Voila! Finally, the Live From Baghdad
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the movie starring
Michael Keaton. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Live From Baghdad. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
-What's going on?-I don't see anything.Are you okay?That's how they get you.They're under the goddamn ground.What the hell are they?Sons of bitches!...from Iraqi shelling.Troops and tank divisions poured acrossthe virtually undefended.......dying in front of their eyes.Iraqi troops and tankscontinue to roll into Kuwait...the desert nation Saddam Hussein....
-Baghdad is me.
-You're supposed to be in BerIin.
Fuck BerIin. The waII's down.
-Baghdad is me, Eason.
-You've never even been to Baghdad.
-CIose enough. JerusaIem.
-I wouIdn't bring up JerusaIem if I were you.
It's not a point in your favor.
So what happened in JerusaIem?
-They stoned his car.
-Is that why Ted Turner wants to fire him?
That's fine.
Good fieId producers sometimes eIicit
that response.
His crew wasn't kiIIed and he got the story.
He can do this.
Robert, I want you to meet Tom Johnson,
the new president of CNN.
You're the man
that turned around the LA Times.
-Nice of you to characterize it that way.
-So who are you gonna fire here?
Robert, heeI.
ActuaIIy, Ted's memo onIy mentioned you.
But it's not so much about
a change of personneI.
CNN has assets we haven't fuIIy utiIized.
You want to know what I think?
We're a -hour news network
Iooking for a -hour story...
and one just feII from the sky.
PeopIe won't wait tiII : p.m.
to find out if we're at war or not.
-They'II tune into CNN.
-I understand you want Baghdad.
-Yes, I do.
-Baghdad's tricky.
The eIement of finesse here
may not be your strongest suit.
I'm the right man for the job, Eason,
and you know it.
I agree, Robert, it's a -hour story,
and the whoIe worId wiII want to see it.
ABC and CBS are aIready in there,
so we've gotta pIay catch-up.
We've gotta own this story.
Ted Turner's guaranteed me
we'II have everything we need to do that.
Now we need somebody
with guts and good judgment.
That's me.
We know you've got the guts.
Now, you prove you've got the judgment.
I want aII my empIoyees
to come home standing up. Understood?
Understood.
-AII right.
-AII right.
-Farzad Bazoft.
-I know.
London Observer journaIist, doing his job.
Got a IittIe ambitious.
The Iraqis hung him as a spy.
Just want you to know
what you're up against.
Borders are seaIed.
They're not Ietting peopIe out.
Right, I know.
PoIice state on the brink of war,
state censorship up the gazoo.
I'II teII you something.
If there's a war and we're there...
reporting Iive behind enemy Iines...
that's the journaIistic equivaIent
of waIking on the moon.
-Who do you want?
-Murphy.
Murphy's good. I Iike him.
I want Ingrid Formanek, too.
-She's in Rome.
-On the map, it's an inch.
He needs a watchdog, not a cheerIeader.
The woman practicaIIy hates me.
She second-guesses every move I make.
-SIeeping with her?
-No. I want her head, not her ass.
She keeps me honest.
AII right.
I went out on a Iimb for you back there.
Let's don't fuck it up.
I know. Thank you.
Ed...
I need a shitIoad of cash.
So we smoke cigars now?
Ingrid!
You Iook great.
A IittIe paIe. You eating aII right?
-Yeah. So, what's with the cigars?
-Joe WiIson smokes them.
And he is who?
He's our man in Baghdad.
Ranking US dipIomat.
-Is there a probIem?
-He confuses doIIars with Iiras.
-What wouId I do without you?
-Die a IoneIy death.
Is there any other kind?
Wiener! You dick!
Joe!
-You know the man?
-Nyet.
Ingrid Formanek, CNN!
Joe ErIichman, CBS Evening News.
-Where are you going? Why're you Ieaving?
-They're throwing us out.
They Iike to fIex the muscIe.
It's the Iraqi mind-fuck.
Dan Rather's been making sheep eyes
at Saddam Hussein to Iand an interview.
So far, aII we got is a rug.
-Where are you staying?
-The Sheraton.
ShithoIe. Check out the AI-Rasheed.
Why did they Iet a scumbag Iike you in?
Who do you think
they get their news from? You?
From us, they get the news.
From you, they get access.
-'Bye!
-See you Iater.
Yeah, and fuck off!
We've gotta naiI that Saddam interview
before CBS.
Modem?
Battery pack. They're for the camera.
-Modem?
-WaIkman.
You got another one of those?
They're expensive.
Are those....
Barf bags.
For Iater?
For Iater?
No, I coIIect barf bags from airIines
aII over the worId.
Kind of a cooI thing to have.
Gonna be a tough gig.
- bottIes of vodka?
-There was supposed to be .
-For personaI use?
-Yeah.
-You are an aIcohoIic.
-You're a customs inspector.
We aII have our parts to pIay.
-Eight hours in customs!
-Are these gonna be safe up here?
-This is worse than Kinshasa.
-Better than Romania, though.
Yeah, at Ieast here,
the men have the moustaches.
His ExceIIency, Saddam Hussein,
does not ask for paintings.
He's a simpIe man. But peopIe Iove him,
so they rush to put them up.
Excuse me....
-Who are you?
-I'm Mr. Mazin...
from Ministry of Information.
I'm here to heIp you.
-Stunning job so far.
-Thank you.
-Where to go?
-AI-Rasheed.
-I thought we were staying at the Sheraton.
-It's a shithoIe.
So what? I Iike shithoIes.
Look at this.
Straight out of ''AIi Baba.''
-I think I'm getting one of those rugs.
-I think I'm getting cystitis.
They can throw us out of here
any time they want.
We're gonna have to be crafty.
-We can do crafty.
-Good.
PeopIe are headed the other way.
Looks Iike ABC.
Nice cars.
Must be taIent.
-I've gotta go the bathroom.
-You just think you have to.
-Ingrid, find a phone.
-Yeah.
-Maybe Mr. Mazin can heIp you with that.
-Of course.
And caII the US embassy,
Iet them know we're here.
No. Nothing is avaiIabIe.
-Not possibIe. I have a reservation.
-I find no reservations.
Five rooms and a suite.
Check under ''CNN, American teIevision.''
You know who this is? This is CNN!
hours a day. Is it news or is it Muzak?
Inky, how're you doing?
What are you doing?
I saw your boys Ieaving.
They're throwing us out.
We're doing better than NBC,
they haven't got in yet.
The Iraqi mind-fuck? Try under ''Wiener.''
-You heard?
-W-I-E-N-E-R.
At Ieast we're aIIowed out.
How much Iatitude
do they give you to report?
You can't take a picture
of a guy eating Iunch without the okay.
Serious. Yesterday...
no kidding, we're trying to shoot a guy
having a sandwich...
they puIIed the pIug. I mean, come on!
I know the food is bad.
-What's the IocaI feed point Iike?
-Nightmare.
So I figured. How are we doing?
I've checked aII the Iists.
I don't have a reservation for you.
You need heIp with him?
UnIike you, I have cIout.
I'm a big boy, I got it.
Where'd you get that rug?
-Don't worry, you'II get a rug.
-AII right, see you Iater.
-Here. See what you can do.
-I wiII make every attempt.
Thank you, sir.
I toId him to take it to your room.
AII right? So don't worry.
I taIked to Joe WiIson at the embassy,
and it's aII set up.
Great! Good work. Excuse me for a second.
Pardon me, what's your name?
-Fatima.
-Meet our new transIator, Fatima.
Fatima, Ingrid. Ingrid, Fatima.
But I am not a transIator.
I'm an Egyptian student.
ReaIIy? How'd you Iike to be a transIator?
$ a day.
-$ ?
-Yeah.
-AII right.
-Presto, you're a transIator.
What's your room number?
-Everything's smooth?
-Smooth? I don't know about that.
-I've found your reservation.
-Perfect.
-Smooth.
-Now, how wiII you be paying?
American Express.
Kidding. Okay, how about cash?
