Keeping Them Honest: Michael Ware on Bush's Definition of an "Ordinary Life" in Iraq
By Nicole Belle Thursday Sep 13, 2007 11:45am
It's hard not to admire the hell out of Michael Ware after this clip. After watching/listening to other media pundits dutifully regurgitate Bush's insistence that the surge is working, Ware's honesty is breathtaking.
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t Heather)
...if the President means by ordinary lives families essentially living locked up in their homes in almost perpetual darkness, without refrigeration or perhaps constantly struggling for ever more expensive gas to run generators, if he means waiting in their homes wondering if government death squads will drag them off and torture them and execute them, if he means living in sectarian cleansed neighborhoods where people who were your friends have had to flee, if he's talking about living in communities that are protected by militias, then yeah, life's returned to ordinary.
Transcript below the fold
BUSH: Today most of Baghdad's neighborhoods are being patrolled by coalition and Iraqi forces who live among the people they protect. Many schools and markets are reopening. Citizens are coming forward with vital intelligence. Sectarian killings are down and ordinary life is beginning to return.
COOPER: What he didn't mention is that there are four million Iraqis not in their homes...neighborhoods here in Baghdad have been ethnically cleansed.
WARE: Absolutely and if by the....if the President means by ordinary lives families essentially living locked up in their homes in almost perpetual darkness, without refrigeration or perhaps constantly struggling for ever more expensive gas to run generators, if he means waiting in their homes wondering if government death squads will drag them off and torture them and execute them, if he means living in sectarian cleansed neighborhoods where people who were your friends have had to flea, if he's talking about living in communities that are protected by militias, then yeah, life's returned to ordinary.
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I viewed War's report "live" on CNN last night and cheered...along w/others I'm pretty sure,
for he tells it like it is and not the fiction from the mouths of others.
Hey, have a drink of the kool-aid, click your heels together three times and, presto, the world is perfect and this war has been won. Also, shit don't stink and pigs have wings.
Yet, some continue to live in Bush's fantasy. I guess if you are a defense contractor or the oil industry, these are the greatest times ever.
Wow, powerful stuff.
Keep it coming.
michael ware is constantly perpetuating the al qaeda myth. he pretends to be critical of the bush admin, then starts up with the al qaeda is taking over the world crap which only validates the neocons...lame. you ppl still believe this al qaeda crap?
Suck on that, Bush.
Wow, indeed.
Freakaloin @ 4:
Where does he say Al Qaeda is taking over the world? He does report a lot on al qaeda in Iraq becuase it is an important influence in Iraq now (it wasn't before). I don't think he editorializes beyond what he observes first account and what he obtains from his network of sources.
But, but, but, Katie Couric said . . .
unfrozencaveman @ 7:
he doesn't in that clip, but he is always on about al qaeda this and that. how about these reporters/stenographers actually interview 1 person who is a member this fabled al qaeda and air it for us all to see? i have yet to see something like that. in fact, except for video and recordings (which anyone could have made since they are NEVER verified) there have been no legit ppl coming forward to the press who are members of al qaeda...hmmm weird eh?
Yes, we are certainly able to see the progress made by the surge. Here's how: The Bush administration invades the country and destroys infrastructure, kills hundreds of thousands, forces mass exodus of millions and THEN, after 3 years, decides they needed more troops to try and control the violence of a civil war and make nice to the Iraqi people.
And last night we're told the ONLY reason why nothing is working as effectively as they thought it would is because of the IRAQI government officials not doing their part. Even though this is the government the Bush folks put together with bags and bags full of cash and eliminating would-be opposition.
You see, Bush WAS right all along. If only the darned Iraqi leadership would get their act together.
in Bush-logic any non-White, non-American personage is used to living below the level of subsistence-- fearful, hungry, malnurished, scared, and distraught. like an 18th century version of the "savage" natives that the european colonists raped, pillaged and murdered all in the name of "civilization."
thus, for bush, this is what is normal to all this brown skinned people who talk and dress funny.
this is at the heart of corporate-colonization and globalization and a product of our military empire. in order to justify the inhuman conditions we have made people exist in our political overlords must attempt to dehumanize the people living there--all with a kind smirk of course.
Freakaloin @ 9:
Is this Def Mos?
wtf is a def mos?
Yes, that is EXACTLY what he's talking about. Sheesh, give the guy some credit.
Freakaloin @ 9:
Had not really given much thought about this previously, but you are correct...I too would like for the MSM to interview just ONE(1) Al Qaed person "in" Iraq who has been captured and let that individual be interviewed. I suspect, however, we will have to rely upon the
BBC to do that type of reporting, IF they can find one of these "fact or fiction" persons
within Iraq...
Yes, Samson - straight from the mouth of Babs:
"They're used to living like this; I think it's working out very well for them."
