Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq

Making a surprise visit to Baghdad, President Bush met with Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki at the U.S. Embassy. Here's some of the details of the trip:
Bush met with al-Maliki in heavily fortified green zone at a palace once used by Saddam Hussein. It now serves temporarily as the U.S. Embassy. "Good to see you," exclaimed al-Maliki, who didn't know Bush was in Baghdad until five minutes before they met. "Thanks for having me," Bush responded. They smiled broadly and gave each other a two-handed handshake in the high-domed marble room.
I wish we could make all of Baghdad as secure as the Green Zone. I suspect that that's what President Bush and al-Maliki are talking about today. Al-Maliki has recently said that he wants to squash the insurgency. I suspect that that's what they're planning at this meeting.
It was a dramatic move by Bush, traveling in secret to violence-ridden Baghdad six days after the death of Zarqawi. The administration hoped the elimination of Zarqawi and the completion of al-Maliki's cabinet would make war-weary Americans look at Iraq in a more positive light. Aside from al-Maliki and his cabinet, Bush was to see Jalal Talabani, Iraq's largely ceremonial president.
This essentially was the President telling the Murthas, Kennedys and other naysayers that he wasn't paying attention to their mindless rantings. This is the opening salvo in the midterm elections and it wasn't a good start for Democrats.



Posted Tuesday, June 13, 2006 10:32 AM

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