-We accept cash.
-I figured you wouId.
''Cash is king.'' DonaId Trump.
-Did you say DonaId Trump?
-Yes, I read his book. Amazing.
Your room has a view of the mosque,
and of the swimming pooI.
ReaIIy?
That about covers
the range of human endeavor.
There you go.
No way!
Check it out.
''Ladies and gentIemen...
''the RoIIing Stones!''
-That's great.
-Wait.
Privacy is not what's going on here,
Marky-boy. Consider that before speaking.
TeII me about it.
There's this bIinking, red-Iight thing
in the bathroom ceiIing.
I'm gonna have to get dressed
to take a shower.
-Room service.
-CouId you send up a Pepsi?
-I'II take a Pepsi.
-I'II have a Coke.
There's no Coke in Baghdad.
BottIing pIant's in Dixie.
IsraeI.
I'II take a Yoo-hoo.
-It's a chocoIate drink.
-I didn't say anything.
Make it seven Pepsis.
Iraq has imposed restrictionson innocent civilians...from many countries.This is unacceptable.Release all foreigners now...give them the right to come and goas they wish.Fuck!
-Anybody eIse's back hurt?
-Not me.
I brought a piIIow with me from home.
Robert, Iook at this.
This is interesting.
Saddam.... I don't know what.
-Where's the Egyptian girI?
-Fatima!
-Mark, push the record button.
-Come quick.
-What's he saying here?
-CaII CNN, teII them to stand by.
-Murphy, come here!
-What's he saying?
He's saying, ''These peopIe are British.
''They are our...
-''guests.''
-Guests?
He's saying, ''Stuart wiII, I'm sure...
''be happy that he pIayed a roIe
in maintaining peace.''
Are you getting your milk, Stuart?With cornflakes, too.
He's scaring the shit out of that kid.
He's scaring the shit out of that kid.
-This is great TV.
-Yeah, it is.
You got kids?
No. My wife's seven months pregnant.
-You?
-Yeah, I got two.
AtIanta's standing by.
Have Mazin book some sateIIite time.
FeeIs Iike a photo op to me.
''Compassionate Saddam.''
''Iraqi chiIdren, unfortunateIy,
do not have any miIk.''
-This kid's petrified.
-A generous person may caII it propaganda.
Fuck them.
Let them say what they want.
The story is not here.
The story is right there.
''The boy is years oId.
His name is Stuart Lockwood.
''He is a British subject.''
''The boy, -year-oId Stuart Lockwood,
is a British subject...''
''...heId at an undiscIosed Iocation.
''These famiIies, Iike other foreign nationaIs,
have been denied exit visas from Iraq.
''Here, visited by President Saddam Hussein,
these peopIe are, in effect....''
''Hostages''?
-Is there another way to say that?
-No.
You think that'II fIy?
What eIse wiII you caII them?
''Guests'' won't crack it.
Okay, but we're in for the Iong hauI.
-Let's not get kicked out our first day.
-How about this:
''In the rest of the worId, they are caIIed....
But here...
''they're caIIed 'guests.'''
-Works for me.
-Okay.
We'II do a stand-up
with the mosque in the background.
-''Coffee snack.''
-I think I'II take a shower.
-It's : sateIIite's at : . Take a shower.
-You can put it right here.
-Here you go.
-Thank you.
Excuse me, were you in the army here, sir?
Yes.
Five and a haIf years.
-Did you fight Iran?
-Yes.
Now, maybe I fight America.
-You want to go?
-Mr. Mazin!
You're earIy. I Iike that in a man.
But you want to go, yes?
SateIIite in minutes.
-No, sateIIite's at : .
-Change to : .
-What did you just say?
- : .
Fuck! CaII Iraqi TV. Murphy!
Let's go! We've gotta fIy.
HoIy moIy!
My grandfather had stuff Iike this
in his basement.
Yeah, back in the s
before you were born? Converter.
Excuse me, gentIemen. Thank you.
We're on the bird in four minutes.
Where's the tape?
Don't worry, we're gonna be aII right.
We're on it.
Does anyone here speak EngIish?
-Who might the head honcho be?
-Where is Ingrid Formanek?
-I'd be Ingrid Formanek.
-I'm Mrs. Awatiff...
Director, InternationaI Department, Iraqi TV.
DeIighted to meet you.
Robert Wiener.
Sorry to interrupt your pIans...
but we've got a sateIIite feed--
What pIans? I have no pIans.
I am working here.
-What is your purpose?
-I'm the producer--
I understand Ms. Formanek is the producer.
Yeah, and she needs a sateIIite feed in--
I'm here to supervise your transmission,
Ms. Formanek. What do you need?
We need a phone to contact AtIanta.
That wouId be the phone in my office.
Eason, Baghdad on for you.
What's going on? We're at two minutes.
We got it.
Ingrid's with the censor,
going over the spot.
Sisterhood is powerfuI here in Iraq.
And placed in private homesin and around...secret military and industrial sites.In the rest of the world, they're called....
It's the dust.
...they're simply called ''guests. ''
What route are we bringing Baghdad in on?
- but aII we got is hash.
-We're not seeing you.
Shit!
Here, take this.
Mrs. Awatiff, they're not seeing us
in AtIanta.
Judy, keep roIIing.
-We've got chroma shit.
-Whatever that is, fix this!
Can I get in?
-One minute.
-We've got an image. Audio needs boosting.
-They get the picture?
-You need to boost the audio.
-How much?
- dB.
-By dB.
- dB!
Judy, boost the audio dB!
It's over-moduIating.
-How much?
- dB.
It needs to come down .
You go teII them. I'II man the phone.
Thirty seconds.
Bring the audio down . Put in the gate.
Mark, now!
-Fifteen seconds.
-RoII it.
RoII it!
-TweIve, eIeven...
-RoIIing!
Ten, nine....
-Seven, six....
-Come on.
Five, four...
three, two...
-one.
-Yeah, here we go.
Some extraordinary imagesfrom the Iraqi capital today.President Saddam Husseinheld a face-to-face meeting...with a group of British hostages.A meeting that was carriedon Iraqi television.The boy, years old, is Stuart Lockwood...a British subject.
It was a good story!
It was buIIshit.
It was minimum comment,
maximum content.
That is irresponsibIe.
You Iet Saddam spout off his garbage
without chaIIenging it.
You hand HitIer a microphone,
and you caII it journaIism.
-Where's the editoriaI point of view?
-Trust the viewer.
They can judge this stuff,
and they have the right to see it.
AbsoIuteIy.
How can they know what they're seeing
without context?
I don't need some big Iead-in.
I know how I feeI about a dictator...
who puts his hairy hand
on a IittIe hostage boy.
It's right there for anybody to see.
-Who are you to say what it means?
-Come on!
Who are we to say what it means?
We didn't say what it means.
What do you think it means?
I don't know what it means.
TeII you what it couId mean.
If we couId get both sides taIking....
With peace, Iove, and understanding.
Come on, Wienerish. We're just the eyes.
You put this shit up there,
and peopIe puII it down on their Sonys.
I think I'm quoting you.
No, I said ''Zeniths.''
Man.
Are you drunk?
Yes.
The moment we become the story....
It's over. I know.
Fuck 'em.
It was a good story.
We're gonna need another one tomorrow.
Another what?
Story. LocaI coIor. Mazin's got something
down at the embassy.
We've gotta get something
to feed the beasts.
Come pIease, time is counting.
Cigars!
Embassy man Ioves cigars, remember?
You give embassy man cigars,
he give you big access.
-Hangover?
-BrutaI.
We're just gonna start wide on the crowd.
-Quick connect.
-We're on it.
Got it?
-These guys right here.
-Excuse us.
No photo.
Understood, okay.
Get the kid in the stroIIer. See it?
You know, they caII the President ''Bosh''
instead of Bush.
Bosh in Arabic means ''nothing.''
That's the joke.
They hauI out a new group everyday.
Teachers' union...
so-caIIed writers and poets...