Ugh. (:>
Freakaloin @ 13:
oops I'm slightly dyslexic...Mos Def. Anyway he was on Real Time over the weekend and explained his theory that Al Qaeda is a media myth. Entertaining explaination, but not credible.
unfrozencaveman @ 17:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJRetQUTEWA
unfrozencaveman @ 17:
Ah yes, I watched Bill M's "Real Time" too. But his guy, tho quite intelligent, does have
some rather stange beliefs...such as...No man has ever landed on the Moon and he too
is one of the conspiracy theorist who believes that the U.S. was behind the 911 attack.
I enjoyed and actually agreed with much of what he had to say, but just "a little exterme
or off base" on some topics.
I've always like Michael Ware's reporting. He's been on the ground a long time and knows what the hell he is talking about, unlike this dunce in the White House.
I love Michael Ware. Integrity with a capital I.
I would marry a man with that much genuine empathy, honesty, courage and beauty in him. I think even my husband would marry a man this remarkable.
A lot of honest people of genuine integrity are dying right now. Let's hope Michael Ware doesn't become one of them.
*
When Bush went to see it with his own eyes what he really meant was he saw it with his one eye, the brown eye. Because that is what he gave the Iraqi people. A big smile of his ass and told them to kiss it.
Freakaloin @ 9:
Here's the thing, requesting to have that interview is easy, just get a person that appears to be a desert dweller, and have them help you spin your vision. Even if an actual interview with an al queda operative is done, who's to say that this was actually an operative. I
think Freakaloin has a good point in that the media is not verifying any facts causing the credibility of all media, including the blogosphere to go downhill. We will ever receive factual news again. Let's wait and see in 2009.
On a seperate point, in relation to my comment about installing a look-a-like to do an interview to help spin the vision, isn't it peculiar that the sheikh in Iraq was assassinated and now there is a revolt and revenge movement beginning. Who does this benefit. The administration. Who actually assassinated this man, my bet is the administration. Hopefully this don't get cut.
Doggiebobo @ 19:
Seriously? This is best guy they could find to debunk Bush's happy talk? Well, maybe it takes a guy with credibility issues to know one.
But they're "free" and live in a "democracy"!!!!!!!!!
Michael Ware might be the best that CNN has to offer presently, but as along as he tells it like it is, he's not going to get far in that organisation, the way they have things currently set up. You have to be in the main office, thinking of new ways to pit makeup on the pig, to get ahead there, now... Shaw and Wolfie found that out...and Shaw retired before he could get stuck in anything really nastily unethical.
Situation Room September 13, 2007:
Someone should point out to Wolf Blitzer that General Petraeus is a political appointee, otherwise his appointment wouldn't have to be approved by the Senate. How did General Petraeus risk is life in Iraq and Bosnia?
When is Admiral Fallon going to comment on his SUBORDINATE the newly ordained "St. Petraeus"?
These neocon swine have no clue what "normal" is for the people of Iraq. They look at them as "less than human" barbarians in any case.
Caring whether or not these people are safe and secure is of no concern to "flyboy". Mission accomplished...when we got our foot in the door, and he means to keep us there until the Democratic White House finally pulls the plug and accepts the responsibility for "losing the war".
It's a no win solution for the Democratic party UNLESS they can educate the American public to this shell game of the chimp and his Nazis.
This is what viewers want. This is how you get the 25-54 demo that Keith is kicking ass in
Somebody needs to bitchslap Busholini!
Dr. Acula @ 31:
Let's get ware over here to do it. He kicks ass, while Bush is just ass.
I love Micheal Ware.He is a bright light that shines on the liars like Bush and Betrayus.He tells the truth.
The tide is turning, my friends. More and more of these folks are speaking up...on the air...and they are NOT being shouted down by the hosts. The wingnuts try to shout them down, but the fact is that THEY end up looking foolish. Their arguments are baseless, and in direct conflict with what IS best for America AND the troops. The troops have completed their mission. They "liberated" Iraq. Saddam is gone. The rest is up to the diplomats.
George Bush is now a comma in history. He's shirked his responsibility...there's a shock... given his past behavior...and is passing this on to his successor.
It's SO maddening that the idiot occupying the WH is the most stubborn, obstinate and obtuse clusterfuck of a human being. He doesn't give a fuck about anything or anyone, save his "legacy".
His legacy should be his being arrested and frog-marched out of the WH and put on trial at the WORLD COURT.
I watched this interview. It was top notch. I have the utmost respect for Michael Ware and I listen to every word he says. He seems like a real straight shooter. I don't know why the rest of the media don't listen more to the message that he is trying to get out of Iraq.
I am sick of the WH trying to paint a rosey picture of what is going on over there so that they can keep going with their illegal war.
hey nwmuse - nice blog you've got there.
