# CNN Reporter: "I don't know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about.." **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773 **Category:** The BBQ Pit **Created:** [March 28, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773 "2007-03-28T01:41:22Z") **Posts on this page:** 20 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/1 "2007-03-28T01:41:22Z")
God, I love it: a [total smackdown](http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0703/27/sitroom.02.html) of the Doubletalk Express himself, St. John McCain! > [@](#): > > BLITZER: Here’s what you told Bill Bennett on his radio show on Monday. > > MCCAIN: Yes. > > BLITZER: “There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods today.” > > MCCAIN: Yes. > > BLITZER: “The U.S. is beginning to succeed in Iraq.” > > You know, everything we hear, that if you leave the so-called green zone, the international zone, and you go outside of that secure area, relatively speaking, you’re in trouble if you’re an American. > > MCCAIN: You know, that’s why you ought to catch up on things, Wolf. > > General Petraeus goes out there almost every day in an unarmed Humvee. You want to – I think you ought to catch up. You see, you are giving the old line of three months ago. I understand it. We certainly don’t get it through the filter of some of the media. > > \ > > MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I’d certainly like to bring Senator McCain up to speed, if he ever gives me the opportunity. And if I have any difficulty hearing you right now, Wolf, that’s because of the helicopter circling overhead and the gun battle that is blazing just a few blocks down the road. > > Is Baghdad any safer? > > Sectarian violence – one particular type of violence – is down. But none of the American generals here on the ground have anything like Senator McCain’s confidence. > > I mean, Senator McCain’s credibility now on Iraq, which has been so solid to this point, has now been left out hanging to dry. > > To suggest that there’s any neighborhood in this city where an American can walk freely is beyond ludicrous. I’d love Senator McCain to tell me where that neighborhood is and he and I can go for a stroll. > > And to think that General David Petraeus travels this city in an unarmed Humvee. I mean in the hour since Senator McCain has said this, I’ve spoken to some military sources and there was laughter down the line. I mean, certainly, the general travels in a Humvee. There’s multiple Humvees around it, heavily armed. There’s attack helicopters, predator drones, sniper teams, all sorts of layers of protection. > > So, no, Senator McCain is way off base on this one – Wolf. > > \ > > BLITZER: Michael, when Senator McCain says that there are at least some areas of Baghdad where people can walk around and – whether it’s General Petraeus, the U.S. military commander, or others, are there at least some areas where you could emerge outside of the Green Zone, the international zone, where people can go out, go to a coffee shop, go to a restaurant, and simply take a stroll? > > WARE: I can answer this very quickly, Wolf. No. No way on earth can a westerner, particularly an American, stroll any street of this capital of more than five million people. > > I mean, if al Qaeda doesn’t get wind of you, or if one of the Sunni insurgent groups don’t descend upon you, or if someone doesn’t tip off a Shia militia, then the nearest criminal gang is just going to see dollar signs and scoop you up. Honestly, Wolf, you’d barely last 20 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. Maybe somewhere, deep in McCain’s colon, is a tiny scale model of a peaceful street in Baghdad, and he can see it perfectly when he sticks his head far enough up his ass. That’s my theory, and I’m sticking with it. ---
### Author: ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/2 "2007-03-28T01:53:21Z")
I’m torn between two responses, really. 1. Thank God we won. Time to bring the troops home. 2. I’m sure McCain would be happy to demonstrate for us by taking a half hour walk through a randomly determined part of Baghdad. I can’t wait to see the video. Pick whichever one you find most entertaining. -Joe ---
### Author: ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/3 "2007-03-28T01:59:28Z")
You have got to give props to someof those CNN guys, especially Wolf. I’ve heard him skewer people. He plays them a quote of theirs, they try to obfuscate or say they didn’t say something, and then he has them watch themselves saying the very thing they just denied saying. I cheer him like I would a sports star if I cared about sports. ---
### Author: ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/4 "2007-03-28T02:21:47Z")
Let me get this straight. McCain was saying that Wolf Blitzer had a three-month-outdated perception of the situation in Iraq because “some of the media” was keeping the current information away? From Wolf Blitzer? Things that make you go hmmmmmm. ---
### Author: ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/5 "2007-03-28T03:40:42Z")
Any of us been there? No? Me neither. But I know someone who was. He tells me it is both much better and much worse, depending where you are at any given time, than we hear on the fucking TV. Let’s all shut the fuck up. ---
