Michael Ware

Journalist

Sep 2007

AC: "And let's not forget: everyone wants the American sons and daughters to go home."



Anderson and Michael recorded some short discussions in the Green Zone this week -- the first one airs after a replay of Michael's trip to Anbar that aired Monday. The second is a more general discussion of the current situation. I think this is a great summation:
America can leave tomorrow, as long as it's ready to pay the price. And let's not forget: everyone wants the American sons and daughters to go home. But this is the dilemma facing liberal America: you can do that, but you're going to have such death and misery on your conscience.

There is a moral imperative here. America chose to invade. America created this environment that's not just hurting the Iraqis but it's hurting American interests. It's fuelling al Qaeda and fuelling Iran. You can walk away from that, but it's not without price.

Length: 1:12 / 4:27

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AC: Reaction to the president's speech; the volunteers who bury the unclaimed dead



Michael, David Gergen, Candy Crowley, and Gloria Borger all talk to Anderson following the president's speech. "Wow" is a place to start...

The second clip is the piece about
the volunteers who bury the unclaimed dead Iraqi civilians.

Length: 13:00 / 4:44

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TSR: More reaction to the Sheik's death & preparation for the president's speech





In the first clip, Michael speaks with Suzanne Malveaux about the implications of the Sunni sheik's death. In the second clip, Wolf talks to him about that, and also plays some old clips from Michael's earlier reports about what will happen in Iraq, and in the third clip Wolf asks him for some reaction to the preliminary copy of the speech.

Length: 5:24 / 5:12 / 3:05

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YWT: "This is a continuation of Iran's communication, shall we say, with America."



Michael talks to Jim and Hala about the assassination overnight of the sheik who had become the public "face" of the Anbar movement against al Qaeda.

Length: 5:40

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AC: "It's a daring move."



Anderson has finally made it to the bureau and joins Michael on the rooftop. They discuss Michael's exclusive interview with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq (with a couple new clips from it.)

Length: 3:48

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LDT: "If you continue to undermine the Maliki government there is going to be severe costs and it will effect U.S. security."



Michael speaks with Kitty Pilgrim and recaps his interview with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq.

Length: 5:37

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TSR: "All of the cards are in their hand and they're not willing to offer America a scrap even from the table."



Michael gets yet another very impressive exclusive -- an interview with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq. Who, naturally, denies everything and throws the ball back into our court...

Length: 5:22

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AC: "...they have no intentions of sharing power..."



Anderson speaks with Michael and with John King (in DC) about today's testimony regarding the surge.

(This clip ends with odd abruptness. I did cut the prepared piece from John King, but Anderson never went back to Michael after it ended. Very strange.)

Length: 7:08

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TSR: "...how many generations are you prepared to wait?"



This is one of those straight-talk times: yes, democracy in Iraq is attainable, but it will take generations to achieve.

Length: 3:10

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AC: "This is now the most dangerous part of the trip..."



Day one of AC360 in Iraq brings us two segments: first is a discussion among Anderson, Michael, and Michael Gordon about today's testimony from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker.

The second clip is from the trip to Anbar he mentioned
last weekend, and it's one of the more anxiety-inducing ones he's ever done. Yes, it's a trip he couldn't have made at all four months ago, as he makes clear, but it's still scary as hell to watch, even knowing that he's "safe" on his rooftop by the time we see this. Still, the piece is incredibly important in that it gives us an insight into the thinking of the Sunni militias we are training -- it is clear that as soon as they've run al Qaeda out of their back yards, they are going to come after American troops again.

Length: 6:18 / 7:06

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LKL: "...shifting their weight politically to throw some support behind these anti-Iranian elements"




Larry speaks with Michael, Anderson Cooper, and radio talk-show hosts Lars Larson and Ed Schultz about the Petraeus/Crocker testimony. The only surprise so far is that some people are surprised by the "Hey, look over there at al-Anbar!" shell game. I mean, hooray for the improvements in Anbar, but that has nothing to do with the surge, so stop trying to muddy the waters.

Anyway, the highlight for me was this observation by Michael right at the very end:


And I think the emphasis on the Sunni militia program runs much deeper than Al Qaeda. These Sunnis out there, these Baathists, the men who used to run Saddam's military, first and foremost, they're anti-Iranian. And I think that that is very much a part of what the U.S. strategy is doing here. They're shifting their weight politically to throw some support behind these anti-Iranian elements so that they can put pressure on the pro-Iranian government in Baghdad.

The problem with democracy is that sometimes the wrong side wins. Ain't THAT a bitch. "The wars within the war continue..."

Length: 8:47

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TSR: "...it's given time for America to begin developing Sunni militias."



Michael talks to Wolf about General Petraeus' testimony before Congress.

Length: 4:25

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CNN.com: Volunteers collect Baghdad's nameless dead

Volunteers collect Baghdad's nameless dead


Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports
CNN.com is featuring from
an Anderson Cooper special this week, "Live from Iraq," which airs at 10 p.m. ET.



BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Sheik Jamal al-Sudani leads a group of volunteers with one of the most solemn tasks in Iraq: Collecting and burying the hundreds of unclaimed dead every month and giving them a proper burial.

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TWAW: "...however this situation devolves in the future, it's not going to be suiting U.S. interests."



Jamie McIntyre gives a rundown of the surge goals, then he, Michael, and Rajiv Chandrasekaran discuss (what else this week?) the likely findings of General Petraeus' report.

(Gotta love Jamie's characterization of "weasel talk"...)

Length: 10:05

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AC: "We watched...as the insurgents go in one door...and emerge as the so-called Iraqi police."



Anderson asks Michael about what's happening in al-Anbar, the president's surprise visit, and the nearly completed British withdrawal from Iraq.

Length: 3:10

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TSR: "...get on board with this program or get off -- you're about to be steamrolled."



Wolf talks to Michael about President Bush's surprise visit to al-Anbar today and what's going on in that province.

Length: 4:02

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AAM: Brits nearly out of Basra; President Bush in Anbar



Two reports on American Morning from Michael -- during the first hour, he discusses the Brit drawdown from their final base in Basra, as they pull back to the airport in preparation for a final withdrawal. During the third hour, reaction to the breaking news story of President Bush's surprise arrival in Iraq this morning (and another summation of the Basra story.)

Length: 2:33 / 5:40

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NR: "This act, though planned, is symbolic of what many will consider failure across southern Iraq."



Michael does a prepared piece about British forces in Basra pulling back to their final outpost near the airport, in preparation for their complete withdrawal from Iraq.

Length: 2:07

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LE: "There's a very brief window right now for America to finally act decisively."



Wolf's discussion panel today features Michael, NYT writer Michael Gordon, and Laith Kubba (identified as a "former Iraqi government spokesman.") They talk about the benchmarks, Iran's influence, etc.

(Near the end of the piece, Michael mentions that he has just come back from spending some time with the Sunnis in al-Anbar -- the former insurgents who are now our allies, that is. Since he was last on-air on Thursday, I think it was a short visit, and suspect he really did "just" return; at any rate, he looks and sounds bone-tired.)

Length: 12:20

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