Michael Ware - perhaps the only person stationed in Iraq who regularly reports on US cable who is a GENUINE JOURNALIST. I respect him immensely for the work he has been doing, while in a dangerous situation. Thank you Michael, but I implore you to "watch your back"...
Most, if not all, of the other so-called "journalists" appear to be attached to bush's or cheney's dick in some way.
unfrozencaveman @ 17:
why isn't it credible? have you seen the bbc documentary 'the power of nightmares'? it explains in good detail how al qaeda is not real. seems pretty credible too...
Ex-Canuck @ 38:
True, and with the exception of M. Ware who has been on reporting duty within Iraq
for the last 11 months, none of the other MSM reporters(?) are "on site"; but sit in their
little cubeculs in their newsrooms and act as if they know what is going on. Get off your
butts BIG corporate owners of the MSM and send persons "over there" for extended periods
of time in order to learn the facts and report them as Ware does...not like K. Couric spending
a couple of days being escorted around by bushie supporters.
Freakaloin @ 39:
Where can I/we obtain the bbc documentary???
Remember when the "enemy" was referred to as "terrorists". Then "insurgents". Now they're all "al Qaeda".
Switch names, switch reasons for going to war. Can't we switch presidents yet?!!!
Freakaloin @ 39:
Freakaloin. Michael Ware was kidnapped by Al Qaida and was saved by an ex-sunni army officer. It was all caught on Michael's own camera. They took it from him in order to film his own beheading. Go to www.mickware.com and check out the video. Frontline: The Insurgency. Bloodchilling. you can hear the Al Qaida dude and the army officer fighting in the background.
power of nightmares is a 3 part (3+ hour) documentary. you can download it off many bit torrent web sites or watch it in bit and pieces off youtube... don't know if u can get it all at youtube though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAUDcmaJNWQ
Wow... sounds like life for an Iraqi would be similar these days to reading "The Diary of Ann Frank" - except the US are the Nazis this time around.
Strawberry @ 43:
i saw the frontline you are referring too and he never verified they were al qaeda. they could have been coalition forces trying to scare journalists, or most likely just regular iraqi sunni insurgences(which the bush admin is now trying to pass off as al qaeda). i wanna see verifiable proof of al qaeda...not the bs
[...] an
Freakaloin @ 46:
Well, how about going out there yourself. It's easy to sit here like katie couric and poo poo men like Ware. He's there, you are not. He's risking his life everyday, he does not live in the green zone and one day his luck will run out. So who has more credibility?
Michael Ware is awesome. He's been in the shit unlike Hannity or any other armchair chickenshit.
My snark-o-meeter is off the charts
Thanks for fixing the links.
StirFry @ 49:
DING DING DING!!! and there it is foks...our winner for today.
Dr. Acula @ 37:
Thanks Dr. Acula. It has been a fun adventure. :-)
Doggiebobo @ 41:
Power of Nightmares is available online here:
http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares
Bush's idea of what an ordinary life in Iraq is all about, is about as solid and consistent as some MLB umpires strike zones.............That is to say...not very..............JD
I HEART Michael Ware...and there are so few people who deserve that accolade! He is refreshingly honest and unconcerned about who he is pleasing with his reports...would that it could spread to more of our media...I won't hold my breath!
I actually wish C&L could put up the piece that Ware did about the amazing sheik that goes around to all the morgues in Baghdad and picks up the unclaimed dead bodies. Bodies that were found dumped in the streets, rivers and sewers. Men, women and children, many found tortured with holes drilled into them. The sheik said under Saddam he buried 40 per day, now he buries hundreds.
I wonder why an Australian-born journalist like Mr. Ware and the South Africa born Lara Logan have the backbone to speak the truth unlike their American counterparts who parrot the government’s line at every opportunity.
However...
Mr.Ware does not advocate for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq. He has stated before that it would be a disaster for us to leave. That is the reality on the ground folks.
It is very simple. President Bush has told the troops in Iraq that they will not come home until they accomplish his mission. All he wants them to do is make all the Iraqi politicians fall in love, and join in a central government of perpetual peace and everlasting accord.
That is not too much to ask of a bunch of 19 years old American High School Grads, is it! Some one has to handle the heavy lifting on the global diplomatic side, and since the USA apparently no longer has a Secretary of State,or even a Secretary of Defense, why not have the military kids do it.
Then we can bring them all back home, and have them solve all our major domestic problems.
OK, listen up all you young military guys and gals. You heard your commander in chief. Get going. Find out if al-Maliki and al-Sadr have hugged a Sunni today. Do not expect Condi Rice and Ryan Croker to pitch in. What do you think they are?, some kind of diplomats!.
bobbob @ 59:
Oh, contriar my friend....He does not advocate IMMEDIATE and total withdrawal
This reporter talks to all sides including Iran and al Qaeda.