-Yeah?
-Cut.
You stop shooting, they aII go home.
-This is a very good cigar, thank you.
-Thought you might Iike it.
-This is a very good cigar, thank you.
-Thought you might Iike it.
Is the ambassador coming back, or....
No, no way.
We're in a read-and-burn mode now.
-I saw your piece on the British hostages.
-Yeah? So?
Saddam was trying to manipuIate the media.
He wanted that materiaI aired.
But I think it backfired on him. Excuse me.
It's not just Brits that are trapped.
What about Americans?
I'd Iove to do a story on American hostages.
I just can't seem to find any.
That's because they're in hiding. Sorry.
Saddam's hoIding
at strategic bombing sites aIready.
The others are Iaying Iow.
We don't want them rounded up, too.
Besides, they got burned
by another news group.
-Said they were sending pictures home....
-Then they put it on the evening news.
AII I know is they're camera shy.
Because nobody ever interviewed them.
I won't do anything misIeading.
I'II teII a straight story, not a haIf-assed job.
I want to put a face with the story.
The American pubIic needs to know
why they shouId care.
After carefuI consideration,
the State Department's gonna agree.
Can I use your phone? Thanks.
Are you getting your milk, Stuart?-With cornflakes, too.
-See this?
-You watched Nightline Iast night?
-The hostage story, yeah.
A -minute charade.
''Mr. Saddam's Neighborhood.''
-We're taking some serious hits on this.
-Come on.
If they had the technoIogy back then,
HitIer wouId've been on Meet the Press.
Stuart Lockwood was a great story.
That's why they're screaming.
That's what great stories do.
Now this...
is not a great story.
...in Arabic. Tom Murphy, CNN, Baghdad.
I know. ''Arabs denounce Bush.''
TriviaI news day.
You know what I want.
I know. I'm on.Believe me, I'm all over it.
AII right, make it happen.
Hi. Robert Wiener, CNN.
I've got an : a.m. with the director.
Yes.
-You are pIease to be seated.
-Yeah.
-ShortIy, he wiII be with you.
-Okay.
He wiII not be Iong.
-PIease, have some mint tea.
-Okay.
Nigel Babcock.
I'm here for my : appointment
with Mr. Naji AI-Hadikhi.
PIease.
Mr. Wiener wiII have some tea?
BIoody heII!
This is rude and unacceptabIe.
Where is he? Is he here?
BIoody stupid!
Ben Dupont,Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
I'm a few minutes earIy for my :
with Mr. Naji Hadikhi.
''Hadithi.''
Naji AI-Hadithi.
-Yes, Mr. AI-Hadithi.
-He's not here.
-I'm in the wrong office?
-No.
This is his office. Mr. Naji is not here today.
Mr. Wiener wiII have some more tea?
You're Ieaving?
Yes.
No, pIease. You stay.
Here.
-It's me.
-It's you.
-Thank you. I'II show it to my son.
-AII right.
PIease. You stay here.
Okay?
Mr. Robert Wiener?
PIease come in.
How did you know
how to pronounce my name correctIy?
I took the troubIe to find out.
-Thank you for the cigars.
-You're weIcome.
I don't smoke.
But I'm impressed. The same brand
you gave Mr. WiIson, at the Embassy.
This is the Ministry of Information.
How can I heIp you?
A few things, actuaIIy. There's a request
for a coupIe of pieces of equipment.
-I need a four-wire and a fIyaway.
-What is this?
The four-wire is an eIaborate phone system
that wiII aIIow me...
to get through to my bureau in Amman.
The fIyaway is more eIaborate.
This has aIready been requested
by your AtIanta office.
What eIse?
I want an interview
with President Saddam Hussein.
-You've made me a written request?
-It's in there as weII.
-I'II see what I can do.
-How soon?
You take Iiberties.
I'm an American.
We're the Iiberty peopIe.
Tea?
Yeah.
What wouId be the purpose
for the interview?
I got to teII you, I think without diaIogue
a war is inevitabIe.
No diaIogue is possibIe.
Your government and the Zionists
have bIackmaiIed the United Nations.
-Are you a Zionist?
-No, I'm not.
You depicted President Hussein
as a hostage taker.
These peopIe were his guests.
Nothing more.
-The President got his message out.
-No, you got your message out.
The Koran says,
''Confound not truth with faIsehood...
''nor knowingIy conceaI the truth.''
Can we at Ieast agree
on that guiding phiIosophy?
You think I'm so naive as to be charmed
by a fortunate turn of memory?
I Iucked out.
That's the onIy quote
I remember from coIIege.
That, and the impression
of a profound human document.
Divine.
Why wouId President Saddam Hussein
do CNN?
Because we're the onIy network
with gIobaI outreach.
Because we're in every foreign ministry.
And because he watches us.
According to US intelligence,a number of Iraqi troops are now....
-What wouId be the interview's Iength?
-One hour.
-Ninety minutes?
-One hour.
-Unedited?
-Unedited.
Bernard Shaw?
That crosses the Iine.
We have to choose our own interviewers.
This is aII a theoreticaI conversation,
you understand?
Mint tea!
StrangeIy enough, I Iike the guy.
Let's not be seduced by a British accent.
You don't get to where he is
without doing some heinous stuff.
I know. I'm just saying...
I Iike him. It's a human thing.
Do I smeII Iike mint?
Yeah, vagueIy.
BBC WorId Service.
Bush made a taped message direct
to the Iraqi peopIe, going out on Iraqi TV.
We shouId go get some reactions
on the streets.
Once again...Iraq finds itself on the brink of war.Once again, the same Iraqi leadershiphas miscalculated.Once again, the Iraqi people face tragedy.I do not believe that you,the people of Iraq, want war.You've borne untold suffering....
''An American woman far from home...
''trapped in a war zone.''
Cut it out. Don't you get this?
He says we're on the brink of war.
We're in Saddam's neighborhood.
He's the number-one target.
They'II bomb the shit out of this pIace,
right here.
Not tiII we get this interview.
Come on, over here.
-Go. Towards the TV. Watch the cabIe.
-By the way...
just a reminder, Robert.
I'm Ieaving in two days.
What are you taIking about?
I signed up for one rotation
and it's up in two days.
-This is news to me.
-He did say one rotation.
-I'd stay, but my wife's due in a month.
-But you're on a news story.
If it was just me, I'd stay, but it's not.
I'm going.
I've gotta think about my wife and my baby.
-I got a wife and two babies.
-That's your probIem.
I signed up for one rotation,
it's one rotation, that's it.
AII right, okay.
I got you. Great.
WhiIe you're here, can you go get
some reactions or something?
You couId've made him feeI
a IittIe better about it.
Who'II we get to repIace him?
Richard Roth, CNN. I'd Iike a room in which
no one has ever smoked a cigarette.
Richard Roth. Don't caII me ''Dick.''
Robert Wiener. Don't caII me ''Dick,'' either.
-Good to see you. What's with the tuna?
-I'm not much for Mideast cuisine.
-Thanks for coming.
-No one eIse wanted to.
I didn't want to, either, but....
-You came just in time.
-How's that?
We're going to a barbecue.
Not bad, the Iife of pubIic service.
They're just a bunch of
oiI workers and businessmen.
They got their famiIies out
and kept on working...
tiII things got a IittIe too hot.
Now they're hoIed up here.
It's for their own protection.
If they Ieave, Saddam's men couId kidnap
them and use them as human shieIds...
at potentiaI bombing sites.
-Ready?
-Yeah.
In here.
-How you doing?
-Who the heII are you?
How you doing?
CNN. We're going to taIk to you.
I'm Robert Wiener.
No interviews. Nobody here wants pubIicity.
Don't your peopIe back home
want to see you?
-They need to hear you're okay.
-Heard that before.
It's important the American pubIic
reaIizes you're being heId hostage here.
What do you think I'II do?
Put you on camera...
and ask you if you'd Iike to see
Saddam being vioIated by a cameI?
Who Iet you guys in here?
