printFrom Crooks and Liars.com:
“John McCain told Wolf Blitzer that he needs to ‘get up to speed’ and stop reporting three-month-old news from Iraq. According to McCain, the surge is working! And the streets of Baghdad are safe for Americans to go strolling down. The only problem? Michael Ware, who is, ya know, in Baghdad, says McCain hasn’t a clue—
Michael Ware: ‘I don’t know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about when he says we can go strolling in Baghdad —Honestly, Wolf, you’ll barely last twenty minutes out there. I don’t know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about when he says we can go strolling in Baghdad.'”
I’ve been watching Ware for years now, and he is without a doubt the finest reporter around. He’s tough (when the girl, Anderson Cooper, interviews him, he doesn’t know how to react to his, “How did it make you feel” fluff) and courageous. He’s a war-time reporter in the old mold. One could only wish the Shrub possessed Ware’s understanding and knowledge of the geopolitical terrain in Iraq.
Update: Mummy McCain visited Iraq. Michael Ware practically lives there. He dared to heckle the Sainted One during the surprise visit McCain made to an undisclosed holiday resort in Iraq. McCain is thinking of buying a bed and breakfast in Baghdad. Drudge reports:
“During a live press conference in Bagdad, Senators McCain and Graham were heckled by CNN reporter Michael Ware. An official at the press conference called Ware’s conduct ‘outrageous,’ saying, ‘here you have two United States Senators in Bagdad giving first-hand reports while Ware is laughing and mocking their comments.'”
No, the two privileged protected senators are not —giving first-hand reports — on life in Bagdad; Ware does that daily.
Because Ware failed to show reverence to the pampered duo that popped in for a visit, the Bush press machine has shifted into smear gear. It’s trying to discredit the tough Ware’s first-rate reporting, citing an incident where Ware referred to this war as a “train wreck.” Omigod! I’ll never listen to his reports in the same way! The guy’s reality testing is shot!
(Ware, by the way, was also briefly held captive by al Qaida.)
Ilana — if you appreciate Ware then do yourself a favor and watch the DVD “War Photographer,” the documentary about James Nachtwey, the world-renowned combat photo journalist.
It’s a brutal piece of documentary truth covering Kosovo, Rawanda, Indonesia, Palestine…[I can just imagine! Ware is actually objective; he relates facts, not politics]
Because what preceded their deaths was hell incarnate….
Ware is the best. He provides the most accurate intel to be found in Iraq. Of course the military/intelligence Mandarins don’t pay much attention to him.
Anyone wanting to understand the Iraqi insurgency, and how we caused it, should read Ware’s Frontline interview on “The Insurgency”. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/insurgency/interviews/ware.html
It should be remembered that McCain is the guy who wanted to send American ground troops into the former Yugoslavia to “win� that unnecessary 1999 war.
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/04/20/kosovo.congress/
I also recall hearing at the time that the roads into that country were mined.
I am sorry that anyone had to spend time, as McCain did, in the Hanoi Hilton, and deal firsthand with the horrors of that place. However, I fail to understand either his former or current assessments of realities on the ground.