June 2008

Another old photo

Sharon found another one... this looks to be from Afghanistan in 2002:

New/old photos

Wow, look what Sharon just dug up! These are stunning! The first photo we've seen of Michael playing rugby, one of him going through an Army training exercise (probably in preparation for going to one of his assignments in the South Pacific), and catnapping in a Blackhawk!

The guy he is chasing is about to be feeling some serious pain!




Look at that smile!!





This one is dated, January 26, 2000 -- how exhausted do you have to be to sleep in a Blackhawk (NOT the quietest place) a few inches from an open doorway over a long drop?

360 tonight?

Michael may be on AC360 tonight, although we all know how they promise that and then don't deliver. Still, this was posted on the 360 blog this morning:

ALSO, President Bush is scheduled to meet in the Oval Office with Iraq President Jalal Talabani this morning, so we will check in with Michael Ware for analysis…

AC360 still promo (still hoping...)

Michael was on during the first hour of American Morning, and they showed this still to promote the AQI piece for tonight's AC360... Here's hoping the weather behaves itself (not to mention the politicians and Britney and...)

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General Petraeus and the 'Information War'

A third article from the New York Observer:

General Petraeus and the 'Information War'
'He likes to talk to reporters as he's walking through the street. He doesn't like being filmed in front of blown-up buildings.'

BY FELIX GILLETTE  |  JUNE 12, 2008


Jamie Tarabay, the former Baghdad Bureau Chief for NPR, was stationed in Iraq in the early months of 2007 when General David Petraeus arrived to take over command of the U.S. forces there.

In the weeks and months to come, like many of her professional colleagues in the war zone, she eventually accompanied Mr. Petraeus on a number of walk-along interviews as he strolled through the streets of the occupied city.

"He does the same thing every time," Ms. Tarabay recently told the Observer. "When he goes to a market area, the first thing he does is that he takes off his helmet and puts his soft cap on. There are a set number of things he does. He buys bananas, and he buys tea. If his aide has a soccer ball, he'll give the kids the soccer ball. He likes to talk to reporters as he's walking through the street. He doesn't like being filmed in front of blown-up buildings."

"He's very aware," she added. "He knows how to play the media."

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A Small Town in the Middle East

Another article from the New York Observer:

A Small Town in the Middle East

BY JOHN KOBLIN  |  JUNE 11, 2008


"I had a big birthday the other day, a birthday with a zero in it," said Jim Muir, the Baghdad bureau chief for the BBC. "Unbeknownst to me they organized a surprise party. They put out an invitation to our street, which we share with the New York Times, and Reuters, and the AP, and various other news outlets. Only two people came."



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60 Months in the Red Zone

Sharon sent this along: it's from the New York Observer, and I have put Michael's quotes in bold print:

60 Months in the Red Zone
Five Years Later, the American Press Corps in Iraq Is War-Weary and Depleted—Also Committed, Engaged and Desperately Seeking a Narrative to Wake Up Readers; ‘The Press Redeemed in Baghdad,’ Says George Packer, ‘What It Missed in Washington’

“It’s the oft-stated phrase that truth is the first casualty of war,” said Michael Ware, CNN’s Baghdad correspondent, on the telephone from Iraq. “In this war, as in every other conflict, everybody lies to you. Your government is lying to you. The Iraqi government is lying. The insurgents are lying. The militias are lying. The U.S. military is lying. Even the civilians lie. Or in the best case, there’s confusion and exaggeration. The truth is the most elusive thing in war, particularly in an insurgency.”


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Our Man in Baghdad

Just wanted to mention that Michael is now the only Western journalist to have lived in Iraq since before the invasion. I think that speaks to his incredible dedication to the story and to the people of Iraq and to the troops with whom he has spent so much time. It is hard to fathom the things he has witnessed over the past 5+ years... but we have been very fortunate to have someone so committed to getting the truth out and to making sure that history is documented accurately.