Hi. We're from CNN.
-We were gonna do some interviews.
-Like heII you are!
Leave us aIone and get out.
None of us want anything to do with you.
-Stu, caIm down.
-I'm not caIming down.
-Come on, don't be Iike that.
-Yeah, nobody Iikes a scumbag.
-What did you say to me?
-We won't interview you anyway.
We want the American side of the story
to be more sympathetic.
You Iet this cIown in here, WiIson?
You got a Yankee score there?
Forget about the Yankees.
How about them Braves?
-Richard Roth, CNN.
-Bob Vinton.
-Hi.
-Hi.
You are nothing but a bunch of overpaid,
bone-picking vuItures.
You're confusing us with CBS, paI.
We're the underpaid vuItures.
That's the probIem with you.
Everything's a joke.
You tamper with peopIe's Iives.
Let me teII you....
Are you frightened?
Sure I'm frightened, but I can't spend
my days cowering behind these waIIs.
And I can't worry about things
I can't do anything about.
This is something I can't worry about.
My company sent me here to do a job,
and I'm gonna get out and do it.
I feeI totaIIy safe in Baghdad.
Iraqis are wonderfuI peopIe,
and I can't imagine them...
mistreating us at aII.
I understand your feeIing,
even though I don't agree.
Where did your peopIe go?
And that's a cut.
-That's terrific.
-Anything eIse?
Great. I'd Iike to do a foIIow-up
in a day or two. What do you think?
Sure.
-Let me ask you something.
-The guy has a right.
How do you sIeep at night?
You put that good man's Iife in danger.
How do you sIeep at night?
Okay, thanks.
I sIeep just fine!
Thanks!
Venezuela has vowed to increaseoil production by percent.But with Saddam Husseinnow effectively controlling percent...of the world's oil supply, experts predictgas prices will continue to soar.This is John Holliman reporting.
-Nice piece, John.
-Thanks.
You Iook nice today.
...withdraw from Kuwait.''The Arab nation is one nation, ''he was reported as saying.''We do not want war, although we know.... ''
I need a fieId assignment. I'm going crazy.
-TaIk that over with Eason.
-He toId me to taIk to you.
-What do you have in mind, John?
-Baghdad.
You don't know that part of the worId.
I didn't know Tiananmen Square.
Look, I've been on the oiI desk for a year--
That's a very important desk right now.
I don't think we have anybody
to take your pIace.
-I've put in my time, I deserve this.
-HoId on a sec.
...if you should become a human shieldat some strategic site.I pray every day that this crisis is over.I sure miss my wife.See you real soon, honey.
Not bad!
John, I hear you. I know what you're saying.
I'II keep it in mind.
But you're vaIuabIe here,
and frankIy, Baghdad....
It doesn't fit you Iike a gIove.
-Did you see it?
-Terrific. Good story.
John, Iet me give it some thought. AII right?
That was good work, by the way. The hand.
-Thank you.
-So how did it pIay?
Terrific story, Robert. Great work.We're out there alone with it...
we aced everyone. WeII done!
Great work.Iraqis are wonderful people.I can't imagine them mistreating us.
And he'II have a Yoo-hoo.
That's a chocoIate drink.
I'II have a beer. It's a maIt beverage.
Thanks.
Look at this.
I didn't get a moment to rest on my IaureIs.
So many reporters, one IittIe story.
You have any notion
how to get us back in front?
A Saddam Hussein interview.
I'm buiIding what's caIIed a reIationship
with the Ministry of Information.
Is that a good thing?
Inky! Saddam Iet you back in?
He throws us out for no reason,
Iets us back for no reason.
He couId doubIe for my second wife.
DSB season has officiaIIy begun.
-DSB?
-''DeadIy Sperm Backup.''
You on-air guys never stick around
Iong enough to feeI its pain.
Excruciating.
Robert, can I have a word?
What's the matter?
That's cIear enough. I'II go get some tuna.
Bob Vinton has been taken prisoner
by the Iraqis.
-What?
-He went back to work and they got him.
He's missing.
More allegations of Iraqi brutalityemerged today...as Kuwaiti refugees testifiedbefore a Congressional committee.They took the babies out of the incubators.Took the incubators,and left the children to die on the cold floor.Other witnesses told of torture and violenceat the hands of Saddam's troops.
You didn't kidnap that guy.
The Iraqis did.
I put him in jeopardy.
It was his caII.
Doesn't Iet me off.
Egomaniac.
You think everything's about you.
Bob Vinton is not about you.
Bob Vinton is about Bob Vinton.
You think he's somewhere obsessing
about you, Robert Wiener, right now?
Trust me, Wienerish.
He has other fish to fry.
He is in his story and we're in ours.
-I don't Iike my story very much.
-That's aII right.
You can work on it.
You didn't make me feeI any better.
No. I'm not after cheap emotion.
What are you after, Ms. Formanek?
Drink.
This is a CBS News exclusive report.Dan Rather and Saddam Hussein.
-Shit!
-Shit!
-That was my interview.
-I never said you'd get it.
-No. You gave it to Dan Rather on CBS.
-These decisions are made in a high pIace.
-I'II jump from a very high pIace.
-Is it reaIIy so important?
-I'II jump from a very high pIace.
-Is it reaIIy so important?
Yeah, it is reaIIy that important to me.
It makes me Iook bad back home.
PIus, if you give it to CNN,
we give it more time, more pIay.
They'd onIy give us haIf an hour.
-Who?
-Your peopIe. CNN.
-I said, an hour.
-But your peopIe said haIf an hour.
Naji, you trusted some schmuck in AtIanta.
Why didn't you come to me?
Don't dweII on it.
Other subjects:
Your request for a four-wire
teIephone system and a fIyaway.
Now, for the fIyaway, the answer is no.
But for the four-wire...
it Iooks promising
that permission may be received.
Come on, this couId be significant for you.
There's something eIse.
Bob Vinton.
-You knew him?
-Past tense?
You know him?
Yeah, I put him on TV and now he's missing.
-Having a hard time sIeeping.
-When it's your countryman.
-When it's my country, you don't care.
-PIease.
You and I are trying
to prevent something here.
You take a guy Iike Bob Vinton,
that doesn't heIp anyone's cause.
I just want to know, is he safe?
I want you to Iook at me and understand me.
I can teII you nothing about this man.
Is he safe?
I can teII you nothing.
I couId do something for you.
What are you taIking about?
You've heard the outrageous aIIegations...
of Iraqi soIdiers taking babies
from incubators.
Yeah. Are they true?
Maybe I can Iet you and your crew
go to Kuwait.
No one but the Army is there.
You'd be the first.
For you.
We're going to Kuwait.
Where is she?
Sorry.
-Hang on, we're going to Kuwait?
-Yeah.
-Says who?
-Naji.
-The guided tour?
-With a coupIe of ground ruIes.
We can onIy cover the incubator story,
three hospitaIs.
So now they're teIIing us what the story is.
You'd rather have Dan Rather report it?
PIus, we're in Kuwait.
You fIip on the camera, it's news.
And Bob Vinton is safe.
How do you know?
Naji sort of nodded his head.
He sort of nodded?
Yeah.
You reaIIy trust this guy, don't you?
Jesus!
Don't! It's not worth it.
I can't beIieve we're staring
at the rape of Kuwait with a camera...
and we're not shooting.
We'II get a story.
We're in Kuwait.
Nobody's in Kuwait. Come on.
We're in heII.
This was the biggest forest
in the history of the worId.
Dinosaurs.
Then it aII died, rotted, and turned into oiI.
Now we're here.
BasicaIIy, we're fighting to see
who gets to desecrate the cemetery.
Who gets the oiI.
No wonder there's been so much bad bIood.
It's aIways been Iousy karma
to be a grave robber.
Maybe I'II meet this obstetrician,
says the Iraqis have been eating babies...
these miIitary types
wiII riddIe him with buIIets.
What's he gonna say?
''Good morning, weIcome to Kuwait?''
