Bush in Surprise Visit to Baghdad

mnw · Jun 13, 2006

Talk about a surprise. I wonder if this will do any good or if it is just a PR move.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5076038.stm

carpro · Jun 13, 2006

No matter the reason.

No matter the result.

It will be considered by many as just a PR move.

Remember Thanksgiving in Baghdad?

mnw · Jun 13, 2006

Just to clarify, I err towards believing Bush and hope this will bring genuinely good results.

The Galatian · Jun 13, 2006

It might help the troops' morale. It might be a sign to the Iraqis that we are with them.

Every now and then, he does something right.

Enoch · Jun 13, 2006

"I also come to tell you that when America gives its word, it keeps its word." President Bush
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AMEN!!!

:thumbs:Excellent!!! I’m also pleased only a few select in the media were informed of this visit in advance. I completely support our troops, our President and that Democracy will succeed for the Iraqi’s. I’m happy to see this visit was a success. Wonderful!!! :applause:

Take the time to watch the videos.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199252,00.htm

"I've come to not only look you in the eye," Bush told al-Maliki. "I also come to tell you that when America gives its word, it keeps its word."

Only a handful of aides knew of the trip as the president had been speaking since last week about hosting a Camp David retreat where the president, his Cabinet and his national security and military team were supposed to hold a teleconference Tuesday with al-Maliki and his Cabinet. The two-day retreat provided cover for Bush to travel secretly and for al-Maliki and his Cabinet to arrive in the Green Zone for the meeting.

"I appreciate you recognize the fact that the future of your country is in your hands," Bush said in a meeting with al-Maliki. "I appreciate your committment to representing the people of Iraq."

White House counselor Dan Bartlett, who joined the president, told reporters aboard Air Force One that the trip was planned over the past month by a small group of six White House aides he described as a "very, very close circle of people."

He said that Bush had wanted to come to Iraq as soon as the final positions in al-Maliki's government — the ministers of defense and interior — were chosen. Had those posts been filled sooner, Bush would have made the trip several months earlier, Bartlett said.

"When you're dealing with issues of enormous consequence, the security of our country, the security of the Middle East and the world, and you're making such monumental decisions, its critically important that you're able to meet with the new leader, confer with the leader, who you're going to be making those decisions with," Bartlett said. "We are committed to the success of the new government and the Maliki plan that he is outlining."

White House officials said the president wanted to meet face-to-face with the prime minister to size him up and assure him of U.S. support. The message that he wants to send to the Iraqi government is "we stand with you. What you're doing is important," said the aides.

Bartlett said that Bush had invited the Iraqi premier to visit the White House, but the trip's timing had not yet been finalized.

The trip signifies how much faith the Bush administration has in the new Iraqi government's ability to get things done. Al-Maliki has won U.S. admiration by promising to crack down on militias and sectarian violence, promote national reconciliation and accelerate reconstruction efforts and restore essential services such as electricity.

Al-Maliki is also supposed to be announcing that 75,000 Iraqi and coalition troops are being deployed in Baghdad Tuesday to institute the prime minister's new security plan in the capital. Al-Maliki was expected to explain to Bush during their meeting that he will show "no mercy" to terrorists.

The plan will include a curfew and a ban on personal weapons in the city. Roads would be secured, raids against insurgent hideouts launched and air strikes called.

Maj. Gen. Mahdi al-Gharrawi, the commander of public order forces under the Interior Ministry, said al-Maliki's plan would be the biggest operation of its kind in Baghdad since the U.S. handed over sovereignty to Iraq in 2004.

Bush is expected to stay in Iraq for five hours only, where security precautions are tightly executed in a precarious venue. Even the president's arrival was cautiously orchestrated. Air Force One landed at a semi-deserted airstrip a good distance away from the main terminal in Baghdad. Bush and his crew then boarded a convoy of Nighthawk passenger helicopters to take them about seven minutes to the center of the city.

Everyone on the helicopters was in body armor except for the White House aides, who wore business suits but no armor. Bartlett had earlier said the president would not wear body armor. In the Green Zone, a line of Suburbans and other SUVs waited for the short drive to the Republican Palace, a 1950's-era building which is now part of the U.S. Embassy compound.
Joining Bush on Air Force One were Bartlett, Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin, Press Secretary Tony Snow and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. Joining them on the ground in Iraq were U.S. Ambassador Zal Khalilzad and Gen. George Casey, head of the Multinational Force in Iraq.

