shimon peres cnn reporter shimon peres cnn reporter
"Late Edition," the last word in Sunday talk. We simply cannot pick up and leave. All of that makes tremendous sense. There's no way to value that. There should first be a broad purging of the security elements, because they were established on a sectarian basis with militias. And I think we could be out sooner. (CROSSTALK) BLITZER: Secretary Baker, go ahead. Listen to this. https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ6TXUKBGNZ/?hl=en&taken-by=shimonpro. It is where the Sunnis and Shias, kind of, come together. That's why I ask these questions, to give you an opportunity to reassure the American public that you don't stand with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on that sensitive issue. It doesn't set a firm timetable, except to say, in '08, they should be substantially out. They postponed it. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us for "Late Edition." PERES: Well, we have time maybe to take a shorter time. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. (May 2022) Shimon Prokupecz (born February 4, 1978) is an American journalist who works as the crime and justice reporter for CNN. This study group says that there are no new ideas. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Even when in 2000 he stood for state president the ultimate consolation prize for veterans Knesset members opted not for him but for the pedestrian Moshe Katsav. But in some areas, it's quiet. Learn more about each member of the ABC30 newsteam with exclusive bios. And we will welcome them as visitors to our country. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. SHAYS: Well, I want to see -- first off, I want to see the speed-up that we're now doing on transitioning Iraqi forces. JAMES BAKER, IRAQ STUDY GROUP CHAIRMAN: Well, I think that's disappointing, if that's indeed what he said. If you cannot find a specific segment, check back later. "Late Edition" will be right back. Later he was promoted as an assignment editor WABC as Shimon does his best in any work. Shimon is mainly praised for his report on Justice Departmental charges against Senator Robert Menendez, the 2016 Pulse Nightclub Shooting, President Trumps cases of wiretapping. But at the moment, he has not been charged, I don't believe. I'm increasingly BLITZER: The Iraq Study Group rejected that notion. You are a star! (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Welcome back to "Late Edition." They're saying transition Iraqi and American positions, particularly in patrolling the streets; reconciliation. BLITZER: I want Lee Hamilton to weigh in as well, because, you know, you're getting negative reaction from all the key groups in Iraq. So you will talk to them and they won't answer. As prime minister, Peres made up for lost time. What's the latest there, Brent? SHAYS: Well, I mean, they can make that point, and it's fair, and they should. This time Peres was the liberal brake to Sharons determinedly rightwing engine. BLITZER: So you would like the U.S. troops to leave? As late as November 2015, his health now failing, he insisted that Israel faced eternal war if there was no Palestinian state. A simple listing of achievements only hints at the phenomenon that was Peres. On ABC, the British prime minister, Tony Blair, worried about creating any timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Miraculously, their enmity turned to partnership, with Peres, the foreign minister, as the engine and Rabin, the prime minister, as the gears and brakes (or so Peres later described it). Virtually across the board, Israeli editorials spoke of a national sigh of relief in recognition of a long-maligned yet irreplaceable figure. BLITZER: You're in the minority now, but was this a good idea, to make sure that Jane Harman is not the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee? John Burns of the New York Times, thanks very much to you. All of us are for it. The segment included clips of CNN reporter Shimon Prokupecz covering the anti-vaccine demonstrations in New York City, saying protesters, which included healthcare workers, feel the mandate. CNN.com - Transcripts Shimon Peres Fast Facts | CNN BLITZER: Because we're hearing from President Jalal Talabani today, in my interview with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the Shiite leader, Sunni politicians -- they don't like this Iraq study report. [1], Prokupecz immigrated from Russia as a child[2] and was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Here's what the president said on Thursday at his news conference with Tony Blair. Our whole -- the premise of all of our policy in recent years has been a unified Iraq. Ghida Fakhry Inside America, Bio, Wiki, Age, Husband, Salary,& Net Worth But some pieces may be wrong. BLITZER: Secretary Baker, I suspect, also, because I've spoken with other Kurdish