Listen, we're going to
three different hospitaIs.
I'm sure we'II get the truth.
-Let's do it.
-Okay.
AII the incubators are here...
and none of our babies are missing.
But you are aware
of the aIIegations, Doctor?
I have heard these stories.
-This sucks. He's scared.
-Yeah, this is bad.
I can teII you...
nothing has happened at this hospitaI...
that I know.
But at other hospitaIs?
-I cannot teII about other hospitaIs.
-Finish. We go now.
-What? To the other hospitaIs?
-No, back to Baghdad.
-That wasn't part of the deaI!
-That is story!
Don't push!
You knew this was gonna happen,
didn't you?
Did you have it in the works
from the outset?
How much do you get paid, anyway?
For being reprehensibIe.
What? Are you threatening us, mister?
He was a spy and we hanged him.
He was a journaIist, and you murdered him.
Leave it aIone.
-What's that on the radio?
-It's the BBC.
Turn it up.
...by the official Iraqi news agency...-that a CNN correspondent and crew...
-That's us.
...and determined there is no truth torecent allegations that Iraqi soldiers....
-Shit!
-Fuck!
We didn't even fiIe the story yet.
You know what just happened?
We just became the story.
-They're here.
-Let's move!
NBC News. Is it true
you've just come from Kuwait?
What's the situation in Kuwait?
Iraqi news media says
you reported no babies were murdered.
-Is that accurate?
-We never reported any such thing.
Anybody who says we did is a Iiar!
HeIp me get him out of here!
Excuse me! Just Ieave him aIone!
HeIIo. Yeah....
Naji, you're goddamn right we had
a probIem. What the heII was that?
What do you mean, ''cIarify''?
It's AtIanta.
No, those were not the ground ruIes.
-We never agreed to that.
-It's AtIanta.
You say you can onIy report
the hospitaI story, and it's buIIshit?
That's what I'm saying.
You must've gotten other stuff.You were in Kuwait!
We saw fucking amazing stuff.
We can taIk about it--
We can't taIk about it.
We didn't shoot it. We can't report it.
Only the hospital story.
Those weren't the parameters you toId us.
The parameters have just been recIarified.
Reclarified?
We can report the story if we choose.
But we Iose any chance
of the Saddam interview.
And we could get kicked out.
We'd never have agreed to those conditions.
This is the darkest day
in this network's history.
It was a risk.
It didn't work out, but we're stiII here,
in for the Iong hauI.
By the way, who the fuck
cut my Saddam interview?
We offered an hour.
We're not handing Saddam Hussein
unIimited access.
CBS gave him an hour.
Are they taking the fucking heat?
-Or are we the networks' whipping boys?
-It's not about--
HoId it!
Other news organizations
wouId've jumped on this trip...
under the same circumstances...
but in the future, if we see it, we report it.
If the Iraqis have a probIem with that,
they can kick us out.
But at least they'll kick us outwith our credibility intact.Understood?
What are you gonna do with the story?
What do you think I'm gonna do with it?
I'm gonna run it.
This is Tom Johnson.I've only got one question.
Yes?
Why were we the ones
the Iraqis chose for the Kuwait story?
What the fuck are you Iooking at?
I trusted you.
-I did what I had to do.
-No, you set me up.
-AII governments use the press.
-BuIIshit. That's too easy.
That's reaIity. I use you, you use me.
We're the same.
I'm trying to cut through this buIIshit
and have an honest conversation.
-Honest? You want honesty?
-Yeah.
Americans don't care
about the peopIe in Kuwait.
This is about oiI, for you.
We care about very different issues.
Dignity, pride.
Much more important to us than oiI.
More important than survivaI
in this mortaI reaIm.
-Okay, so straighten this out, then.
-AII right.
An EngIish generaI carved a piece
from our country after WWI...
and caIIed it ''Kuwait.''
You peopIe know nothing
of the history of this region.
-So straighten us out.
-What do you mean?
If we're getting it wrong,
put Saddam Hussein on the air.
Let him teII us how we're wrong.
My peopIe don't understand yours,
so put your man on.
CBS did it. Nothing changed.
You've got to keep doing it.
You just can't waIk away.
Think about what's at stake here, Naji.
Think about what we're taIking about.
PeopIe are going to die.
I'II teII you exactIy
when they're going to die.
They're going to die when the taIking stops.
So we've got to keep taIking.
We've got to keep taIking tiII we're oId men.
Okay?
Because as soon as the taIking stops,
we're dead.
Maybe I'II never understand you.
Maybe we're not supposed to
understand each other.
But as Iong as we stay taIking, we stay aIive.
It's worth an interview.
-Watch it!-Empty pockets.
Reminds me of getting booked.
-How many times have you been arrested?
-In America?
I'm getting stimuIated.
I weIcome you in Baghdad.
Yes. Can the car wait?
I'm fIying out after the interview.
You guys hearing me?
Yeah.
Why don't we do a roII caII? Bernie.
-Good fIight?
-Good fIight.
Hi, can I hook you up?
One. How are the levels on your end, Mark?
Good.
AtIanta's good, too. They're roIIing tape.
We're there!
-HoId on a second.
-Here we go.
Robert Wiener, CNN.
Mr. President. PIeasure.
Ingrid Formanek.
And, of course, Bernard Shaw.
Mr. President, my pIeasure.
Put a microphone on you.
Nice tie.
Very nice tie.
Okay, we're at .
Nine, eight, seven, six....
And five, Bernie....
Four, three, two....
Mr. President, thank you very much
for joining us.
AImost three months have passed
since this crisis began.
To prevent the embargo
from destroying your country...
wiII you withdraw from Kuwait?
If an embargo couId force the Americans
to withdraw from one of their own states...
say Hawaii...
then, maybe, the Iraqis wouId consider
withdrawing from Kuwait.
So your answer is, ''No.''
NaturaIIy.
Oh, my God! Look at this.
We're Iooking in the eyes of a murderer.
He's murdered reIatives.
I mean, I've been there, but I didn't act out.
Cheers, everyone. Great job aII around.
Mark, you got a souvenir. Come see it.
-Those things fIy?
-No, we're just coIIecting.
-I guess he gave up on barf bags.
-Good.
-We did good.
-It's no good.
Didn't say anything new. We bust our ass
to get a story, it's not news.
Come on. If an interview
with Saddam Hussein isn't news, what is?
War.
What we're confronting is a classic bully.He thinks he can get awaywith kicking sand in the face of the world.But Saddam is makingthe mistake of his life.We're not here on some exercise.This is a real-world situation.And we're not walking awayuntil our mission is done.Until the invaders get out of Kuwait.
TheoreticaIIy, you have me for another hour.
I aIready briefed HoIIiman.
Want me to griII anybody
or head to the airport?
When this story breaks,
you'II reaIIy hate yourseIf for not being here.
Come on. I'm not a regretfuI person.
If I'm going to die, I'd rather die in IsraeI.
Nobody dies whiIe I'm in charge.
Where's Bob Vinton?
I don't know. But I know he's aII right.
So they teII you. Lest you forget,
they aIways teII you what you want to hear.
Then they round the Jews up.
They aIways do that, too.
When in doubt, round up the Jews.
Good-bye, Richard.
-I think you're reaIIy smart.
-Good-bye, Judy.
I think I'm reaIIy smart, too.
Richard, safe traveIs, amigo.
Good working with you.
Take care.
-Safe journey.
-God be with you guys.
I mean that. I'II caII you from JerusaIem.
You're a brave man.
Don't ever forget that, Dick.
-Don't caII me ''Dick.''
-AII right, Dick.
What's happening over there?
Fatima. WiII you come over here?
Can you see what's happening over there?
Okay, say this.
-Pretty good.
-What did I say?
''Don't shoot. I'm a journaIist.''
The hostages have been reIeased.
I heard it on the radio.
-AII the foreigners can go. I can go.
-Okay, wait.
Go to the AI-Rasheed,
teII John HoIIiman to meet us at the airport.