Best coverage of the occupation I have seen.
He should write a book and get paid more for putting his life on the line.
getalife @ 62:
He is writing one, it should be out in '08.
Mos Def is right. Calling him a "conspiracy theorist" is cheap antiintellectual and wrong. Al Qaeda is CIA.
His nose seez right, BUT his eyes say left.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
GWB "Today, most Bagdad neighborhoods are being patrolled by coalition and Iraqi forces that live among the people they protect."
I can just imagine the troops' reaction to that statement. "Oh yeah...screw that boring Green Zone. My patrol buddies and I are renting this cute bungalow over in Sadr City! Great neighborhood!!!"
Now, which universe does that guy live in?? It sure isn't anything like the one I'm living in. Anybody else live in Dubya's universe? Perhaps Joe Leibermann, Dick Cheney, William Krystol,....?
Bush is a proven LIAR.
He has ZERO CREDIBILITY. Period. End-of-story.
Ware just gave Bush a "Fact Slap" in the face, WAKE UP BUSH, DENILE IS NOT A RIVER IN EGYPT
Bobby Ghosh, former Time Baghdad Bureau Chief who lived in Baghdad for 4.5 years, earlier on Hardball also called BS on Bush’s claim that life is just great in Baghdad.
Ware Supports Keeping Our Troops In Iraq
While Michael Ware is known for "telling it like it is," he continues to echo Bush's call to keep our troops in Iraq. The last time I tried to make this point I angered many site participants. It is the truth, and the link examples Ware's almost urgent call to keep our troops in this very dangerous situation.
I think Ware is trying to bring the left into the support for continued troop occupation. CNN is known for their bias support to keep this war going.
I see everyday, the bias programming from CNN, and I have been outraged at times. After seeing almost every report from CNN, Fox news and MSNBC end in conservative resolve, I have become very real about who works for this bias monopoly on our media. When Ware tells it like it is, I know what and how his report will end: The usual strong warning not to leave Iraq because of Iran and Al Qaeda will take over the region.
Finally, I know this comment will anger many site participants; I only encourage you to check out the links I have provided. If that is not good enough for you, goggle Michael's Ware's support for keeping the troops in this war. The facts speak for itself.
Joseph
Love this guy. He always calls that idiot on the Situation Room out for his stupidity. And Ware calls out Bush and the rest of the crime family for their lies. He needs a medal of freedom.
...but, but wait a minute...the surge...uhm...is working, freedom is on the march...right?
And how the fuck would Bush know what an 'ordinary life' is anyway?!
"And so many of the people in
the arena hereIraq, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them."[...] Watch Video [...]
George Bush Jr. is an effigy of the shadow government that really runs the show. What we have is the retarded son of the Wizard of Oz, the real man behind the curtains and his cronies. We are at war because it requires weapons, energy (oil), and economics (petrodollar recycling) to run the empire, but the truth is too difficult for the average person to comprehend, so its easier to spin it into an us vs. them, chasing phantom terrorists around the world where its convenient to secure weapons, oil, and strongarm the petrodollar monopoly (Iran, you're next).
People seem to forget that it takes many people to live like paupers for someone to live like a king, whether we're talking about nation-states or individuals. And George Bush Jr. is oh so perfect an icon of the nepotism that is the status quo. So, as long as you like your American standard of living we should just pretend to be dumb and play along, and recite in unity "Hail King George!"
Kindnation, you shouldn't have taken the blue pill. Now the sentinels will be after you.
I don't think you folks would recognize objective reporting of the facts if you saw it. The Cafferty, Wolfie and Ware show is short on journalism 101 and long on neocon disinformation. Along with tidbits of info diverging from the usual script Mr. Ware's whole presentation is opinionated and somewhat overly dramatic. In all cases get your info from more than one source and think for yourself.
You are soooo right. All the talk about WMD was baloney and now they say Iran has them! What a joke! The news about our troops killing Al Queda in Iraq is a con job. Al Queda is not in Iraq. They don't exist. Homeland security is a big ripoff. Get it through your heads people - there is no threat from terrorism. 911 and the train bombings in Europe were devised by the same folks who faked the moon landing in '69. Just get rid of Bush. I hate him sooo much. When our side wins the next election only then will I be happy with this stupid war or believe anything about terrorism.
Jon Talus @ 79:
I was with the above opinion until the stuff about the Moon landing. What a waste of a good line concerning questionable events. Be careful, you could subtract from the more creditable stuff by grouping something very remote. I do this all the time, and I am trying to break the habit.
Joseph
Good for Ware.
Fuck that lying, smirking chimp.
This New Zealander makes me feel a little better about the otherwise intolerable fact that the All Blacks are just so damned good.
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