leaders, that they don't like your notion of having an international conference in which all of the regional neighbors of Iraq would be involved because, as you well know, and as Congressman Hamilton well knows and our viewers know, the Kurds have no great love for Turkey and they certainly don't want Turkey playing a role in the future of northern Iraq, which in effect, has become an autonomous Kurdistan. We're just getting this in from the Associated Press and Reuters. PERES: The shah, the first king in history that liberalized Israel and was for immigration to Israel was Cyrus, the emperor of Iran, of Persia. Thanks very much to both of you for coming in. We can improve them, but we have to focus now on other parts of the world that are even more dangerous. Now, moreover, all of our friends in the region are Sunni. All rights reserved. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. But the truth of the matter is, America has a huge problem here. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. We would like to negotiate some time, somehow. He's not excited about a timetable for a precipitous, in his words, U.S. withdrawal. Shimon Prokupeczs Early Life, Parents and Education, Shimon Prokupeczs Age, Personal Appearance and Presence of Social Media, Is Shimon Prokupecz Married? SHAYS: Well, it just points out how difficult it is for people to police their own body. And in 2013 he delivered a video interview beamed from Jerusalem to a security summit in Abu Dhabi for 29 foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim countries. We're continuing our conversation with the two co- chairmen of the Iraq Study Group: the former Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton of Indiana. The problem is the ayatollahs. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JALAL TALABANI, IRAQI PRESIDENT: I think that the Baker-Hamilton is not fair, is not just, and it contains some very dangerous articles which undermine the sovereignty of Iraq and the constitution. But also, we are failing in Iraq. There seems to be a sadness, tinged with fear, that what Shimon Peres stood for may die with him, writes Frida Ghitis. We're there now. BLITZER: Because, as you know -- you've been to Iraq a lot, Congressman Shays -- for all practical purposes, at least many observers say, there already is partition. The report has a mentality that we are a colony where they impose their conditions and neglect our independence." He also opened a good fence border crossing with Lebanon, revitalised the IDF after the near-humiliation of the 1973 war, allowed legally questionable settlements on the West Bank, and masterminded the daring rescue of hostages from Entebbe in 1976. John, the reaction from Iraqi leaders, including the president, Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, today, very negative to this Iraq Study Group recommendations. He lost the Labour leadership on the eve of the partys return to power in 1992. Obituary: Shimon Peres, Israeli founding father - BBC News By 1953, aged 29, he was director of the entire defence ministry, an office he held until 1959. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. BLITZER: Here are a couple of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. In your book, "State of Denial," you write this: "Some of the senior civilians Rumsfeld appointed were astonished and alarmed at how hard he was now squeezing the Pentagon controls. "The festival of Sukkot is a festival of kinship and mutual responsibility." (President Peres, Sukkot 2012) I also believe we're going to succeed. So you have the Kurdish leader, the Shiite leader both rejecting your recommendations or at least key aspects of your recommendations. That's another reason why we have to get the Iraq problem behind us. His longest tenure as premier was two years, and came while he was in an awkward alliance with his Likud enemies. She died in 2011. Such ties were to prove invaluable. BLITZER: You support unconditional talks between the United States and Syria and Iran? BAKER: Well, they don't want Turkey playing a role in terms of moving in there and preventing them from enjoying the status that they currently enjoy, thanks, of course, totally to the actions of the first President Bush in 1991, as an autonomous region up there in the North. In early 1992, Rabin replaced Peres as party leader, and went on to win the June elections for Labour. Listen to this. Shimon Prokupecz Bio, Wiki, Net Worth, Married, Wife, Gay, Age And I think we had an earthquake on November 7 when the Republicans were removed from power over the Iraq and corruption issues. One of the CNNs most popular TV personalities, 40-year old Shimon Prokupecz, is quite active on several social media networks such as Twitter, on which he regularly posts updates regarding his professional career, which has been followed by more than 30,000 followers. We'll get to