In Baghdad With the Relentless Reporter What made Michael Hastings so good

Great remembrance by Joe Trippi.

I was on my way to Baghdad. I was supposed to go in quietly and not be seen. My personal safety depended on my getting into an enclosed compound in the red zone without anyone knowing I was there.

But when I landed at Baghdad International, with its three riddled and dilapidated gates, there was a problem with my visa. The two Iraqi visa officers accused me of trying to enter the country illegally and ordered me deported.

So there I was, sitting under armed guard in terminal C, waiting to be put on the next plane out. I was working my cell phone and contacts, in an attempt to figure a way out of my predicament, when I heard someone yell out behind me, “Joe Trippi! What are you doing here?”

I turned to see who had spotted me.

“Oh shit,” I thought. “It’s Michael Hastings.”

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http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113591/michael-hastings-dead-baghdad-relentless-reporter#