Michael Ware

Journalist

AAM: "If this had happened under Saddam, it wouldn't have happened under Saddam."


Length: 5:04

LARGE (58.8 MB) ----- SMALL (6.2 MB)

Morning in America brings the first reactions in Iraq. Michael is on at 2pm and 4pm Baghdad time with a pre-recorded piece that covers the incident, the president's comments immediately afterwards, and the cultural meaning of the action. Afterwards, he discusses what has happened to the Iraqi journalist who threw the shoes and the street protests calling for his release.


CAROL COSTELLO: You know, that was something else. President Bush doing his best duck and cover during his farewell tour of Iraq after an angry Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at him during a news conference. Mr. Bush had just finished remarks hailing a new security agreement with Iraq when that bizarre incident occurred. CNN's Michael Ware is live in Baghdad to tell us more.

Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Yes, President Bush certainly showed the reflexes of a boxer there with that cat-like maneuver as he ducked. And obviously, we would all be thankful for that.

Now, President Bush has left Iraq. He's actually indeed visited Afghanistan since this incident. So -- but no matter how short the president's trip was, it did include some of the most extraordinary scenes and we'd like to show you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARE (voice-over): This will be something few in Iraq will ever forget, shoes hurled at the president by an Iraqi TV correspondent who's quickly tackled. The journalist from al-Baghdadia television called the president a dog in Arabic and cried, "this is your farewell." When calm was restored, President Bush sought to brush the incident aside.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So what if the guy threw a shoe at me?

WARE: And then tried to turn it into a positive.

BUSH: I don't know what the guy's cause is. But one thing is for certain, he caused you to ask me a question about it. I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it. These journalists here were very apologetic. They were, you know, they said this doesn't represent the Iraqi people, but that's what happens in free societies where people try to draw attention to themselves.

WARE: For Iraqis, throwing shoes is the rudest of insults, reserved for the likes of a statue of Saddam Hussein or, somewhat prophetically, an effigy of President Bush himself just weeks ago. But this trip, the president's fourth and last, was meant to be a farewell and a celebration, one to thank his troops...

BUSH: I am honored to be at Camp Victory.

WARE: ...and to applaud a new deal with Baghdad called SOFA, the Status of Forces Agreement, governing a complete non-negotiable U.S. troop withdrawal within three years. It's the beginning of the end for the U.S. phase of this war, though the president declared the war not yet over. And while President Bush hails the agreement a success, some American officials on the ground see it as far less. To them, it's merely the best that could be gained from a weak negotiating position.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARE: And what we know now that as we speak this morning, the Iraqi journalist who threw those shoes at President Bush is still in Iraqi government custody. Indeed, the prime minister's office here has told us that he's being investigated for assaulting the prime minister, arguing that given that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was there on the podium as well, it's not easy to say who exactly he threw the shoes at.

However, today, there's been quite some reaction to the incident here in Baghdad. We had a large demonstration in the Shia stronghold, the slums of Sadr City. It became an outlet for anti-American feeling with American flags being burned and calls for this Iraqi journalist, himself a Shia, to be released. However, that will have to be determined by the Iraqi authorities and goodness knows which way they are going to turn on that -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I was going to ask you that. What might happen to him in the end? Might he serve a long sentence? What will happen?

WARE: Well, this is going to be a real test. I mean President Bush tried to turn this to his advantage by citing this in fact as an act of democracy, a sign of the progress here, clearly an exercise of free speech. I'm not sure how this Iraqi government sees something like that. Obviously it's been noted by many here that if this happened under Saddam it wouldn't have happened under Saddam. The guy would have quickly found himself dead.

However, here on the street, opinion's divided. Whilst most Iraqis can relate to the statement, to the message, some people support what he's done and are treating him like a national hero, while others say that just really wasn't good form to show to a guest, Carol.

COSTELLO: Not good form at all. We'll be watching. Michael Ware, live in Baghdad this morning. Thank you.



Length: 4:43

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KIRAN CHETRY: Authorities questioning the Iraqi journalist who hurled shoes at President Bush during a press conference in Baghdad. His arrest now sparking protests in Baghdad, with thousands of people calling for the reporter's release.

CNN's Michael Ware is live in Baghdad. Give us an update now on why he's being held and what we know about him.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, this is an Iraqi Shia journalist who works for al-Baghdadia Television Network, and he's from the area of Sadr City here in the capital of Baghdad; a stronghold of the rebel cleric Muqtada al Sadr.

What we know as you can see from the pictures that we're about to show you again -- and I suggest you get used to seeing them. I think they're going to be living with us -- that he rose up and threw his shoes at the president in the middle of a press conference. I suggest that these images are almost certainly going to become icons of the war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARE (voice-over): This will be something few in Iraq will ever forget, shoes hurled at the president by an Iraqi TV correspondent who's quickly tackled. The journalist from al-Baghdadia television called the president a dog in Arabic and cried, "this is your farewell." When calm was restored, President Bush sought to brush the incident aside.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So what if the guy threw a shoe at me?

WARE: And then tried to turn it into a positive.

BUSH: I don't know what the guy's cause is. But one thing is for certain, he caused you to ask me a question about it. I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it. These journalists here were very apologetic. They were, you know, they said this doesn't represent the Iraqi people, but that's what happens in free societies where people try to draw attention to themselves.

WARE: For Iraqis, throwing shoes is the rudest of insults, reserved for the likes of a statue of Saddam Hussein or, somewhat prophetically, an effigy of President Bush himself just weeks ago. But this trip, the president's fourth and last, was meant to be a farewell and a celebration, one to thank his troops...

BUSH: I am honored to be at Camp Victory.

WARE: ...and to applaud a new deal with Baghdad called SOFA, the Status of Forces Agreement, governing a complete non-negotiable U.S. troop withdrawal within three years. It's the beginning of the end for the U.S. phase of this war, though the president declared the war not yet over. And while President Bush hails the agreement a success, some American officials on the ground see it as far less. To them, it's merely the best that could be gained from a weak negotiating position.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARE: And from that position we now see protests like this and in the streets of the capital. The man who started all of this, the Iraqi journalist, is still in detention. He's in custody, according to the prime minister's office, and is being investigated for assaulting the prime minister of Iraq, who was standing next to President Bush. Authorities saying you can't say who he threw the shoe at.

As we said earlier, all of this prompted fiery demonstrations today in Sadr City, that area of the capital. And there we saw not only calls for the journalist's release from detention, but we also saw a tide of anti-Americanism rise to the surface with the American flag being burned in Baghdad streets -- Kiran.

CHETRY: And you had an interesting note, what it would be like if this happened under Saddam Hussein or would this happen under Saddam Hussein?

WARE: Yeah, that's certainly one of the things that Iraqis around me are asking, and indeed the Iraqi community is divided right now. Whilst everyone understands this journalist's message and frustration -- that's without question -- the division lies in whether they approve of his behavior.

Now, his television network is running almost endless pleas for his release, with his picture on the screen, and tickers with SMSs from hundreds of Iraqi citizens supporting him and calling him a national hero.

Other Iraqis say this is simply bad form, this is not the way you treat a guest, even if you disagree with him -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right, Michael Ware for us in Baghdad, thanks.