Another loss

Another loss to CNN: Jamie McIntyre is leaving the network. On Friday he appeared on The Situation Room with his final report, about a health risk for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan -- the use of "burn pits" -- and at the end of the clip Wolf thanks him for his work with the network:

Politico.com posted a copy of Jamie's farewell email to the CNN staff:

After 16 years of covering the U.S. military for CNN, the time has come for me to leave the beat. 

Although I was never bored, CNN and I both agreed it was time for a change.

We were unable to reach an agreement on another assignment, so after a friendly discussion, I decided to pursue other opportunities. 

I leave with no regrets, and nothing but pride for the things we accomplished, and admiration for the people I worked with over the years.

I began at CNN in 1988, as a weekend freelance reporter, so my association with the network spans 20 years.

Before replacing Wolf Blitzer at the Pentagon in 1992, I had hardly traveled outside the Washington area. Since then I have circumnavigated the globe more than once and visited more than 60 countries.

It has been a special honor to cover the men and women of the U.S. military, and see, close up, the dedication and sacrifice they make to defend the nation. 

If I start mentioning names I will leave too many people out, but I have to express special gratitude to three CNNers in particular:

Tom Johnson, who was a rock of journalistic integrity in every confrontation with the Pentagon, the late Bill Headline, who hired me and stuck by me when many questioned why the weekend feature reporter was being assigned to the Pentagon, and my editor Sheila Kanzler, who was with me from day one and never missed air, even when I gave her a script with less than 10 minutes to turn it into television.

I’ll be around for a little while longer to tie up loose ends, and wrap up some projects.

Life is all about timing, and this just seems like the right time to see what else is out there. 

I hear there’s a ton of money to be made in stand-up comedy.

Well, Jamie always did strike me as a stand-up guy... But his work and his classiness will be sorely missed by many viewers. ATC wishes him the very best in his future endeavors. 

(If this keeps up, we may have to change the name of the blog to "All Things CNN...and Beyond"!)

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Colin Powell is a guest on tomorrow's Fareed Zakaria GPS. Previews of the interview have been posted on CNN.com. In this one he talks about the future of the Republican party, conflicts within the Bush cabinet, and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy:

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Where in the World...?

SATURDAY: Candy Crowley was in Chicago covering the transition.

SUNDAY: Nic Robertson was on a NATO ship chasing pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

MONDAY: Nic was in Salalah, Oman, still covering the pirates; Phil Black was in Athens to cover the riots; Jessica Yellin was in Chicago to cover the transition; Gary Tuchman was in Chicago to cover a sit-in by laid-off union workers. (And Chicago was about to become an even hotter assignment...)

TUESDAY: Drew Griffin was in Chicago to cover the arrest of the Illinois governor.

THURSDAY: Don Lemon was in for Heidi Collins.

FRIDAY: Don was in a very cold Chicago (above) to interview Jesse Jackson Jr.; Carol Costello was in for John Roberts. 

A fairly quiet week in WITW...hopefully a lot of the reporters and crews are getting their holiday shopping done. You never know what may happen next week! Stay warm, everyone!

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