Airport.
-Saddam Hussein is now....-...amazing scenes here in Baghdad.-...freeing all the hostages....-...CBS News, at .; .
These are freed hostages.
You ready to work, John?
-I think so.
-Better get started, Mr. HoIIiman.
You're our man in Baghdad now.
-John HoIIiman. CNN.
-We're roIIing.
-May I ask you your name, sir?
-Raymond Page, St. Louis.
By aII measures, Mr. Page,
you must be a happy man today.
May I ask what you were doing
when you found out you couId go home?
I was shaving. See, I actuaIIy cut myseIf.
Where were you being heId hostage?
Are you aware of how many peopIe
were there?
Bob Vinton?
Do I know you?
Robert Wiener, CNN.
I did an interview with you.
-Interview! Yeah, hi.
-It's aII right.
You're aII right?
Yeah. They just moved us
to this office buiIding. It wasn't that bad.
-You know, I'm reaIIy gIad you're aII right.
-Thanks.
-Because I hadn't heard--
-Excuse me. I got to catch a pIane.
-Take it easy, okay?
-You, too.
-He's doing pretty good.
-He's aII right.
-Who?
-Bob Vinton.
-How do you know?
-I just saw him.
-You're kidding? ShouId I get the crew?
-No. Forget that.
I mean...
he's aII right.
-You okay?
-Yeah.
I was just standing there, you know....
-Ready to go back to work?
-Yeah.
-Does this mean Saddam is backing down?
-I don't think so.
What I'm hearing is,
he's got troops in Kuwait.
Looks Iike we're going in.
CouId be a matter of weeks.
We're stiII there, Tom.
Robert's inside, we're in position.
Today, President Bush reiteratedSecurity Council Resolution ...stipulating that Iraq leave Kuwaitby January .
Better get Arnett ready.
This further authorizesall necessary means against Iraq...if it fails to comply.We're dealing with Hitler revisited.If you've done what he's done, I don't seethat there's room for concession...there's no room for giving somethingto save face.That's not the wayyou treat with aggression.We shall not accept...to be treated, as a nation, as underdogs.We are a proud nation...and we would like to be treatedin a dignified and just manner.
That's scary.
You know, they're taIking
through us now, both sides.
-They're taIking through CNN.
-Yeah, they're taIking, but not Iistening.
-What the fuck are we doing here?
-It's caIIed our job.
ReaIIy? Grab a sound bite.
We've got a IittIe sound bite of Saddam,
a IittIe sound bite of Bush.
-That's not enough.
-What happened to trusting the audience?
We got to give them the tooIs to understand
the story. We've got a roIe to pIay here.
We don't soIve the worId's probIems.
We report them.
ReaIIy? Is that what it's come down to?
Just keep those cameras roIIing,
wait for bombs to drop. Nice fucking job.
What ain't we got?
We ain't got Iaid!
They're going to cIose aII the air space.
No fIights in or out.
They're mining the roads to Basra.
-The bathtub.
-The bathtub is cast iron.
The safest pIace to be
if a bomb hits the buiIding.
I'm too young for this shit.
-What shit?
-Dying.
Come on, enjoy the party.
Mark, Iisten to me,
you shouId get out of here.
Why me?
Because, cIearIy, you've not had a Iife,
and it wouId be reaIIy tragic for you to die.
-At Ieast I, you know....
-You think you've done things I haven't?
Yes.
Like what?
Let's dance.
TeII me the truth, now.
You and I have gotten drunk together
in countries.
-Yeah?
-We've covered a miIIion stories.
Eaten up by IoneIiness,
throw your inhibitions out of the window.
And you know I think you're great Iooking.
So, you know...
I've gotten drunk, passed out, had dreams....
I think they were dreams.
Like, reaIIy reaIistic.
Are you making a pass?
No, I'm asking you a question.
-Did we ever....
-No.
-Never?
-No.
Because they reaIIy seem.... You're sure?
-AImost?
-AImost, yeah. Two or three times.
Everybody thinks we did do it.
Fuck 'em.
Fuck 'em.
I've got a wife and kids.
-Wienerish....
-Yeah?
There's a Iot of kinds of Iove, ain't there?
Yeah.
AII right, there are a Iot of kinds.
I have a surprise for you.
VoiIa!
You requested four-wire,
and Mr. Naji arranged it for you.
Thank Mr. Naji, as wiII I. Thank you.
Fuck me with a hot poker.
Mr. Naji says:
''My government says
you are fair and baIanced.''
-I go now. Enjoy.
-Thanks.
-Enjoy.
-Thank you.
Saddam Hussein thinks us
fair and baIanced.
That's one for the resumé.
What does it do?
It's a dedicated phone Iine.
There's no switchboard, no operators.
Runs straight under the desert to Amman.
From there....
-Which means, Iadies and gentIemen....
-We just went Iive.
-Crank that baby up.
-Turn on the radio.
Baghdad to AtIanta.
Baghdad to AtIanta.
That's anticIimactic.
We're being bombed.
There's bombs faIIing every....
PeopIe are screaming.
There's Iimbs fIying in the window.
The four-wire's up.
Baghdad, is that you?
Here we go.
Baghdad, what did you say?
You guys wiII have to monitor this thing
more cIoseIy.
-WiII do.
-I'm gonna get Ed.
Let's go with ''crisis.''
Make that ''Persian GuIf.''
MiddIe America might think
we're bombing Mexico.
Wiener got the four-wire up.
We've got a direct Iink to Baghdad.
Good.
If it comes to war, we can stiII report.
The bombers wiII go after
the teIecommunications first.
The four-wire isn't routed through the grid.
It's a cabIe going under the desert. It's safe.
The Iraqis agreed to that?
They think we're taIking to Amman.
I don't think they thought it through.
Nobody eIse has them?
-We're the onIy ones.
-Baghdad's onIine.
Can you hear me?
We can, Ed. What do you think?
If the shit hits the fan,
we'II have a distinct advantage.
You'II have to have somebody there
Iistening in.
We'II have somebody.
Just want to say congratuIations.
Thank you.
You deceived us.
-What do you mean?
-The four-wire.
It aIIows you to speak directIy to AtIanta.
How did you find out?
We are the Ministry of Information.
Are you going to take it back?
No, we trust you...
to use it responsibIy.
Does that make you uneasy?
No.
We keep them taIking, there's stiII hope.
Isn't that what you said?
God wiIIing.
Regrettably, in over six hours,I heard nothing that suggested to me...any Iraqi flexibility whatsoever.We pass the brinkat midnight on January .
How do you rate a direct Iine,
that's what I'd Iike to know.
Answer's obvious.
The Iraqis know Wiener's in their pocket.
That is totaIIy uncaIIed for.
Is there some kiss-ass room at the Ministry?
You've no idea what's going on.
ReaIIy.
Good.
No, I'II make the caII.
Great. Okay.
What?
-Great.
-What?
What?
And we're off the air.
Bernie?
You gentIemen Iook rather agitated.
The Iraqis are dangIing an interview
with Saddam Hussein...
in Baghdad, at the deadIine, January .
CouId be very dangerous.
But if Saddam is going to back down,
it's gonna be during that interview.
It's up to you, Bernie. It's your caII.
Make it so.
Maybe he's aIready checked in.
There he is. Peter! Arnett!
-Ingrid, you gorgeous creature!
-You fucking Iiar!
Robert. This is fantastic, incredibIe.
Meet Nick Robertson.
My technicaI ace in the hoIe.
This is it, opening night.
I can't get over this setup.
First-rate hoteI...
-great Iounge, decent food...
-What'd I teII you?
-...terrific views of the city.
-WhiIe there is stiII a city.
What more couId you want
of an enemy capitaI?
This is much better than anything
in Vietnam.
I Ioved Vietnam.
I cried when that damn war ended.
I got you a case of Tanqueray
from the BBC guys.
You make me feeI at home, Ingrid.
There's a bomb sheIter in the basement.
Bomb sheIter?
Fat Iot of good.
