CNN Baghdad Reporter Heckles Senators McCain and Graham at Press Conference

April 1st, 2007 8:35 PM

CNN Baghdad reporter Michael Ware has had quite a week getting his rips in, and more, about how ineffective (in his view) current military efforts in Baghdad have been -- to the point of obviously crossing the line into blatant unprofessionalism earlier today.

Ware's "the war is failing" stridency flared up last Tuesday, and can be seen at this YouTube video (HT Hot Air) -- Ware starts getting his rips in at about the 1:30 mark after McCain states that some neighborhoods of Baghdad are safe. It appears that Blitzer made sure that McCain didn't get any words to rebut Ware after Ware's rant. Ware's strongest riposte:

“I don't know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about when he says we can go strolling in Baghdad.”

Next, on Thursday, Ware took issue with Joe Lieberman when the Connecticut senator said that "American soldiers are more confident walking the streets of Baghdad." Ware's response is that the insurgents are simply "laying low."

Finally, Drudge is reporting the following exclusive about Ware's conduct at a press conference that apparently took place earlier today:

During a live press conference in Bagdad (sic), 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. I’ve never witnessed such disrespect. This guy is an activist not a reporter.”

..... Michael Ware has also publicly expressed his views on the war last year in an interview with Bill Maher, saying, “I've been given a front-row ticket to watch this slow-motion train wreck … I try to stay as drunk for as long as possible while I'm here … In fact, I'm drinking now.”

If Michael Ware wants to make points about our troops' ineffectiveness or the lack of improvement on the ground, shouldn't he be trying to find and film actual residents of the city to support his claims? Is it possible that he can't?

From this point forward, after the conduct just described, especially at the press conference noted by Drudge, Michael Ware's continued presence on CNN's staff will be all the proof anyone needs that CNN's international reporting is intractably biased.

Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.