my interview with Congresswoman Jane Harman and Congressman Chris Shays in just a moment. And we're following all of the rest of the day's top news: a startling new claim surrounding the death of Princess Diana; the latest on another typhoon that hit the Philippines; and a deadly fire at a hospital in Russia. BLITZER: Was the Mark Foley -- he's a Democrat, William Jefferson. I think it is really time for us to engage in new strategy. Yet a careful review of the reports for that single day brought to light 1,100 acts of violence. That's a prescription for ongoing war. Also to be tossed overboard are regional allies who believed America has the will to finish the fight it began." BLITZER: When do you want United States troops out of Iraq? Ever since the state of Israel was created in 1948, Shimon Peres, who has died aged 93, was at or near the centre of action . And how will the U.S. Congress respond? Among the numerous biographies of him are Matti Golans Road to Peace (1989) and Michael Bar-Zohars Shimon Peres (2013). But if the reality on the ground gives us that and it's somebody that we can deal with, maybe that's where we're going. The former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, dead, CNN has now confirmed, at the age of 91, at a military hospital in Santiago. HARMAN: Well, we each get elected by our own voters, and I'm not going to comment on the choice that they made. I wouldn't recommend that Israel will monopolize it and make it an Iranian-Israeli conflict. He has my support. AL-HAKIM (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Everyone who understands, it's his right to understand whatever. He came here to Baghdad -- the mission, it seemed, to thank troops, thank commanding officers for their work. But let's remember, we have everyone in Iraq, and we don't have enough eyes and ears on the ground in Iran, in North Korea -- very hard targets -- in Lebanon and in the other trouble spots of the world. But will the president implement their 79 recommendations? September 13, 2016 - Peres is hospitalized after suffering a stroke. So we have a prescription, under this approach, of kind of a permanent war. Facts of REP. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: It's time to change the strategy. Here I am, Wolf. Peres thus won the dubious privilege of becoming Labours first-ever opposition leader. It is certain that all these engagements and ventures helped Shimon Prokupecz to sharpen his professional reporting skills as well as to increase his popularity. And in 2006, he left Labour, his home for five decades, to help Sharon set up his powerful new breakaway faction, Kadima. January 14, 2016 - Peres suffers a mild heart attack and undergoes surgery to insert a stent. This is a comprehensive strategy designed to deal with this problem we're facing in Iraq but also designed to deal with other problems that we face in the region. There are parts of this world that need more of our attention. It may be a great deal worse. Shimon Prokupecz CNN, Bio, Wiki, Age, Partner, Nationality, Salary He became the first Israeli head of state to address a Muslim state legislature when he spoke to Turkeys national assembly in November 2007. BLITZER: It looks like the situation in Iraq right now is falling apart. So, I mean, as a wish, I'm all for it. We'll get an exclusive Sunday interview with arguably the most powerful Shiite politician in Iraq, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. Israel later promised that it would not introduce atomic weapons into the region at my urging, wrote Peres. BLITZER: The other sensitive issue that people want to know your position is on, because this has come up often, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rejection that there was a Holocaust. I'll paraphrase from the title of your book. We still think we can achieve the president's goal of an Iraq that can defend itself, support itself and sustain itself, govern itself, if we make the changes that we have suggested. He also tried to abolish military rule over Israels Arab citizens, but Ben-Gurion overruled him and the law was only repealed in 1966. Thank you very much for that report. What sort of an apartheid? He's been to Iraq 15 times, more than any other U.S. lawmaker. So if I were the Kurds, I'd like to say peaceful. September 30, 2016 - Peres is buried at Mount Herzl, Israels national cemetery. Joining us now, the two co-chairmen. PERES: The problem is not to state commitment. And whatever effort outsiders do and support us with that, we welcome any effort and any initiative. There is no assurance that they will enforce justice." They think the U.S. is trying to impose a deal on the Iraqis themselves. BOB WOODWARD, WASHINGTON POST: Well, what's interesting -- all the fireworks about the Iraq Study Group, which is earnest, sincere effort, it's a year or two behind the curve. Peres served as Ehud