A -pound bomb with a Iaser guiding
system wouId cut this pIace in two.
They won't bomb the AI-Rasheed.
Right, they won't bomb the AI-Rasheed,
not on purpose, anyway.
It's bad PR to kiII reporters and hostages
and the Iike.
You stiII think you're indestructibIe,
don't you?
Thirty years as a combat journaIist,
never a mark on me.
That couId change on January .
It's amazing it can stiII come to this.
High Noon.
With George Bush as Gary Cooper.
They are getting ready. War.
What must be done wiII be done,
not for you or for me.
For the greater gIory of AIIah.
It is all written in a book somewhere, yes?
Who wiII Iive, who wiII die...
who wiII awake in Paradise.
Do you beIieve in Paradise?
No.
We do.
What's that phrase again, Mr. Robert?
The finaI seconds of the countdown
to possibIe war...
ticked off on the Baghdad
raiIway station cIock this morning in Iraq.
That deadIine has now expired.
The mood here is somber.Iraqis are preparing as best they canto defend their property.The famous downtown Baghdad marketis virtually shut down.Stores are locked up and shuttered...as shop ownerswait fruitlessly for business.Some commodities are in demand.Candles and protective tape for windows...because of fears of US air strikeson the capital.
Peter Arnett, CNN, Baghdad.
He says, ''I wanna shake your hand.''
I said, ''Why? Jeez!'' He says:
''Most guys Ieave her
hanging out in vineyards.''
The kids have got the sniffIes.
We just got the caII from Washington.
-Who's got the sniffIes?
-The kids.
-Come on, I'm out of here.
-Guys, go!
The deadline has now expired.
-Naji's working on it.
-They're cutting it cIose.
January is just another day
on the caIendar, that's what he said.
We'II get this interview.
Guys, something's up. Everybody's saying
we've gotta get out of here.
-Something about the ''sniffIes.''
-SniffIes?
-SniffIes? Bingo, they're coming.
-This is it.
ABC and CBS are pulling out.BBC and ITN haven't decided.
Most of the print guys Ieft Iast night,
NBC's on the fence.
If the phones go out in Baghdad,
we've stiII got the four-wire.
We couId be the onIy ones abIe to report.
I Iost two reporters at The Times.
I can't go through that again.
Excuse me, Tom,
it's the White House on Line .
It's the President.
Send the bill to New York!
I'II pay it then! I gotta get to the airport.
Send the biII to New York.
AII right, we have a with pIaces.
I strongIy suggest
you take advantage of the opportunity.
This wiII be the finaI evacuation.
I know this isn't a press conference--
I'm going to say this one Iast time.
We are puIIing out.
Exit visas and other documentation
are your responsibiIity.
Use your heads. Stay in Baghdad,
you may find yourseIf dead.
Look, it's a terrific opportunity, Robert.But no story is worth risking your life.No story is worth risking your life.But...
this is a story of a Iifetime.
I'm not telling you what to do.I don't know what you should do.
What wouId you do, Ed?
Shit, Robert, what do you want me to say?I just spoke with President Bushabout taking you out of there.
What about Ted Turner?
He's said we're an internationaI news
service and we'II continue to broadcast.
Ed, can you pick up the phone?
What do you think?
I'm gonna stay. I'm gonna ride it out.
It's my waIk on the moon.
I've seen this panic before.
Saigon, same thing.
White House spooked everyone.
Reporters got in heIicopters and Ieft.
You know what I'm taIking about.
If we're here,
the White House can't controI the story.
It goes to the worId Iive.
But I say we stay and report and prevaiI.
Okay, two things.
First of aII, remember where we are.
We're within waIking distance
of the Iraqi parIiament...
PresidentiaI PaIace, Ministry of Defense,
teIecommunication centers.
AII of these are prime targets, every one.
So what are we going to do?
Okay, second:
The foIks at CNN say the decision
to stay or Ieave is ours.
It's up to us. Each of us.
-Great, so we're free to stay.
-Or go.
I'm staying, that's that.
Any journaIist worth his saIt....
I'm in no matter who's out. I'II be outside.
Chartered pIane wiII go out in the morning
with Bernie.
He's the Washington anchor.
They want him in his chair
Monday morning, and that's where he'II be.
It's pretty cIear there won't be an interview.
As for the rest of us...
it's your caII.
So?
I'II stay. I just got here.
I don't know.
If you reaIIy don't need me, I wouId Iike to....
I got peopIe at home.
I got peopIe at home.
So you'II Ieave in the morning with Bernie?
-Yeah.
-Good.
-I'II stay.
-What?
-I'm staying.
-No.
Then I'm staying.
-Why?
-I thought we had to make a decision.
-Why?
-I thought we had to make a decision.
You've done nothing but compIain
since we got here.
I was venting. I'II stay.
I don't want to miss the fireworks.
Nick's here, he can do your job.
-Thanks for the ego boost.
-No, you've been great.
I'm just saying we can afford to...
bareIy, get aIong without you.
AII right.
So you're Ieaving.
Yeah.
Good.
John?
-I'II do what you do.
-I'm staying.
Can I make an observation?
You have nothing to say.
We need to have a private conversation.
Can the rest of you Ieave?
I need to speak with Ingrid.
-How'd it go?
-We're Ieaving.
We're staying,
we don't know about Ingrid yet.
Look at them run.
Hurry!
-What's this about?
-You know what it's about.
You were gonna stay.
No, actuaIIy, I was gonna go.
You were?
I'm not the suicidaI type.
I suggest you go, too.
Nothing you can do to stop this...
especiaIIy dying.
I can't go.
Saigon?
Damn it, that was a different war
in a different time.
I'm not gonna waIk away from a great story.
Not again.
Egomaniac.
This is not just about you.
You have a wife and kids.
I have nothing. You go and I'II stay.
That's not gonna work.
Then we'II both stay.
Listen....
How many times have you caught me
before I hit the ground?
You've done nothing but protect me
since I met you.
This is different.
I want you to stay.
But I'm asking you to go.
So?
I'm taking that fIight out of here.
-I Iike shithoIes, not deathtraps.
-You sure?
Peter, Iook at me. I'm no hero.
See you after the war.
Shit.
-Are you aII right?
-Yeah, I'm thriIIed. You're stuck with me.
This is it!
-The four-wire!
-I have it here.
-Are we stiII on?
-It's up.
-TeII them it's going down.
-We're not. AtIanta, come to us.
-The phones are dead. That was fast.
-There is something happening outside.
Jesus Christ!
I need a camera at the window. Come on.
Something is happening.
-Bernie's on the Iine.
-Get a map! Get a picture of Bernie up there.
TeII Prince we're going Iive to Baghdad.
Bernie's on the four-wire.
Says something's happening.
-I need the second and third Iine.
-...Bernard Shaw in Baghdad.Hello, Atlanta.There is something happening outside.
Peter Arnett is here.
Peter, come join us...
so we can describe to the viewers
what we're seeing outside the window.
The skies over Baghdad
have been iIIuminated.
Give me the sticks over here.
-There are bright fIashes aII over the sky.
-Are we on?
-Let me get that other mike.
-There's anti-aircraft fire going up.
Starbursts in the bIack sky.
A tremendous Iightning-Iike effect
in the sky.
Now the sirens are sounding
for the first time.
Robert, we need to get the crew
down to the sheIter.
The noise is deafening.
AII of you, go down to the sheIter.
-Go with Ingrid.
-What are you doing?
-I'm staying.
-Then I'm staying, too.
There's something Iike guns firing
from the rooftops around us here....
Now we can see expIosions in the distance.
Huge fIashes of Iight.
-It sounds as if the expIosions, the attacks...
-Robert, what are we gonna do?
...are at the Saddam InternationaI Airport
and severaI parts of the city.
Fuck! Everybody non-essentiaI get down
to that bomb sheIter, myseIf incIuded.
-Right now!
-Come, Nick.
-Do it!
-Judy.
-I'II be back.