### Author: ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/6 "2007-03-28T03:53:01Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Let’s all shut the fuck up. [/QUOTE] Let’s not and say we did. ---
### Author: ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/7 "2007-03-28T03:57:54Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Any of us been there? No? Me neither. But I know someone who was. He tells me it is both much better and much worse, depending where you are at any given time, than we hear on the fucking TV. Let’s all shut the fuck up. [/QUOTE] Michael Ware nas been there for a long time. John McCain has been there a few times protected by a huge force of the miltary whose jobs and future depend on not criticizing the U.S. policy (see the U.S. Attorney scandal for reasons why). Do you really believe a U.S. Congressman running for President as a Republican living safely in the U.S. over a reporter (not an American) living in Bagdhad? Your average American soldier in Iraq knows as much about what is going on there as an average desk jockey did about the fate of Enron. ---
### Author: ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/8 "2007-03-28T04:20:12Z")
What the hell? Talk about an aberration. This isn’t the CNN I know. ---
### Author: ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/9 "2007-03-28T04:56:52Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Any of us been there? No? Me neither. But I know someone who was. He tells me it is both much better and much worse, depending where you are at any given time, than we hear on the fucking TV. [/quote] And I should believe an exceedingly vague statement by someone supposedly known by a stranger on the Internet ? [QUOTE=Gatopescado] Let’s all shut the fuck up. [/QUOTE] No. ---
### Author: ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/10 "2007-03-28T05:33:46Z")
I just caught the segment on CNN. Michael Ware sounds extremely credible. He is living outside the Green Zone. I’m inclined to believe Mr. Ware and am guessing that McCain is losing it. I used to respect the guy. ---
### Author: ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/11 "2007-03-28T05:43:32Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Any of us been there? No? Me neither. But I know someone who was. He tells me **it is both much better and much worse** , depending where you are at any given time, than we hear on the fucking TV. Let’s all shut the fuck up. [/QUOTE] Bolding mine. Are you saying the situation is better or worse? ---
### Author: ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/12 "2007-03-28T07:10:46Z")
Does McCain makes this stuff up as he goes? Depending on the particular constituency he is trying to woo that day? Talk about a feather in the wind… ---
### Author: ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/13 "2007-03-28T07:51:15Z")
Well, at least everything is peaceful in [Northern Iraq.](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070328/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_070326182368) All the trouble is in Baghdad, and Anbar. ---
### Author: ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/14 "2007-03-28T08:22:39Z")
As I accidentally posted in a CS thread, perhaps the senator from Arizona was thinking of [Bagdad, Arizona](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagdad%2C_Arizona)? ---
### Author: ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/15 "2007-03-28T08:26:03Z")
I suppose your post is your cite, **Gatopescado** , because we have absolutely no reason to believe a goddamned thing you say. ---
### Author: ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/16 "2007-03-28T08:59:05Z")
[QUOTE=mstay] What the hell? Talk about an aberration. This isn’t the CNN I know. [/QUOTE] Maybe they’ve finally realized how totally out of it they’ll look if they keep trying to be Fox News Jr. ---
### Author: ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/17 "2007-03-28T10:07:43Z")
[QUOTE=if6was9] Does McCain makes this stuff up as he goes? Depending on the particular constituency he is trying to woo that day? [/QUOTE] You mean politicians _do_ that? :eek: McCain should have stuck with his old made up stuff. At least then he was the darling step-child of the left. Now he’s got nobody. ---
### Author: ![Elsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b2d939/32.png) [@Elsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elsie) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/18 "2007-03-28T10:11:03Z")
I don’t see much of Michael Ware but in Iraq he has always seemd very on top of his brief; nuanced and accurate. Not too many of his kind around. Fwiw, I’ve seen some good quality material of his on youtube. ---
### Author: ![padabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@padabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/padabe) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/19 "2007-03-28T12:12:43Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Any of us been there? No? Me neither. But I know someone who was. He tells me it is both much better and much worse, depending where you are at any given time, than we hear on the fucking TV. Let’s all shut the fuck up. [/QUOTE] This is part of the reason I won’t vote for Republicans. Not the whole reason, not even a major reason, but it’s the icing on the cake: _Hey, I know so-and-so, and he told me such-and-such, and you don’t know what you’re talking about! And… and… and he scored four touchdowns in a single game! He knows what he’s talking about! So shut the fuck up you liberal-commie-pinko-fag!_ Please. Grow the fuck up. ---
### Author: ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny) #### Post date: [March 28, 2007, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/20 "2007-03-28T12:37:38Z")
I say we invade Neverland. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773.md?page=2)