Olmerts deputy premier after Kadima convincingly won elections in 2006. CNN.com - Transcripts A lot more to talk about. Mr Peres died in a hospital near Tel Aviv early on Wednesday, with his family at his . We'll be right back. In the Iraq Study Group report, the Arab-Israeli conflict is seen as inextricably linked to the situation in Iraq. Coming up in just a few minutes, will any policy changes end the violence and the death in Iraq? And they will notice, amongst other things, that Baker-Hamilton raised the moral question. So that's really an indication of a failure because of our staying-the-course attitude. SHAYS: And that's because they haven't been dealing with reconciliation. BLITZER: Well, he said he's actually read the whole report. Your name, Shimon is the name of the son of Jacob. BAKER: Well, it would be a good idea for him to read the report, because we're not talking about a withdrawal before the training and equipping mission is proceeding, before additional Iraqi brigades are deployed. Personal:Birth date: August 15, 1923 (some sources say the 16th), Birth place: Vishniev, Poland (now in Belarus), Marriage: Sonya Gelman (1945-January 20, 2011, her death). Are those two recommendations you accept? SHAYS: Let me just make the point: We cannot fail in Iraq, because if we fail in Iraq, we fail in Iran, we fail in Lebanon, we fail elsewhere. Proud of you! Shimon Prokupecz is an American journalist, who is famous for his work in the news company, CNN, where his job is the reporter on crime and justice. Unlike holiness, he told David Frost, politics is built on compromise. Now, to talk with Iran, we have had relations with Iran, different Iran. Joining us here in Washington, Bob Woodward of The Washington Post. BLITZER: Because, as you know, Congressman Hamilton, a lot of your Democratic colleagues, former colleagues, in the Congress, they think it's over right now, and it's just imperative to get these American troops out of Iraq as quickly as possible, including John Murtha, who's been saying that at least for a year now. Timeline:1934 - Family immigrates to Palestine. The situation seems to be deteriorating, even as we speak. Despite his appearing on-camera regularly, and despite his popularity, Shimon Prokupecz has somehow managed to keep his private life low profile, as there isnt much information about any previous love affairs or romantic connections. And the coalition that we are part of agreed upon having those nine governorates to be part of the federation. HARMAN: Yes, I do. And the last one is you need a diplomatic effort in the neighborhood. But the Syrians are connected with Hezbollah. As Israels ninth president, he helped restore his nations battered reputation. The first step to recommend is that Syria will disconnect relations with Hezbollah. Should these recommendations have been made a year or two ago? BLITZER: Here's what the report says: "The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq," your organization, "seeks the creation of an autonomous Shia region comprising nine provinces in the south. The House Ethics Committee came out with a report saying that members and staff were negligent, not protecting underage congressional pages, but no one is going to be charged, no one is going to be accused of any flat-out wrongdoing. FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST: Sixty-five years ago, Shimon Peres got his first major position in Israel as head of its navy. Griffin's LinkedIn page, which has . It seems like it's not much better now. In the early 80s, he resuscitated Israels economy, and in 1994 shared the Nobel prize for his role in the efforts to create peace in the Middle East through the Oslo accords. 12:27 PM EDT, Sun August 5, 2018. And we should be, as Baker says, trying to flip Syria. Chris Shays narrowly being re-elected, but I'm sure you're happy to be here in Washington. (END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: On Fox, Republican Senator Sam Brownback supported a change in Iraq policy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R-KS): The country's been pretty patient on Iraq. I'm from California, Wolf. As a way of offering their thanks, they presented him with a copy of the Gemlich letter, a rare document that Adolf . CNN Here's a look at the life of former president of Israel Shimon Peres. And I think that, if we start saying to the people that we're fighting in Iraq that we're ready to get out, irrespective of the success of the mission, I think that would be very serious. And that's what the Iraqis seem to be wanting. Many people here in Lebanon fear that there is a dangerous sectarian divide separating these rival camps, and that while there has just been one protester killed during the past week, in an isolated incident, given the levels of security with the masses of armed troops, armed security police, and coils of barbed wire around the prime ministry complex of Fouad Siniora, where at least half a dozen of his cabinet ministers are holed up, very grave concerns that this deepening deadlock bodes ill for the near future of Lebanon. WOODWARD: Sure, obviously. He is a graduate of Hunter College. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel greeted each other at the funeral in Jerusalem of the former prime minister and president Shimon Peres. BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Well, first of all, Wolf, you can hear, very loud, the noise coming out of downtown Beirut. I think it's a danger. In Israel, the late president is best known for his contributions to the military, not for the Oslo agreement. Can Peres' vision survive his death? (Opinion) | CNN He called it unworkable. But I also think that her majority is created by moderates and conservatives who won in Republican seats who talk tough and smart on security issues. Further details may exist on the, "Shimon Prokupecz Crime and Justice Reporter", "Divided, They Stand, Russian youths try to fit in", "CNN reporter threatened with trespassing after grilling Uvalde police chief", "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Shimon Prokupecz, CNN crime and justice correspondent", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shimon_Prokupecz&oldid=1132493988, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 03:53. https://www.instagram.com/p/BVDjdzUhLjD/?hl=en&taken-by=shimonpro. And if you want to go to the southern part of Iraq from Kurdistan, you need to get a visa to go into Iraq. PERES: Well, I'm not so sure, you know. The Kurds are worried about oil. Balkanization? And that's your "Late Edition" for this Sunday, December 10. Who is Shawnee Smith? TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com. Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres dies at 93 after stroke Then he slashed Israels inflation rate from 450% to 16% by forcing the Histadrut labour confederation and big business into a national compact. Military hospital in Chile, in Santiago, says now that the former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, has died. And later, Representatives Jane Harman and Chris Shays on how changes in Iraq policy will play on Capitol Hill. One political, which Abu Mazen, or Abbas, as they call him, is having BLITZER: Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority? (END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: President Bush, sparring with reporters this week about the war and his reaction to the Iraq Study Group. All Rights Reserved. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. GORDON SMITH (R-OR): I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets, in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs, day after day. Do you support a two-state solution, Israel living alongside Palestine? But Yugoslavia is the right model here. For more news and updates about your favorite stars, please stay connected with us atFeatured Biography. And to entice the Syrians, it said this: "In the context of a full and secure peace agreement, the Israelis should return the Golan Heights, with a U.S. security guarantee for Israel that could include an international force on the border, including U.S. troops, if requested by both parties." Just ahead, we'll continue our conversation with James Baker and Lee Hamilton. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He really did a great job. Learn how your comment data is processed. (modern). We are failing in Iraq. July 24, 2014 - His term as president ends. Their breakaway Rafi party proved unsuccessful, winning only 10 seats, and in 1968 Rafi rejoined Labour, as did Peres, who became its deputy general secretary. In fact, it's quite possible they will send a handful or even more in. And remember, I'm also in "The Situation Room" Monday through Friday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, and then for another hour at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. (CROSSTALK) BLITZER: Is it too little, too late, these recommendations of the Iraq Study Group? And people say, "Oh, no, it can't be done." When, in 1974, the prime minister, Golda Meir, was forced to resign, Peres gamely stood for election to the vacant post of party leader, but lost narrowly to an equally youthful, native-born military hero, Rabin. What's going to be the impact now of a new defense secretary with clearly different perspectives coming in? And those secret reports that I have in the book and report on go to the president. But these kinds of statements make it very difficult for us to do it. July 1, 2015 - During an exclusive interview with CNN, Peres expresses support of a nuclear deal with Iran and says it is feasible for inspectors to enforce the terms of the agreement. My judgment is this, that basically, it's not clean enough. President Shimon Peres Israel news photo: Flash 90 "I can hardly stand to see babies being killed by tanks of their own government, but we cannot intervene," President Shimon Peres told CNN . