Gulf War II

best pictures

Iraqi Information Minister

CBS Baghdad webcam

the mosque

more mosque info

military moments

military II

military III

city lights

Jessica Lynch

Richard Engle

Palestine Hotel

miscellany

looting

Baghdad Aftermath

what are they doing?

war's end

Seeing Baghdad day and night, especially under the changing situation of military battle, is interesting. Even more compelling, though, is the many newsworthy interruptions, and seeing the military briefings the same time the press does.

The video stream is interrupted for news conferences. Here you see a spotlight on the logo of the Pentagon briefing room, in the center of the screen. The American flag is to our left of the podium.	A short while later we see U. S. Air Force General Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, giving a briefing. If memory serves, this was on Thu 3 April 2003, about the capture of Saddam International Airport.

Another time, I strolled into the room to see this image. With a video stream it was easier to read Camp Lejune on the top sign, and to notice the presidential seal on the red podium. Was the Commander in Chief going to address the Marines?	He surely was. Here are President and Mrs. Bush, to [our] right of the soldier making the introductions. If you notice these pictures are more blurry than the others, congratulations. The system was straining to feed all of us and in fact it hung for a while just after these screen captures. CBS fixed the problem, but not until after the speech was over.

One of the engaging things about keeping the CBS Baghdad webcam on much of the time is that interesting moment wink in for a while, the goings-on before the planned goings-on are shown, and then we return to Baghdad. Here's the briefing room at The White House, Washington D. C.	Here's White House press secretary Ari Fleischer sharing a moment with the members of the fourth estate, the press.

Very early one morning, around 0500 if memory serves, the afternoon in Baghdad stream winked out only to be replaced by this briefing room adorned with what seems to be at least eight flat-panel video screens. Hmm?	There was a bit of time - before the briefing started - when the camera panned across the assemblage of news reporters. Nobody I knew :-)
Then out stepped U.S. Air Force Major General Gene Renuart, Director of Operations, Central Command. We found out that this was the Coalition Media Center, at Camp As Sayliyah, in Doha, Qatar.	Speaking about coalition forces first foray into the city, he said "the incursion is a clear statement of the ability of the coalition forces to move into Baghdad at times and places of their choosing."

During the briefing he lamented computers, which he said had made it impossible to show his situation report slides. Amusingly, as the briefing ended, and the General left the stage, each of his slides was shown on the video stream.