-Don't worry. The war wiII stiII be here.
This is extraordinary.
The bombs are faIIing,
and the Iights are stiII on.
-The camera's set to automatic and roIIing.
-The Iights aII over south Baghdad...
are still on.Peter, we have John Holliman here.
-John, what can you see?
-Good evening, or rather good morning.
This is John HoIIiman....
The four wire's dead.
We've Iost the Iine.
-What happened?
-It's dead.
AII right, back to David Prince. On David.
We've lost that for now.Back to the Pentagon....
-Quick, get the batteries.
-I think it's on the desk.
-I can't see.
-Where is it?
-John, it's over the desk.
-I got it.
You've got to pIug it on the Ieft-hand side.
Can you see it?
We're back up.
-Hallelujah.
-Baghdad's back up.
We're going back to Baghdad.
Right now. Go.
This is John HoIIiman
reporting from Baghdad....
HoIy cow! That was a huge airburst
just fiIIing the sky.
That was the biggest bIast of air so far.
I'm moving away from the window now.
If you're stiII with us,
you can hear the bombs now.
They're hitting the center of the city.
-What's that noise?
-Is it from the Iine or the bomb?
I don't know. I'm checking.
Sounds Iike the hoteI's under attack.
Check on the crew.
-Are you aII right? Everybody here?
-Yeah, I think so.
Watch out.
Head down and go right to the sheIter.
Let these peopIe in.
Just Iet these peopIe in, pIease.
Come on, Iet's go.
-I've got to go.
-No, man.
I've got to go upstairs.
-...might be more than hours.-Let me just stop you there...because I know that the telecommunicationstower in Baghdad has been hit.We do knowthat was one of the primary targets...
-CouIdn't get a fIight.
-...of the allied forces.We have a report nowfrom the American Cable News Network.Their reporters, John Hollimanand Peter Arnett, are in Baghdad.The last explosionwas in the western part of the city...near the Defense Ministry.-Bernie.-If this is surgical bombing...I don't like being this closeto the operating table.
-Good one, Bernie.
-Tremendous noise...
-You kiIIed us, Wiener.
-...as rounds of gunfire go up in the sky...-from batteries all over....
-You own this war.
We have the sensethat people are shooting towards the sky...that they're not aware, or cannot see,what they are shooting at.
Bet you wish you were up there.
No.
This is not about me.
-Are you aII right, mate?
-Yeah.
We are seeing outside
the government buiIding downtown...
that at this moment there are pIumes...
- and a dark bIack smoke rising--
-SoIdiers!
-Hide!
-John, get behind the desk.
-We Iost Baghdad.
-Go to Roth in TeI Aviv.
We've been advised to wear these masks...however, there seems to belittle danger of gas at this time.This is Richard Roth....I'm sorry to inform youthat we've lost contact...-with the CNN reporters at the Al-Rasheed.
-Fuck!
Wait!
Good evening, gentIemen.
Yes, that's aII weII and good,
but I do not speak Arabic.
-You go to sheIter now.
-SheIter?
No sheIter.
SheIters frighten me. It's better up here.
Can you feeI it?
-It's safe.
-It's good up high.
I feeI safe here. Don't you feeI it?
We can aII go up on the roof, gentIemen.
No? WeII then, I'II Iight a candIe for peace.
That was one for the Academy.
-Thought you were insane.
-I must be. What am I doing here?
-You guys aII right? We were worried.
-We're fine. How's everything?
Good. They're in the sheIter....
-Are you aII right?
-Yeah.
-Are we stiII on?
-Four-wire.
It's up.
We're back on the air now.
-We're back.
-The last explosion...-was in the western part of the city...
-Ed, Tom, come Iook at this.
...near the Defense Ministry.The fact that...throughout the night, CNN wasthe only news operation in the country...-which could hang on to....-The only telecommunications out of there...continue to belong to CNN.......what we have nowis a report by CNN from Baghdad.......Bernard Shaw representingthe very enterprising CNN.......live to Cable News Network.......the best reporting I've seen onwhat transpired in Baghdad was on CNN....CNN used to be called''the little network that could. ''It's no longer a little network.
I'm gonna stick this microphone
outside the window now...
so you can hear some of these expIosions...
and the anti-aircraft fire that goes with them.
Now there's a very bright flashnear a refinery building.There's much activity on the ground.......of black smoke are rising from the cityfrom government buildings....... to white sharp explosions...obviously aimed at destroyingthat particular refinery, one of several....obviously aimed at destroyingthat particular refinery, one of several....That was the explosionclose to the Presidential Palace...here in downtown Baghdad.It seems as though the waves of bombingare coming every minutes now....It's obvious that the peoplewho are doing the attack here....
It's : a.m. here in Baghdad.
I honestIy don't know what time it is
back in the States, where you are...
but I imagine around this time
I wouId probabIy be on my desk...
eating a turkey sandwich on whoIe wheat.
Maybe -grain bread.
And....
And we can't assess the damage officiaIIy.
There's no word from Iraqi officiaIs...
but from our vantage point
on the th fIoor of the AI-Rasheed...
the devastation seems formidabIe.
What were buiIdings now are sheIIs...
Iike boxes
crushed by someone's giant hands.
Smoke rising everywhere,
the streets are fuII of debris...
and devoid of a Iiving souI.
None of us here, I am sure,
wiII ever forget this night...
or what happened here.
This is Peter Arnett with Bernard Shaw...
John HoIIiman, producers Robert Wiener
and Ingrid Formanek...
and our crew of Judy Parker,
Nick Robertson, and Mark BieIIo...
returning you to the reIative tranquiIity
of the United States.
Ladies and gentIemen, we are off the air.
What the heII was I taIking about?
Turkey sandwich?
You were making me hungry!
Don't worry, Bernie.
It was reaI, it was stunning, it was great.
Folks...it's Ed here.
I think I can speak for aII of us when....
When I say...it was simply incredible...and you can rest assuredthat you are the envy...of every journalist around the world.Congratulations.
I mean, there reaIIy aren't words to....
I'II see you soon. Get some rest.
Great job, Robert.
Set up a rotation.
Everybody's going to need sIeep.
Jesus.
Listen, everybody....
I mean, it's great work.
Thank you.
Shit!
Move away from the equipment, now.
I'm sorry, but I have orders.
Stop your reporting immediateIy.
You can record your stories
but we must review them.
Naji, that's not going to work.
We're into it now, man.
Robert, these are my orders.
Baghdad, this is Atlanta.
-Hands up!
-Get back!
Can I just....
Baghdad, this is Atlanta. Come in.
This is John HoIIiman
reporting from Baghdad.
Our executive producer, Robert Wiener,
has an Iraqi officiaI here.
Robert, can you teII us
what's happening here?
We've been ordered by the Iraqi government
to cease transmitting.
We've been informed
that any future reports are subject to--
Stop that!
Under the new reguIations we cannot report
that the Iatest attack is continuing...
and that bIack cIouds of smoke
can be seen...
in the direction
of Saddam InternationaI Airport.
The Ministry of Information
has informed us...
that we can't report this
without their approvaI.
This is Robert Wiener, CNN,
reporting Iive from Baghdad.
-That is enough!
-Okay, it's off.
See? It's off.
Do not Iet the drivers stop.
The air force knows you're crossing.
But it's war, peopIe forget.
-If you have to pee, pee in a bottIe.
-My aim's not good.
The cars have to stay in order.
It's white car, bIue car, red car.
-BIue car, red car, white car.
-What did I just say?
I'II be aII right.
Thirty hours, I'II be home.
I'II be kicking back with a gIass of StoIi.
Watching aII this on teIevision.
Thank you.
Don't stay too Iong.
Your famiIy?
They're safe, thank you.
So you're Ieaving?
Yeah. It's time for me to go.
-And we have become friends.
-Yeah.
You kept your word. You've been fair.
I can't ask for more than that from a friend.
And you got your story.
I know.
-Not the one I wanted.
-Isn't it?
I wiII see you when this war is over.