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much And one very indispensable element of that national reconciliation program is the sharing of oil proceeds on the basis of population. HARMAN: I am not angry. It's not going to be solved by those kinds of comments and editorials. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. BLITZER: And still to come, insight from two journalists who know the Iraq story very well: Bob Woodward of The Washington Post and John Burns, the Baghdad bureau chief for the New York Times. What is your reaction to that? We also don't understand the culture. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: I thought we would succeed quicker than we did. November 13, 2007 - Peres addresses the Turkish parliament, becoming the first Israeli president in history to speak to a Muslim countrys legislature. Seeing his dedication and hard work towards his responsibilities as a producer, Shimon was transferred to its New York headquarters. SCIRI has close ties with Iran." When do you want troops out by? [1] In 2013, he joined CNN as their Crime and Justice producer based in Washington, D.C. and later New York City. Jimmy Carter did a brilliant job in Camp David. It would be a contradiction. I think Chris is right. ABDUL AZIZ AL-HAKIM, UNITED IRAQI ALLIANCE LEADER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I would like also to express my thanks to you, to allow me -- to give me the opportunity to talk to the Washington people. No more budgeting by supplemental. Secretary Baker, here's a question our viewers want to know: Is it worth it right now, given what you, yourself, point out in your report, $2 billion a week it's costing U.S. taxpayers, already nearly 3,000 Americans killed? Aaron Drawhorn | KFDM But the ball has to move here. We'll stay on top of this story, bring you the reaction, the fallout. HAMILTON: And our recommendations move in that direction. But that's what we can see, not civilian war, but some sectarian violence. Which barrel has the shell? There were two aftershocks. Because here in the United States, you know, Israel is a very close ally of the United States. You and Lee Hamilton depicted on the front page of the New York Post. And I am disappointed by the pace of success. Peres emerged as foreign minister under Sharon in a Likud-Labour coalition government. But all of these leaders talked to us and said, "We want a unified Iraq." That's all. You embarrass an Iraqi male in front of his wife, you've made an enemy for life. May 29, 2012 - Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama during an East Room ceremony in the White House. 1984-1986 - First prime minister of the new National Unity Government. This page is not available in other languages. We'll be right back. Before joining CNN International, she was a reporter for Abu Dhabi Television. Qu opina la ciudadana de que Biden busque la reeleccin? Shimon Peres was a leading figure on Israel's political landscape for as long as the Jewish state itself has existed in modern times. And so we are in a situation where, as somebody told me, and I think John Burns would verify this, Iraq is like a Mad Max movie -- the level of violence -- we can't even measure it, as this Iraq Study Group points out. But that's been known. He's a Shiite leader. You've got three groups, three large groups there -- Kurds, Sunnis and Shias -- and there's a real movement ahead, picking up, to shut out the Sunnis. Defeated at the polls in 1996, he returned in 2001 as foreign minister, thereby giving Israels controversial new premier, Ariel Sharon, a much-needed veneer of respectability. He is also active on Instagram, with over 1,700 fans. Sunnis not very happy with it. There is a provision -- there are calls in here for changing the primary mission of our forces. [1] After school, he worked as a paralegal in the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney before working as an assignment editor at WABC-TV and then as a producer at WNBC. When I was there last year with General Abizaid, it was clear to me that the United States did not have a good understanding of the insurgency, of the sectarian violence. Last modified on Tue 28 Nov 2017 09.07 EST. We gave back Gaza completely to the Palestinians. Up until this point, we've given a blank check to the Iraqis. Shimon, living the life of a reporter, has to be in front of the camera most of his time. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think we've got to plan to succeed. Those are strong words from the Kurdish president of Iraq. SHAYS: Yes. I've heard this from others outside of Iraq, including some prominent Arab leaders in the region, who say what Iraq really needs right now is a strongman; forget about democracy.