The group arrived at the palace where the offices of Paul Bremer, head of the now-defunct Coalition Provisional Authority, had been, and is now being used as the temporary U.S. embassy. An American and an Iraqi flag had been arrayed next to the entrance to the hallway leading to the offices, where al-Maliki and one of his aides stood in anticipation of Bush's arrival.
Bush swept into the room where he was to meet al-Maliki with his entourage and Secret Service in tow. He walked up to al-Maliki, who had been informed about five minutes before Bush's arrival that he was to have a special guest, and shook the prime minister's hand as the cameras flashed.

Al-Maliki said, "Good to see you," to which Bush responded, "Thanks for having me." They stood in the hallway for another minute and then disappeared into one of the palace offices.

The president is also expected to hold meetings with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani. Back at Camp David, other officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, were speaking by video conference as planned before returning to Washington, D.C., for private meetings with Senate and House members.

Bush's departure from Camp David the night before had required some surreptitious behavior on the president's part. While dining with officials Monday evening, the president excused himself from after-dinner discussion around 7:45 p.m. EDT, telling his guests that he was "losing altitude" and wanted to read in bed a little before falling asleep. By 8 p.m. when the dinner wrapped up, Bush was already on his way to Andrews Air Force Base, and Air Force One departed at 9:07 pm EDT.

Tuesday's trip came as Bush is trying to recapture support for the Iraq war amid a positive week of news that included Zarqawi's death and the filling of the most important seats in Iraq's Cabinet.

Anxiety about the war has been driving down Bush's poll numbers and causing Republican anxiety about holding control of Congress in the November election. But Republican supporters of the president said Tuesday's trip symbolizes progress being made in Iraq.

"I think the president is doing exactly the right thing today. ... Sending a powerful signal to the Iraqi people that we are with you in the War on Terror, we are going to support this government that you have elected and we are going to win the War on Terror together," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

"It's just dynamite," said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., who returned from Iraq on Monday night and said he would have stayed there to catch a ride back on Air Force One if he'd known the president was going to be there.

Inhofe, who's been to Iraq 11 times since 2003, said he met with Iraqi officials, who demonstrated some of the training received by the 264,000 Iraqi troops. He said he was told that when 11 divisions -- or 325,000 troops are trained -- the Iraqis will want to take over security for themselves, though that does not mean U.S. troops will leave completely.

"It's a huge success story over there. I just don't understand why the media don't get it," he said, adding that al-Maliki's security adviser told him that the Iraqis are "getting very close to the time" when they will be in a position to take control of their security.
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LeBuick · Jun 13, 2006

Let's face it, he can't announce he's coming or the roads would be lined with IED's and there would a sudden increase in the sale of vest :laugh:

Terry_Herrington · Jun 13, 2006

The problem is not with Bush going to Iraq, it's with him coming back to the U.S.

Actually, this is one of the few things Bush has done right.

LeBuick · Jun 14, 2006

Terry_Herrington said:

The problem is not with Bush going to Iraq, it's with him coming back to the U.S.

Actually, this is one of the few things Bush has done right.
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ROFL :laugh: :laugh: :thumbs:

The Galatian · Jun 14, 2006

The people who are responsible for Iraq could do one thing to make it better.

They could send their own kids to fight and die. For Bush, this war is about other people's children fighting and dying.

mnw · Jun 14, 2006

Do they not report the almost daily occurance of Iraqi innocents, policeman, soldiers and recruits being killed where you are?

Sadly war is always about leaders sending in others to fight and die.

If Bush could have won by setting up a dual with Hussain then I am sure he would have... my money would have been on bush with a couple of six-shooters!

fromtheright · Jun 15, 2006

Confession is good for the soul: time and again, folks here prove my pre-judgements wrong (well, some of 'em :smilewinkgrin: ). I would have never thought that TH and Galatian would say that Bush was doing the right thing in going over. My apologies for my pre-judgement.

Terry_Herrington · Jun 15, 2006

fromtheright said:

Confession is good for the soul: time and again, folks here prove my pre-judgements wrong (well, some of 'em :smilewinkgrin: ). I would have never thought that TH and Galatian would say that Bush was doing the right thing in going over. My apologies for my pre-judgement.
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Thank you for your kind remarks. I would also appreciate you answering the question you keep avoiding in the "In Case Any of you libarals have forgotten...." thread, if you would.

fromtheright · Jun 16, 2006

Originally posted by Terry Herrington:

Thank you for your kind remarks.
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As I said, it does my soul good to admit it when I know I'm wrong. But then there are all those other times I just don't know when I'm wrong. :smilewinkgrin: But I know I can count on you to point them out, right? :smilewinkgrin:

KenH · Jun 16, 2006

Kudos to the media that were informed in advance so that they could go on this trip. They didn't leak
it. :thumbs:

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