clearly, what happened is we had a suicide
bomber wearing a chest vest penetrated right into the
compound of the deputy prime minister, detonating
himself, killing nine, wounding at least 15. A second
car bomb reportedly explodes on the outside of the
perimeter of the compound.
Now, this fits into a much broader dynamic, Wolf.
Now, the investigation is underway, but this is a
Sunni prime minister. He has been a part of
marshalling these very tribes we just talked about
who are pro-U.S. who are doing America's dirty work
in hunting and killing al Qaeda with full license and
authority of the coalition forces in Anbar Province.
So, I think that we will find that it would not be
surprising if this turns out to be al Qaeda striking
back.
BLITZER: The accusation being this deputy prime
minister, himself a Sunni, being "a collaborator with
the U.S."
Is that why they would go after a fellow Sunni?
WARE: Absolutely.
Absolutely, Wolf. And we've seen time and time again,
from the Islamic State of Iraq, essentially the broad
umbrella group or construct that al Qaeda has put
together here in Iraq, condemn over and over and over
this deputy prime minister because, in their eyes,
he's sold out. He's sold out Islam and he's sold out
Iraq by cooperating, working with -- not just the
occupying force, but the crusader infidel occupying
force.
So to al Qaeda, this man is worse than anything. He
is a traitor.
BLITZER: All right, Michael, thanks very much.
Michael Ware reporting from Baghdad.
WARE: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And this additional note.
The Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Al-Maliki, visited his
wounded deputy prime minister over at the hospital.
There he was informed that Salam al-Zubaie was in
stable condition and would not have to be transferred
outside of Iraq for further treatment.