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Length: 4:18
ANDERSON COOPER: Beyond
the politics, let's look at the facts on the ground,
as they are now.
In Baghdad tonight, "Keeping Them Honest" for us is
CNN's Michael Ware.
Michael, thanks for joining us.
Some of the benchmarks the Iraqi government was
supposed to meet -- we're talking about revising the
constitution to encourage more Sunni political
participation, guaranteeing all groups a share of oil
revenue, lessening restrictions on Baath Party
members, local elections -- none of these have been
met, according to this new Pentagon report, according
to the A.P.
Why not?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Because, to be
honest, it's not really in the interests of the main
power players here in Iraq to meet them.
These are American agendas, American benchmarks.
These aren't the benchmarks that the factions within
the Iraqi government really care about. What they
care about is getting their hands on their own
security forces and setting them loose as they see
fit.
And, don't forget, a lot of these benchmarks strike
at the deepest, most heartfelt divisions politically
and in terms of the sectarian divide that exist in
this country. None of them are easy fixes. And in
none of them is it really in the interests of those
who hold power to meet them. They just want to keep
their power -- Anderson.
COOPER: So, essentially, you're saying they don't see
themselves as part of a larger Iraq. They don't see
themselves as a ruling of all the people of Iraq, as
we think about a democracy. They still see themselves
as factions, and they are trying to hold on to turf
and power.
WARE: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the concept of a
national unity government, as the Bush administration
calls this thing that they describe as the Iraqi
government, is laughed at, even by some of the senior
members of this government itself.
And, speaking to a few of them on the weekend, it was
very clear that their interests were to protect their
population. The other populations, well, they can
look after themselves. "But I can tell you," they
say, "we're ready. We're ready if U.S. troops pull
out. We're not worried about al Qaeda. That's going
to be somebody else's problem. Just get America out
of the way and let us loose."
COOPER: Well, the so-called surge, or troop
escalation, was supposed to provide time and security
for political changes. Politically, it may not be
working, according to this report. How is it working
militarily on the ground?
WARE: Well, General David Petraeus, the American war
commander here in Iraq, is keeping the figures close
to his chest. Obviously, he doesn't want to detail
what numbers he's looking at to gauge his assessment,
because he doesn't want the insurgents and he doesn't
want the Iranian-backed militia skewing these
figures, which, clearly, they are.
But, to be honest, it's having limited impact here on
the ground. I mean, almost 600 tortured and executed
bodies were found on the streets of Baghdad last
month alone. This year, 605 U.S. soldiers have been
killed already. This month, we have already seen 30
U.S. troops killed from one cause or another.
That's just over three U.S. soldiers dying every day
here in Iraq. So, is the surge dampening violence?
No. It's pushing it here, it's pushing it there. Is
it buying the time that the government was supposed
to need politically to breathe? No, not at all.
COOPER: And, very briefly, there was this operation
in Baquba, U.S. forces in the lead. They called up
some 11,000 Iraqi troops for backup to prevent
terrorists from escaping, and insurgents from
escaping. Only 1,500 or so Iraqi troops showed up.
What is the problem with the Iraqi forces?
WARE: Look, Anderson, this is an age-old problem
that's plagued the U.S. effort here since it began,
having not only capable Iraqi forces, but getting
them to actually show up when and where you need
them.
From the Battle of Fallujah, to all sorts of major
incidents, we have seen so many just abandon their
posts or fail to appear. One of the big reasons for
that is that most of these forces are essentially
militias in uniform. They are interested in their own
interests and their own areas. These troops don't
like to go somewhere else to fight. And that's what
we're seeing. They are just not interested in it.
COOPER: Well, "Keeping Them Honest" in Baghdad,
Michael Ware -- thanks, Michael.