Length: 4:07
LARGE (47.9 MB)
-----
SMALL (5.1 MB)
Anderson Cooper asks Michael about the Iraqi journalist whose outburst has riveted the world's attention -- what will happen to him? Under Saddam, he would most certainly already be dead; has enough democracy been brought to Iraq that his fate will be different now?
ANDERSON
COOPER: The other important part of this story is the
reaction in Baghdad and what has happened to the
reporter-turned-assailant.
Michael Ware joins us now live in Baghdad.
Michael, the reporter was arrested. What's going to
happen to him?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's what
we're all waiting to see.
In many ways, Anderson, this is going to be a litmus
test of the Iraqi democracy that President Bush tried
to highlight after this shoe-throwing assault. The
irony is that, perhaps reflecting Iraqi opinion,
according to the Iraqi prime minister's office,
police are investigating this 28-year-old journalist,
but not for an assault on President Bush, but for an
assault on the prime minister.
They're not pursuing him for throwing his shoe at
President Bush. They're pursuing him for throwing it
in the general vicinity of Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki.
We will have to wait and see if they think there's
any evidence and whether he gets a hot poker in an
uncomfortable place for that -- Anderson.
COOPER: The brother of the reporter had pretty strong
words to defend his brother's actions. I want to
listen to what he told ABC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: "Americans have been disrespecting
and killing Iraqis for five years," he said. "It's
time we pay them back."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Is that the reaction of a lot of Iraqis?
There was a big demonstration, I think Muqtada
al-Sadr's people were out demonstrating today.
WARE: Yeah, Anderson, that is a sentiment shared by
an enormous section of the Iraqi community.
We spoke to many people in the streets and beyond
since this incident and it was a common refrain to
hear people saying, President Bush deserves this kind
of insult.
However, there's also an equal portion of the
community -- it's fairly divided down the middle --
that says, well, we condemn what the journalist did,
because it's such an embarrassment to our prime
minister.
But even those who condemned the journalist all agree
that they can relate to the sentiment. They don't
approve of his method, but they certainly approve of
his message. And we saw the furious anti-American
demonstrations in Sadr City, where people were
calling for his immediate release, condemning
President Bush, and burning the American flag.
This is resonating across the country, where he's now
being treated, in many quarters, as a national folk
hero -- Anderson.
COOPER: President Bush did try to put sort of a
positive spin on the whole thing. Let's play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: This doesn't represent the Iraqi people. But
that's -- that's what happens in free societies,
where people try to draw attention to themselves.
And, so, I guess he was effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: You know, I mean, had this guy thrown a shoe
at Saddam Hussein or -- or -- or a post-Iraqi leader,
the reaction obviously would have been very
different.
WARE: Oh, yeah.
As my Iraqi mates are telling me, if this happened
under Saddam Hussein, this would not have happened
under Saddam Hussein. The guy would have been lucky
to make it out of the room alive. And, I dare say, he
wouldn't be breathing by this point, 24 hours later.
But, I mean, this is just a sign, I mean, not just of
the ability of free speech -- and we're waiting still
to see just how free that speech will be -- but,
really, it's just, this guy has struck a chord, not
just in Iraq, but across the region. We even saw the
most prominent Arab newspaper that's published out of
London, influential across the world, applauding the
guy and decrying President Bush as a war criminal.
In many ways -- I hate to say it -- but, after all
these years of this war, it's a reflection of the
esteem with which the Arab world holds President
Bush, his administration, and perhaps a sense of
American power -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Michael Ware from Baghdad --
Michael, thanks.